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And you could just be saying that and it could be BS.
That I live outside of one of the largest metro areas in the country?? No, I'm not just saying that.
As for specialists - and getting in to see one (or in my case, 3).
My PCP wanted me to see 3 different specialist - Orthopedic surgeon, Neurological (surgeon) and Cardiac. I saw my PCP on Monday afternoon and was able to see all 3, and had the workups, by Thursday morning (same week). Now, you can say it is BS all you want to TM but, that is simply the way it was / is.
Are there wait times to get into see some Doctors? Of course - and I have never said otherwise. But, YOUR implication / assertion is that it is ALWAYS months and months which is simply not the usual case. And, as I was suggesting - in smaller areas where there are not as many specialists of the type a person needs, may exacerbate the times to get into see the Doc - no question. Whereas, in an area where there are LOTS of Doctors of a particular specialty, it tends to be much easier to get an appointment.
I know y'all aren't gonna believe this, cause frankly - it sounds unlikely and misrepresented. I have posted about this several times on the Charlotte forum.
Here in Charlotte, if you get sick and don't have a physician, you are up the creek. Docs here require that you first see them for a well check/physical. That establishes you as a patient. So when hubby and I needed a doc shortly after changing insurance carriers (thru/ hubby's work) . . . we called 7 practices here and no one would see hubby. It was not a matter of insurance. They told us they wouldn't see anyone for an illness unless we were already established patients.
Now, I have no problem stating my case, so I explicitly explained we have BC/BS . . . and we felt hubby might have pneumonia. He was told - sorry!!!! go to an urgent care center - by every last practice we called. So he went to urgent care. While we were at the urgent care center, we asked for them to make an appointment w/ us w/ a internist - ANY internist! They said they couldn't do that. So I asked for a referral. They gave me a sheet of paper w/ docs' names on it. We got home, I called to get an appointment for follow up. NO ONE WOULD SEE US. Same merry go round again. So hubby did not improve and we went back to urgent care. Meanwhile, I was calling friends
and trying to find a doc who would see us. Finally, one of our friends who has been a long time patient of one practice called them and spoke with their practice manager (I had even spoken to practice managers and still no one would give us an appointment!!!)
This practice took hubby in immediately. He was diagnosed w/ early onset heart failure. So you know what it was from there - emergency admittance to hospital.
This after 2 weeks of trying to BEG a physician practice to see my dear husband.
Like I said . . . I know it sounds impossible. We know the healthcare system pretty well, but even we were not prepared for something wacko like this.
We moved to Charlotte from Kansas City, where we could even get imaging scheduled within 24 hours - and usually the same day. And we routinely called up specialists and were given appointments for the same day (or the following day).
So if you move to Charlotte . . . the first thing you do after you move in is line yourself up with an internist so you can become an established patient . . . or you are up the creek when you DO get sick.
Last edited by brokensky; 06-15-2009 at 08:39 PM..
right now at 6:49, if I call my Neuro who is on call in the emergency room on Mondays. I can get in to see him by 8:00 Tonight if it was really needed. for general neuro visits I can get in as little as 24 hours to see him.
Once you are an established pt, yes. It's getting in to see one in the first place that can take time. I have seen this in the Denver area.
Once you are an established pt, yes. It's getting in to see one in the first place that can take time. I have seen this in the Denver area.
The day I had my first attack, I was in to see my now neuro within a matter of hours. i was first put in as an urgent patient in the MRI department, then after that was done they made room for me to see the neuro a few hours later. I had classic signs of MS with that attack, and they still got me in very quick.
It can take a patient three months to get into a specialist at Children's Hospital here. When my ped referred my daughter to a dermatologist for a mole removal, it took about a month to get an appt. Then it turned out she had melanoma, and things moved a little faster.
right now at 6:49, if I call my Neuro who is on call in the emergency room on Mondays. I can get in to see him by 8:00 Tonight if it was really needed. for general neuro visits I can get in as little as 24 hours to see him.
IF he is your regular doctor and you had an urgent need to see him they could squeeze you in.
So can a Dr. you are referred to because of an emergent situation. Like when I was first diagnosed as a diabetic. I was immediately seen by a Doctor that my PCP referred me to.
That is common sense ANd occurs in any system.
However, if you switch doctors and it's not necessarily EMERGENT and are a NEW PATIENT.. the doctor can't squeeze you in unless there is a cancellation and no other "squeezes" with his regular patients occurring.
So YES, if it's emergent IN ANY SYSTEM you will be accomodated. However, if it's NOT emergent you must wait in line. AND my check ups always need to be booked in advance.
When I was pregnant I schedule ALL 9 months of appointments with my endocrinologist and the special dietary and diabetes person (not necessarily the Dr. but the person in the office that helped me make the adjustments in my insulin as needed throughout the pregnancy) all the way up to my due date so as to guarantee that I would have an appointment. Of course the first few appts were rough to schedule because they were booked up already 3 months in advance.. but then they prioritize and obviously being pregnant required a more immediate need to be seen. I was also an establish patient of over 5 years.
Yet here in the Phoenix Metro area, doesn't seem to be the same problem.
Great for you GD.. as you so point out you live in a Utopia area where every cancer patient regardless of insurance or means to pay get treated, there are no wait times.. etc. Your area seems to be the acception not the norm.. However, the rest of us that don't live in the Utopia of your area have to contend with the real issues.. wait times , etc.
Merritt Hawkins & Associates , the people that did the study, were looking at the need for physicians because they are a staffing portal for health care professionals.. including Dr.s . Their study was done to determine what the needs were, where and in what specialties etc and to help match up physicians in choosing their locations. specialties, etc. .. for both their candidates and their clients. Basically they were seeing what needs needed to be filled! Makes sense. They then published their findings. Beyond that they don't really have any agenda one way or the other.
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