Do you like your doctor? (San Francisco, Sacramento: dermatologist, insurance, live)

[GSherman]

Hi. Been in the area a few months. My husband & I looking for a family practice doctor and a dermatologist. Any recommendations?
Thanks.

[NinaN]

Where are you and which insurance do you have? That might help with recommendations.

[bigtomatohome]

I've got a great Pediatrician:
Dr. Jackie L. Agee, MD, Sacramento, CA - Pediatrics

[Marsh511]

Definitely miss the doctors we left behind in the Las Vegas area. We're finding California physicians to be generally sanctimonious, arrogant, and self-righteous. Way too much emphasis on lifestyle judgments (smoking, etc.) to the point of making you feel like a criminal. Some of them act as though they'd rather not have patients than to have patients who may not maintain a lifestyle that's up to their standards. Oh, and God forbid you should call to let them know you'll be 5 minutes late for your appointment. They basically train their office staff to cancel your appointment and get in line for another opening a week or two away. It's all about THEM here; not treating the patients as who they are!

[ElectroPlumber]

Originally Posted by GSherman

Hi. Been in the area a few months. My husband & I looking for a family practice doctor and a dermatologist. Any recommendations?
Thanks.

All of the major health care plan doctors in this area are very protocol oriented, to the point that my wife and I have discussed finding a doctor for most of our care that is not part of one of the plans and paying him out of our own pocket, while using the plan for major expenses.

I feel that every time I go to the plan doctor that he is mentally going over a checklist to get rid of me the fastest way possible and not really interested in listening to any of my problems that the plan doesn't have a protocol for.

Me: "I've had a lot of pain in my right side lately."

Him: "Here, take these orders down to the lab and get the blood work done so I can check your cholesterol."

[cityx]

Originally Posted by Marsh511

Oh, and God forbid you should call to let them know you'll be 5 minutes late for your appointment. They basically train their office staff to cancel your appointment and get in line for another opening a week or two away. It's all about THEM here; not treating the patients as who they are!

I would agree with that.
My nephew has gone through two doctor's already at Sutter Health, and overall, he's had a completely miserable and stressful experience over the past 8 years with this medical group and I think he suffered unnecessarily.
The doctor's themselves appear to provide adequate enough direct care, but the main issue he had is the completely inept and disorganized support staff that the doctor's are insulated behind.
One doctor's office at Sutter would either never return calls or would call back four to five days later after he would leave numerous messages. This had been going on for over a year mind you. He finally had to file a complaint with the state medical board. The stress affected him tremendously and pretty much affected every aspect of his life.
Then he switched offices (still with Sutter) and encountered a situation that was far worse. His doctor refused to refill his HIV medication because he was a few months past due on his blood work. He had been on the same medication for several years and had responded superbly to treatment with a well documented history of zero side effects. ***For any doctor or medical group to withhold treatment for a potentially terminal condition is incomprehensible to me.*** Unbelievable! So he is trying to make arrangements to see a specialist in San Francisco (90 miles away) to obtain treatment and get his prescription refilled. I'm trying to help him the best I can but I have zero experience in filing grievances in regards to withholding medical care.
In any case, If your personal welfare is important to you, I would recommend staying far, far away from Sutter Health.

[Marsh511]

The physicians we're dealing with aren't Sutter docs, but with the UC Davis system. It's all the same - managed care. Under the guise of preventive/lifestyle medicine, it's almost like a ploy to gradually exterminate those with non-squeaky clean, non vice-free lifestyles by making it such a demeaning experience to go to the doctors' office. The last primary care doctor we saw was unbelievably condescending and judgmental when he found out my wife and I smoked....and may just as well have said "If you don't have the brains to stop smoking, I'm not going to waste my time to help you live...so you might as well die earlier. Go find another doctor." Ridiculous.

[NinaN]

I definitely will not use an HMO due to the above issues. I do have to use someone on the "preferred" list, but I have a choice and I have changed doctors when I don't like the one I'm using.

[kstblues]

I pretty much can attest to the same baloney at Sutter Health. Had a doctor there for two years who was okay....not great, just okay. Like the other poster mentioned, the problem I encountered was with the disorganized and uncaring office staff. Prescriptions were refilled late, no call backs, lack of communication between the staff and the doctor, etc. I could not never address any issues with the doctor directly unless I made an appointment. Too many layers to get through just to achieve quality, direct care.
Now I drive to Martinez every two months to see a specialist as the pickings are pretty slim in Sacramento for what my "condition" requires.
I think John Sutter would be spinning in his grave if he knew his name was slapped on this train wreck of an operation.