Sutter, Mercy, Golden State or Hill Physicians Medical Group (Los Angeles: transfer, university)

[kidpsych]

It is 16 days until we are in Folsom. Goodbye Los Angeles. I am now switching over to an HMO medical group in the Folsom or Roseville area. What are your opinions of the major medical groups (it appears as though the primary differences are hospital selection (Sutter or Mercy); delay in referrals to specialists; and the Urgent Care Center you can access).

Hill Physicians Medical Group - I've heard negatives about the referral time
Golden State Physicians Medical Group - Positives or Negatives?
Sutter Medical Group - Positives or Negatives ?
Mercy Medical Group - Positivies or Negatives ?

Thank you!!!

[MamaToThree]

I always liked Sutter, but my preference is UCDavis. Love their system and how it has a all inclusive inhouse feel (I guess that's how to describe it). They have a great computer system that follows you from office to office, doctor to doctor. Love the docs there and have never had any problems. I think you need to do research and figure out what suits you best. When I was going to a specialist doc, I had to have a Hills Physicians GP. I switched out of Hills to UCDavis as soon as I was done with that specialist. My kids all see the same UCDavis ped and one of them sees a few specialists and we can't say enough good things about them. Hope it's a choice for you!

[CityGirl72]

Golden State is still in business?? I thought they went under - That's who I had when I gave birth and although it all worked out - they weren't easy to work with

I like Sutter - most people do, but I also worked for Sutter so I'm biased

I had my son at Mercy, and MAN that place was amazing - so my vote is for Mercy

[CantWaitToLeave]

I also thought Golden State went under as well. lol. But I have UCDavis and I am very impressed with their system. I had previously had Hills and they were great too. So either of those two would be a good choice.

[mjbcat]

Working in a small MD office with SIP (Sutter), Hill Phys, & Golden State (and having been a patient under them also) I would have to say GS is by far the easiest to deal with re referrals and authorizations, with Hill 2nd. SIP is a pain and layers of bureaucracy on all sides of everything with Sutter. There were many rumors about GS but we have been with them for years with no problems, including getting paid on time. It probably really boils down in most cases to whether you are nearer a Sutter hospital or a Mercy, and what physicians you want to see. Many physicians are members of more than one group.

[Carolyn Montgomery]

Originally Posted by MamaToThree

I always liked Sutter, but my preference is UCDavis. Love their system and how it has a all inclusive inhouse feel (I guess that's how to describe it). They have a great computer system that follows you from office to office, doctor to doctor. Love the docs there and have never had any problems. I think you need to do research and figure out what suits you best. When I was going to a specialist doc, I had to have a Hills Physicians GP. I switched out of Hills to UCDavis as soon as I was done with that specialist. My kids all see the same UCDavis ped and one of them sees a few specialists and we can't say enough good things about them. Hope it's a choice for you!

I absolutely have to agree with this; the University of California at Davis Medical Center, which is located in Sacramento even though the university itself is in the town of Davis, has many nationally and internationally-published specialists. Yet, at the every day level, the family clinics are spread out around Sacramento in several convenient locations. I've had the same physician for 25 years.

Carolyn Montgomery

[wbsacto]

I've had them since 1983 & have never had a problem with them.

[Jonathan White]

I was with UCDMG but got lost in the system. It took 3 months to get a test result. Then I switched to Hill, the authorization process was terrible, my primary care doctor referred me to a specialist but it was denied 3 times.

Golden State is by far the best. My primary is with Sutter SIP, Golden State and Hill so it was a smooth transfer. I am glad I am with Golden State.

[Natalya]

"I like Sutter - most people do, but I also worked for Sutter so I'm biased"

I have to agree with you on this one.

[Senate555]

I would have to agree, Sutter Health provides the best service. I know someone that works at Sutter corporate and they say that the company genuinely cares about their quality of service, patients, doctors and staff.
I am always treated well and enjoy the friendly staff at my Sutter doctor.

Ever go into a doctors office for the first time and the staff are rude? I was 15 minutes late to an appointment at a Hill's Doctor, Fernanda Dal Silva, on South Land Park Drive in Sacramento and they took another 10 mintues then told me they couldn't see me because they were "backlogged" and I would have to reschedule. Definitely not a good first impression. I bet if I were an elderly person they would have accommodated. Funny, they make you wait 30 min to an hour to see the doctor but you can't be late otherwise they drop you!

Hill's sucks.