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My limited experience and opinion is that bigger cities have better healthcare but adequate healthcare is available in most cities with a well staffed modern hospital. Most people need routine levels of healthcare and occasional access to specialists. That access is a problem in small cities because the wait might be excessive. I live in a city of one million and it takes three months to see an opthalmologist. My orthopedic surgeon saw me in two weeks but surgery was delayed a couple months. My excellent PCP can see me in a day.
I lived in a small town of 45k and the PCPs were less than excellent and the best specialists were in a larger town with a university hospital. There were two hospitals in the local town for routine things and some specialties. It was not uncommon for some people to go 150 miles to a large city for serious specialized treatment.
I wasn't talking about rural. Rural have hospitals that can easily handle the basics.
Just my own experience, there are excellent doctors, surgeons, and specialists here in Knoxville, and Knoxville isn't really a "big city". Pretty much all the worst in East TN gets sent to UT medical here.
I'd say that but for the most unique situations, it won't make a huge difference if you're near a decently large medical center, especially one associated with a Medical school.
My friend is an ER doc that did his residency at Vanderbilt, works in Raleigh, but also in Rocky Mount (a small regional city.)
So.. the moral of the story here is don't get stabbed by a hooker in Reno, NV?
that map.. Something can't be right. I find it hard to believe that there are NO Level 1 Trauma centers in Alaska or Hawaii.. what? You get shot in Honolulu and you get flown 8 hours to Cali? What prevents.. Whatever the top hospital in Honolulu is from being a Level 1 trauma center? Is it just some little technicality?
I get that many rural hospitals don't have the bedspace or things needed.. My grandmother, before she passed, was sent to Laurens Hospital in Laurens, SC twice. The first time was when she first got sick (Years upon years of heartburn caused her stomach to try to climb up her esophagus!) and they took her to Greenville for her surgery, about 30-40 miles away. Then 4 months later, she had a stroke and she was ambulanced to Laurens, where they promptly choppered her to Greenville. Laurens is a community with a population under 10k tho, whereas Greenville is many times bigger.
My friend is an ER doc that did his residency at Vanderbilt, works in Raleigh, but also in Rocky Mount (a small regional city.)
Right, so that's pretty much what I'm saying.
A doctor educated in Nashville that goes to teeny cities. So they can access excellent care, too.
My spine doc I love (the one who just got back from NYC teaching) also goes to Sevierville which is much, much smaller than Knoxville so those residents get that type of excellent care, also.
Do you think that one has to go to the biggest cities for the best health care in this country?
the question at face value is yes becuz u.s. and world report has ranked mass-gen #1 general hospital, mass eye & ear #1 specialty hospital, brigham and womens #1 womens hospital, childrens #1 pediatric hospital, and beth isreal #1 oncology hospital.
i guess the question yoo meant to ask was: do yoo think suburban and rural hospitals provide adequate healthcare ? and i think the answer is yes.
Given the density of prestigious university, medical schools, biotech companies, general research, and leading public health policies, I would think Boston would have some of the best doctors and healthcare for both specific and general needs. Here in southern California, my wife is employment defense attorney who has a few large medical groups as clients so she has plenty of stories to tell regarding incompetence in the medical sector.
My limited experience and opinion is that bigger cities have better healthcare but adequate healthcare is available in most cities with a well staffed modern hospital. Most people need routine levels of healthcare and occasional access to specialists. That access is a problem in small cities because the wait might be excessive. I live in a city of one million and it takes three months to see an opthalmologist. My orthopedic surgeon saw me in two weeks but surgery was delayed a couple months. My excellent PCP can see me in a day.
There seem to be regional shortages of specialists. Three months to see an ophthalmologist sounds extreme. In Santa Fe, a town of about 70,000 permanent residents, there are plenty of ophthalmologists. But for some reason, it's more than three months to see a dermatologist, closer to 4-6 months, unless you're willing to drive to Albuquerque.
There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to which specialists are in short supply in any given city.
There seem to be regional shortages of specialists. Three months to see an ophthalmologist sounds extreme. In Santa Fe, a town of about 70,000 permanent residents, there are plenty of ophthalmologists. But for some reason, it's more than three months to see a dermatologist, closer to 4-6 months, unless you're willing to drive to Albuquerque.
There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to which specialists are in short supply in any given city.
That might because other than those two cities SF and ABQ, there's basically nothing else in NM. It's just glorious, beautiful land. Can't wait to go back.
I live in rural VT and have had no complaints about medical care in this area.
I knew something was wrong when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2019. Insisted on a test. Results came back when the doctor ordering the biopsy. He was on vacation. My primary care physician - who gets the results of any tests I receive outside her office - contacted me with the news and hit the ground running setting me up for additional diagnositcs at UVM to get treatment rolling. Within a month I had a treatment schedule.
I was treated by some young genius doctors at the University of Vermont Medical Center and two years out I am still cancer free. Yes, it may come back, but after a very rigorous treatment regimen, I am hopeful. I have thorough regular follow ups and know that my oncologist is heavily involved in research in my type of cancer. These professionals chose to live here in VT when no doubt they could have gone elsewhere to pursue their careers.
I can't imagine everything happening so quickly in a large city with a large population.
I live in rural VT and have had no complaints about medical care in this area.
I can't imagine everything happening so quickly in a large city with a large population.
I am grateful.
Oh, it's quick in big cities. Bigger cities have multiple hospitals and are set up for the intake. There are 6 in my area that I can think of. Leaving one out I can't remember I'm sure.
I lived in Los Angeles and walked into Cedars with appendicitis and they got me back there and under for the operation real quick.
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