Why am I not able to switch Doctors at the same clinic?

[Hawk4042C]

Originally Posted by DCT2019

A practitioner of mine is recommending for me to see an Endocrinologist for further analysis on some of my labs and I also have other issues I want to address.

I've gone to this Endocrinology clinic last year with a different Doctor. This time I wanted to try a new Doctor to get a second opinion and I also thought this Doctor may be a better fit for me.

I called the clinic and they told me that I can't switch Doctors, I would have to go back to my original one.

I don't understand why I can't switch?

Is there some type of policy about this?

Originally Posted by hawk55732

They would be the ones to tell you why you cant switch then anyone on here. Insurance, clinic policy, receptionist having a bad day, any number of things could be why you were told that.

Originally Posted by terracore

There is a medical concept called the continuity of care. Your clinic's interpretation could be that switching doctors starts the cycle over and you'll have a delayed outcome while consuming more of their resources. But only asking them for their reasons will get you an answer.

Originally Posted by KaraG

If you want a second opinion can you go to a different office altogether and pay cash?

Originally Posted by mike1003

Find another doctor at another clinic, demand seeing a doctor at your clinic for a second opinion or see the original doctor. Those are your only choices and all are within your medical and legal rights.

Originally Posted by wit-nit

Legally you can opt to choose whomever you want. But if the doctor you want doesn't accept your insurance he/she has the right to not accept you. Don't blame the receptionist, she's only doing the job she's told to do.

Originally Posted by chiluvr1228

I tried to switch doctors' at my dermatologist office and they said I couldn't do that. I think maybe it's a doctor ego thing??

Originally Posted by E-Twist

My dermatologist will just schedule me with whoever has the first opening.

If OP is a woman and the current doctor is male, she can request to see a woman doctor saying she is more comfortable with a woman. That's what my sister ended up doing.

Originally Posted by Stagemomma

I tried to switch doctors once. They said it was office policy not to switch because they didn't want it to cause conflict between the doctors. I had taken a first available appointment with one doctor and i did not like her at all.

I have been to other practices where you can see anyone you want in the practice, so I thought it was all BS.

Ended up switching offices.

Originally Posted by gentlearts

Can you imagine a group practice in which some doctors were more personable than others? I can see how that could be a problem if all the patients wanted to see doctor A and nobody wanted to see B or C.

We go to a big ortho group practice. In several cases, my husbands hip guy referred him to another doctor in the practice for his shoulder, and yet another one for something else.

Originally Posted by kitkatbar

Probably the answer no one wants to give you is because in any big practice, some doctors are more desirable for whatever reason. Some have decades of experience. Some just started practicing in the last year or two. Some might have great bedside manner. Some might have very poor bedside manner and poor reviews. Some might be of a nationality or gender that is more preferred than another by some patients.

The practice wants to keep all their doctors booked up with appointments, not have Doctor A booked out for 6 months with no one able to get in if they need an urgent follow up, and Doctor B sitting around twiddling their thumbs with all their patients trying to switch over to other doctors. So it makes sense that you stick with whoever you start with unless there is a special circumstance and all doctors have about the same patient load and about the same wait time.

I would try to get a second opinion at a different clinic even if you need to go out of town. That is what I did when I needed a second opinion from a specialist and a lot of them were all in the same practice.

Originally Posted by bpollen

My first guess is that it would create friction among the doctors there. Doctors stealing each other's patients.

You could probably change after a period of time going to someone else in another practice for a couple of years, as you might do for a principal care doctor.

Everyone is right:

Every doctor needs patients, even the horrible ones.
Doctors will be claiming patient stealing.
Insurance policies.
To prevent over bookings, etc.

In my case I've had 7 different PCP within the past 10 years.

*PCP MD military doctor deployed, back in the area but only military
PCP MD moved multiple times, has sense past away
PCP MD retired

**PCP NP good provider, but left the practice
**PCP NP good provider, but left the practice
**PCP NP good provider, but left the practice / field

PCP NP crappy provider - I intend to find someone new. If I go back to this location, I'd first have to see this NP again. It's considered a followup appointment, etc.


I plan to go to another provider.



* If it was possiblefor me to go back to this PCP MD, I'd go in a heart beat. This provider listens to his patients, and works with them to get them healthy.

** These PCP NP's were all good. They wanted to help patients get healthy. But they were too good at their jobs. So the clinics forced them out, in favor revolving door $$$ docs.

[Heidi60]

We did our research and found a doctor my wanted for his prostate issues so we made the appointment, but when we arrived, the clerk attempted to slam us with another doctor we did not want. She said we had to stay with the doctor assigned, but when I reminded her that we have a legal right to chose who we wanted to treat my husband, she said it would be office administrator's decision. Fine....we walked. The next day they called and said we could have the doctor we wanted but would have to wait another six weeks. Fine....we waited.
Really sad the games they play with people's health.