Doc No Longer In Network For Blue

W

WhatInThe

SF VIP
More of a complaint than anything.

One day prior to a scheduled appointment get a call from doctor's office saying the office had moved(10 plus additional miles away) and was no longer in network & would need a referral.

Searching for a new doc is one thing but to call less than 24 hours with Oh by the way our office is much farther away and where's your referral is unprofessional if not ignorant.
 

Like the whole thing just snuck up on them! I'd be livid.

Good luck with the search for a new doctor! I know that lax and/or unprofessional staff doesn't necessarily reflect on the doctor or quality of care... but to me it rather does.
 
Oh my gosh! That was a terrible thing to do! I'm so sorry.

Appointments are so important to seniors...and I hope you can find someone who will take you quickly. Did they say anything about transferring your records to a new practice? That's vitally important. Oooooohhh...I'd be mad.

Try to find another one, and try to get your records. Let us know how it goes, okay? That could happen to us, and we want to learn from your experience. Hang in there, and I hope it works out for the best. Maybe you'll even find a better doctor, who knows? I'm wishing you all the best through this ordeal.
 

"is unprofessional if not ignorant"

It ain't really unprofessional in this new "state of the art", just rather profoundly "everyday". Disgust intended. imp
 
I can't believe they couldn't have sent a form letter or post card to all their existing patients. Doctor search can be a pain as is building a rapport with a new staff & doc. But in a day & age 'insurance' and designated networks doctor shopping is the norm. I haven't had a regular doc since the old school family doctor retired. This is just one of many reasons I try to avoid the vortex of the American medical industry like the plague.
 
WhatInThe said:
I can't believe they couldn't have sent a form letter or post card to all their existing patients. Doctor search can be a pain as is building a rapport with a new staff & doc. But in a day & age 'insurance' and designated networks doctor shopping is the norm. I haven't had a regular doc since the old school family doctor retired. This is just one of many reasons I try to avoid the vortex of the American medical industry like the plague.
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I think the day and age of a meaningful doctor/patient relationship is long gone, especially when it comes to primary care providers. Nowdays they just look at their computers.
 
"Nowdays they just look at their computers."

How true! Now, my new doctor, does not even look at a computer. He described himself in our first visit as trying to be like the "old country doctor"!

What a breath of fresh air! My wife has now also signed up with him. She has been troubled with breast lumps all her life, apparently cysts. Time for her annual mammogram, her regular PCP, a lady, seemed more concerned with ending the visit than anything else. "Dr. Ken" immediately agreed to write the needed prescription for the scan, she had it done, it was interpreted as negative, but still troubled by an apparent swollen lymph node in her armpit, she asked him if he would check it out. I watched. Methodically, very slow and deliberate, he palpated her armpit, thought quietly several minutes, then announced he was confident it was breast tissue present at the edge of the armpit, which he sid is common. We are relieved. This guy is great! imp
 
WhatInThe, you have really been kicked in the " " by your Dr. :( You've been treated with no respect. :( Have you gotten any help finding a new (and hopefully better) doctor?

Imp, you and your wife are lucky. Treat this nice doctor right. :)
 
Is this with a Medicare Advantage plan? Maybe it's not the doctor's fault.. but the Insurance company? Traditional Medicare does not have "network" requirements.
 
QuickSilver said:
Where I work... Medicare is 39% of our payer base.. and that is only going to increase as the population ages. Who can afford to let that go?
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Many are starting to think they can't afford to keep it.
I'm starting to hear about doctors starting a co-op and not accepting insurance or Medicare anymore. They want you to pay cash up front to them and then pay a copayment again to see them. They're selling it as they will have more time to spend with you.
The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare took millions of dollars out of Medicare, we're starting to see the result of that.
 

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