Lost my doctor

[RonB]

Well, actually, I know where he is, but he has gone the vip route where you pay a yearly fee plus all the regular fees to see him. :annoyed: I asked him to recommend a replacement and his recommendation was a DO, (osteopathic doctor). I did not realize this until I googled the doctor when I got home.

I then googled osteopathic doctor and wikipedia sez that type of doctor can do everything an MD does, but uses body manipulation as part of his regime.

So does anyone have any insight on this type of dr -positive or negative?

Thanx,
Ron

 

[VacationForever]

In my HMO here, all PCPs are either internalist or osteopathic doctors. As far as I can tell there is not a difference.

 

[vacationhopeful]

At least he recommended someone. Sorry for your lost.

In the past year, my Family Practice sold their patient list and closed the building down with ONLY a For Sale sign out front. The phone number is discontinued.

Tracking down your patient records was "FUN" but most of the staff is working on their 2nd or 3rd "new" employer and office. And info is like the web search for child support of a professional deadbeat parent.

And patient services are WAY WORSE ... everything feels like a stop watch is working except getting an appointment or getting called out of the large institutional size waiting room.

PS The "family practice" who brought the patient list is owned by a hospital chain who is building "walk in emergency clinics" unit. The family practice section shares a waiting room .. but to get an appointment, the ONLY offer dates 3-5 days later (no same day or next day) but the TELL you if you must see a doctor, come into the Walk In Clinic .... co-pay is the same as ANY Hospital Emergency Room charges... so my $15 co-pay becomes over $100.

Glad I don't have kids or chronic health conditions.

 

[Passepartout]

Sorry you'll be looking for a new doc. PITA if you have had a good relationship with your old one. Around here the providers have both MD's and DO's. I see no difference in their training or qualifications. Kinda like DMD or DDS dentists. If you like the doc, you're all good.

Jim

 

[Pat H]

Dr's going to concierge is becoming very popular here where I live. Latest one is charging $1750 for the privilege of being your Dr. He also charges you for visits, etc. He will limit the # of patients but there is no Dr. that is going to get me to pay just for the privilege.

 

[PigsDad]

there is no Dr. that is going to get me to pay just for the privilege.

At least not now. :ignore: As medical services become more and more socialized in the country, you will continue to see the trend of talented doctors going the concierge route. Guess who will be left to provide the "free" medical care?

Kurt

 

[Pat H]

At least not now. :ignore: As medical services become more and more socialized in the country, you will continue to see the trend of talented doctors going the concierge route. Guess who will be left to provide the "free" medical care?

Kurt

Well, so far none of the Dr's here who have gone concierge are what I would call talented.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Well, so far none of the Dr's here who have gone concierge are what I would call talented.

Nice vote on YOUR former Doc.

 

[Pat H]

Nice vote on YOUR former Doc.

Not sure I understand your comment. I actually left the newest one going concierge a couple of years ago because he couldn't be bothered to listen or answer questions. I run a FB page for the members of the community where I live. We have over 1300 members so I see all the discussions about Dr's in the area. I know which Dr's are in demand and the ones that are avoided. The Dr's in demand are not the ones going concierge.

 

[itchyfeet]

My endocrinologist is a DO. She actually has more training than an MD. I found this out when I first started seeing her and asked her the difference. I am more than satisfied with her--she is an outstanding doctor. I wouldn't be at all worried about seeing a DO.

 

[geekette]

Not sure I understand your comment. I actually left the newest one going concierge a couple of years ago because he couldn't be bothered to listen or answer questions. I run a FB page for the members of the community where I live. We have over 1300 members so I see all the discussions about Dr's in the area. I know which Dr's are in demand and the ones that are avoided. The Dr's in demand are not the ones going concierge.

This is a very interesting tidbit. It would be fascinating to know how it turns out. Presumably some people would want "an exclusive doctor" and incorrectly assume that paying for the privilege equates with quality.

I do hope you will update us at some point, especially as to how it works out for the doc you left. one wonders if his attitude changes or if he simply pockets the gate fee and remains the same.

 

[AwayWeGo]

I Resemble That Remark.

Well, actually, I know where he is, but he has gone the vip route where you pay a yearly fee plus all the regular fees to see him.

My regular G.P. doctor did the same thing -- not that I can blame him for bucking the tide of insurance & regulations & red tape that are putting a squeeze on the medical profession.

In any case, I decided not to go along. That's mainly because I'm already shelling out for Medicare plus federal retiree "MediGap" health insurance. Those aren't cheap. No reason I can see to add another layer of out-of-pocket expense on top of those.

I hated giving up that doctor, because he knows what's what & does a good job. He did my Medicare physical that disclosed elevated PSA levels, leading me to seek more complete diagnosis from a specialist, who discovered I had early state prostate cancer. (I got surgery for that & the rest is history.)

From 1 way of looking at it, however, that doctor's early diagnosis saved my life, so I hated dropping out of his practice after he decided to go boutique.

So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[WinniWoman]

Well, actually, I know where he is, but he has gone the vip route where you pay a yearly fee plus all the regular fees to see him. :annoyed: I asked him to recommend a replacement and his recommendation was a DO, (osteopathic doctor). I did not realize this until I googled the doctor when I got home.

I then googled osteopathic doctor and wikipedia sez that type of doctor can do everything an MD does, but uses body manipulation as part of his regime.

So does anyone have any insight on this type of dr -positive or negative?

Thanx,
Ron

No difference in care, just the orientation in their training. I have used both DO's and MD's. (I work with doctors all day)

More so, there is a trend of doctor's practices utilizing PA's and FNP's. Working in Radiology, I find many times those practitioners do not know how to order tests. I myself happen to sometimes see a fabulous PA when my doc is not available and I trust her. She diagnosed my Lyme Disease and another rash issue I had. Also, a stomach problem.

Right now we are in the throws of open enrollment at work and my husband's employer is restructuring the whole plan over the next few years and my head is spinning, especially looking at the premium numbers. It's just getting so crazy....

 

[RonB]

Thanx all. I have made an appt with the recommended DO to see if we will get along ~ Ron

 

[Kay H]

Both my primary care doc and my cardiologist are DOs and I see no difference in the way they practice from my former MD. In fact I think they are more thorough. Neither has used manipulation on my body. Only a chiropractor did that.

 

[bogey21]

A year or so ago I lost my PCP to retirement and needed to find a new one. Fortunately I live about 3 miles from a Hospital District and there are many Doctors practicing in the area. I decided to physically knock on doors and decide on a new one. Get this, the first four Doctors I visited were not taking new Medicare patients. I'm happy with the one I found but am fortunate there were so many in the area. I'm sure this is a bigger problem in less populated areas. I'm also sure it is a bigger problem finding a Doctor who will take a new Medicaid patient. IMO this is going to be a larger problem as time goes on.

George

 

[Ironwood]

Thank goodness we don't face the same bi-level of general health care here in Canada. However, we recently lost our GP of nearly 30 years to retirement. He was the same age as me, and we knew it was coming one day, but we received just one week notice. I presume he didn't want his office swamped in his last few days with everyone trying to get in one last time. Our health records were transferred to another family practicioner, and we both felt very comfortable following our first visits.

 

[FLDVCFamily]

Well, I lost my DO to the VIP med company, and DH also lost his MD to the VIP route. So far I have a new doctor and DH doesn't because the few non-VIP doctors in the area aren't taking new patients right now. What a mess. I wish I had some advice.

ETA - My DO was very good. I wouldn't hesitate to see this kind of doctor.