Good doctors in Hilo (Volcano, Pahala: insurance, hotel, costs)

[kkona]

Just moved to Volcano a few weeks ago and am trying to locate a good family physician and pediatrician. I know that all the docs are in Hilo but who to go with?? Any recommendations would be helpful. I prefer an MD not holistic or alternative.

Mahalo.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by kkona

Just moved to Volcano a few weeks ago and am trying to locate a good family physician and pediatrician. I know that all the docs are in Hilo but who to go with?? Any recommendations would be helpful. I prefer an MD not holistic or alternative.

Mahalo.

Send me a direct message and I'll give you a few names of some good family physicians in Hilo, they are friendly and they are all focused on quality care for their patients - you'll have to do the legwork and see if they are accepting new patients. I don't have any good pedatrician contacts.

[HiloDiver]

Kkona, thank you for asking this question, I'm going to be asking it myself in about a month. Viper, if you don't mind, I'll be DM-ing you at that time (if I ask now, their names will just get lost in the clutter).

[whtviper1]

I sent the op 5 physicians I know personally who are compensated solely on quality of care - which is a new model in Hawaii. The traditional model is you show up - get treated - the provider gets paid - doesn't matter if you get better or not. The new models look at how healthy the providers patients are - and the providers are incented to make their patients healthier and get paid more. An example is diabetes. There are benchmarks for poorly controlled A1C levels above 9 - docs above the line get paid less than docs who more controlled diabetics. The docs need to do this via proactive care not just waiting for you to show up. Hilo is the pilot site for this new model in Hawaii.

A good source in Hawaii in general to find a physician is this site:

HealthGrades > Find a Doctor | Doctor Reviews | Hospital Ratings

[HiloDiver]

Thanks. That's a much better business model.

[Rcarvalho]

No good docs in Hawaii!I have been walking around with two fractured bones in my knee for almost two years,been to five different doctors and all said there's nothing they can do,that includes pain meds.thats right,no medication for broken bones!!!ive been recording my appointments and will be pressing charges for malpractice....the point is good luck on your search,you're gonna need it

[birdmove]

We are with Kaiser Permanente in Hilo. Two weeks ago today, I took a nasty fall and blew out my right knee. I'm waiting for an evaluation from my Doctor. Kaiser doesn't have a full range of services in Hilo. There are some Doctors with Kaider in Hawaii (on Oahu) that come to the big island to deal with their specialty. So, one might have to drive to Kona to see a Doctor. Or, Kaiser will fly you to Oahu to their big facility, for operations, to see some specialist, etc. They arrange your flight and pay for it. In one case they wanted someone to be there for my wife after a minor operation. So, they paid for me to fly over with her. Now, if it's an overnight situation, they won't pay for a hotel. My wife had to fly to Oahu for an operation, and they wanted her back in the morning to do a follow up check. They paid for me to fly round trip with her, but we had to pay for the hotel. They have a Kaiser shuttle van that picks you up at the airport and takes you to Kaiser, and returns you to the airport after.
Kaiser used to have a quick turnover of Doctors. Word is they weren't paying enough to keep the Doctors interested in staying. They have started paying more appropriately, and the list of Doctors is stable now.
We have known people that left Hawaii due to health, and health care reasons. We are not unhappy with Kaiser Permanente.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by kkona

. I know that all the docs are in Hilo but who to go with?? ..

Not all. There's also a clinic in Pahala with one MD. https://www.kauhospital.org/rural-health-clinic.html

[smarino]

Unfortunately, my experiences w/ medical care in Hilo mirror those of Rcarvalho's.

Years ago, before the shortage of qualified doctors got to the crisis point that it is now, I tore my rotator cuff on the left side. Having worked in orthopedic rehab in a Savannah hospital, I knew what the problem was right away, and went to emergency at the Hilo hospital. Because I didn't have insurance, BUT still had loads of cash, they refused to do an X ray or an MRI, and also refused to give me anything for pain, even an aspirin! It too over 6 hours for them to even see me in emergency, and then I was seen only by a tech, not even by a nurse practitioner. They looked severely understaffed in there.

The critical lack of health care, along w/ the recent unreasonable hikes in housing costs on the B.I., are mainly what's prevented me from even considering going back there for retirement.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by smarino

.., I knew what the problem was right away, and went to emergency at the Hilo hospital. Because I didn't have insurance, BUT still had loads of cash, they refused to do an X ray or an MRI, .

Why would you want an X ray or MRI if you knew what the injury was?