Are you happy with your Primary Care Physician?

seadoug

seadoug

Well-known Member
Location
Texas
I went for the results of my physical today (which were good) and it made me think of this thread. My doctor is a 65 year-old male so we have a lot in common in terms of our stage in life. I've been seeing him for 5+ years. We engage in a bit of pleasant banter but then he outlines every result in my physical. His office never seems busy. I never have to wait, either to schedule an appointment or to be seen. His staff is efficient. If I need a prescription filled they do it that day. I'm completely satisfied.

We do often talk about the state of medicine these days. I asked him about private equity firms taking over hospitals. He mentioned that today many doctors are "owned" by the hospitals and very few operate independent practices whereas in the old days there were mostly independent practices. His is an independent practice and he said that if he had to go the "hospital" route he would leave the medical field. I asked him how much longer he was planning to keep his practice and he said the lease was up in 2029, at which time he would be 70, and he would decide then.

I just feel so lucky to have a doctor who seems unstressed and knows my medical records. Are you happy with your doctor?
 

I see a different doc everytime but at least get to see one - all my records are on the pc's if they care to check - but the last one missed a few significant signs and questions - so not fully there yet but at least back home?
 

I'm so involved with cancer docs I seldom see any others. I chose my PCP about a year ago and have only seen her once. She was born, raised, and educated In Poland. I was sitting in the exam room when she walked in full of energy, we shook hands and introduced ourselves after which she boosted herself up on a counter and sat there swinging her legs back and forth like a girl on a playground while we talked about my health.

I was totally charmed by her relaxed non-doctory demeanor.
 
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I lost my long-time Primary, who I really liked, to retirement.

Then I got another one who seemed very nice but I simply could not understand her heavy accent. It was a lot of "Would you repeat that?" That got old real fast. And then, POOF!, she was gone. I called around and it seemed that everyone who was highly recommended wasn't accepting new patients.

So, I tried a new "senior" practice that opened up at a local Walgreens. They seemed very nice and easy to work with and then POOF! they were gone.

So I started looking again and found my present one who is absolutely WONDERFUL. He doesn't rush me, he listens to me, I understand him, he is young enough that I'm sure I'll outlive him....LOL.

So, yes, unless he POOFS!, I'm quite happy.
 
I’ve had this doctor for 20 years, started when he was relatively young. Now he’s technically old enough to quit and he has mentioned feeling tired. He‘s extremely efficient, which is mainly what I want. Well mainly what I want is that he keeps working.
 
My doctor enters everything I mention into a permanent history online.
I am not sure I like seeing it there.All doctors I ever saw are included with their notes
Going back in time. Even simple phone calls are listed.
Do you have this?
 
When we moved here, the local health centre had two doctors , nurses and admin staff. The doctors knew you as people and not just patients.
You could get an appointment to see one of the doctors if you needed and everything was fine.
Now, the NHS has gone down the pan. The local doctors retired and after a string of other GP's who didn't know you from Adam, the practice first went to part time and then closed.

If we want to see a GP, you either have to be dying or try to get a phone call with a doc - if you're very lucky. I haven't seen a doctor for years, and even the nurses have stopped inviting me for routine checkups. The only thing we get is to be bombarded with invites to go for yet another vaccination.
 
We were not happy with our primary physician. She belonged to a large hospital group. When the group was not sure they wanted to continue on accepting our insurance, (United Healthcare) we decided to change doctors.
We love our present doctor as well as his physician assistants and staff.
He has his own practice. He is devoted, knowledgeable, and pleasant. On our first visit, he gave me his personal cell phone number in case I needed to reach him. He visits his patients daily while they are in the hospital.
Through the years, we moved a lot and saw quite a few different doctors.
We find him exceptional. I am just worried that he might retire in a few years.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I like her but I’m not sure how good she is.

She is sort of like a life coach with a prescription pad as opposed to an old fashioned MD.

Don’t get me wrong, she’s good enough for me.

I always consult Dr. Google and compare notes, the theee of us are doing just fine. 😉🤭😂
Click to expand...
I'm in about the same situation. I have a PA that I consider "my assistant" as I serve as my own doctor via google. 😉
She is going to refer me for anything beyond her scope of practice anyway. 🤷🏼‍♀️
 
No. I just changed Primary care physicisns. I went to my old one for many years and he is my age… 70. He makes me feel relaxed and has a great personality and I love him. He had a private practice and i got to know his assistant and all of the staff, who were with him for many years.
A couple of years ago, he sold out to MedStar.. Now, I never see him. If I’m ill, I can never get an appointment. When I am lucky enough to get one, I am always just referred to a specialist, even for little things that should be handled there.
There is a revolving door of staff and nurse practitioners. Nobody knows me or my history anymore. I haven’t been satisfied with the care from the nurses. So, I left the practice and went elsewhere. And that’s a whole other story!
 
I am going to the University of Missouri Health Care. It is a teaching hospital. My primary is in her 40's probably and knows my history and really keeps up with my health. She does refer me often to a specialist, but that is cool. If I need an immediate appointment there are aprox. 9 other Dr's on their "team" ( Blue ).
 
My PCP that is had for 15 years moved out of state, which was a crushing blow for me because we had a great relationship and she was a fantastic doc. She told me her replacement was just like her and felt sure we’d get along well!

So I went for an appointment just two weeks ago and she was right!! The new doc is really wonderful, knows her stuff medically, and had obviously studied my file carefully before my appointment because she was familiar with my medical history without referring to her notes while we talked. I’m very relieved that I’m not going to have to go in the hunt for a new doc!
 
Our primary physician keeps changing and also the other members as they are being taken over by a big company, that just seem to want to make money and do not really take care of the patients at the doctor's office . The company is taking over many of our medical practices including the big hospital.

The nurse practitioners do not seem to be able to treat anything but refer to other specialist and now there is a long wait for appointments due to the doctors and staff that keep retiring, we think due to the new rules. We need to get a new doctor's clinic.
 
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