Doctors and other professionals...complaints

V

Victor

Senior Member
Location
midwest USA
I noticed that some doctors (near where I live at least) do not want to spend
the time or do not have the time to really diagnose what they regard as a very minor
unimportant issue. They make snap judgments/ Have trouble sleeping? Don't
take Tylenol see you in 6 months. That's it. Or you have sleep apnea..bye.
Overweight? Get more exercise and watch your diet. Duh...like I didn't know
that already. they have plenty of sick patients with serious
problems and your issue is nothing to them. They probably feel it is not worth
their time.

My doctors stand right near the door so they cam slip out fast while I blink.
Before I finish talking. Where's the doctor? . Oh, he's with another
patient. Excuse ME for asking. Too rude for words.
But he found 2 life threatening problems with me so I am grateful.
What may be very important to you is not to them.

Similar with some lawyers, therapists, etc. Your issue may be a small amount of money
to them so they give it low priority.or it sounds routine.or they don't understand, so maybe you have to
exagerate it until they do. I'd like to make an appointment but I don't want to be told to exercise more!

Do you know what I mean? I don't want to keep changing doctors.
 

Oy that the practice that we go to you might wait for hours. An hour wait and you're relieved the wait was so short. You have to tell them why you're there and what meds you're on. Even then it still can go screwy. I refilled my old RX to find he upped it fifty mgs. My husband was prescribed a combination of things. It took the pharmacy to red flag that he shouldn't take it because of interactions. Doctors these days are just about useless.
 

There are a lot of doctors like that today. Some are down right rude and don't know how to interact with patients. I have a really good GP but even she is stressed running patient to patient. My biggest issue is with specialists--they act like they're Gods, some of them, and don't like when you ask questions. One wanted to do surgery and when I questioned about some of the newer procedures, told me no, I wasn't a good candidate for them. Found another outside side my area and he did the procedure, and was critical of what the other doctor told me! I really hope you can find someone you can relate to--heck, it's not triage, you deserve to be listened to. Maybe try asking friends and relatives who they see and if their doctor listens when they go.
 
I've never had that sort of bad experience with any of the 3 specialists that I go to
on regularly scheduled appointments: ophthalmologist, dermatologist, dentist etc.

They all take their time with me and answer any questions I may have.

I've never gone to a clinic per se.

Only one problem: The dermatologist won't shut up. I can hardly wait to get out of the office.
 
The other day I took to Twitter to get the attention of the medical office where my wife has been trying to get her doctor to answer phone calls and emails. The doctor wouldn't respond, but my Twitter message got the attention of someone, who reached out the following morning. Even patient relations didn't respond initially. All my wife wanted was a referral, but they want her to make an appointment, drive an hour each way to meet with the doctor for five minutes, for her to say, you need to see someone else. It's pathetic.

When I went for my latest yearly exam, I felt rushed with the doctor and said to my wife afterwards, that next year I'd rather see the PA instead. Medicine has become big business, no question about it.

The other day I got a letter from my insurance carrier stating that the ER doctor who saw me back in early August was not in their network, and that he'd submitted a bill for his services in the amount of $880, (of which they've offered to pay about $350). They told me that if the doctor tried to get me to pay more, to let them know. He saw me for no more than 10 minutes.
 
I've known several people who've had that same experience in the last 2 or 3 years. They've assumed that if the hospital is in their network, then a doctor in that hospital is. Nope, not necessarily. Fortunately, my Advantage plan has a feature where any doc that sees you in emergency or elsewhere in the hospital (unless you have chosen the particular doc in particular) as a routine thing -- I mean as part of his/her job at the hospital, is considered for purposes of the plan to be part of their network. A pretty good feature, I think.
 
I don't know where you all live or what kind of doctors you see, but I have been seeing the same GP for 25 years.. and have never experienced the Bums Rush or long waits to see him. My visits can last 20 or 30 minutes depending on if it's my biannual check up, or a brief visit for an illness.. If I'm sick and I call his office I am usually told to come on over right away. Guess I am very fortunate.
 
Butterfly said:
I've known several people who've had that same experience in the last 2 or 3 years. They've assumed that if the hospital is in their network, then a doctor in that hospital is. Nope, not necessarily. Fortunately, my Advantage plan has a feature where any doc that sees you in emergency or elsewhere in the hospital (unless you have chosen the particular doc in particular) as a routine thing -- I mean as part of his/her job at the hospital, is considered for purposes of the plan to be part of their network. A pretty good feature, I think.
Click to expand...

Reason #1 for not picking an "Advantage" plan and sticking with Traditional Medicare.. You don't have to even think about 'Network"... you are covered in any facility that has a Medicare provider number.
 
A lot of how medical care is delivered, including how long they spend with a patient, is dictated by the medical group and insurance companies, particularly in HMOs. Physicians and practices are reimbursed in many healthcare systems based on the number of patients they see. In most practices, unless the physician is independent, it's no longer up to them how long they will see you and what tests and treatments they'll prescribe.

One of the best new directions for US healthcare is the growth of accountable care organizations (ACOs), which focus on and reimburse physicians (and provide other financial incentives) for the quality of patient outcomes, not the number of patients seen. There are Medicare and non-Medicare ACOs and although they're not perfect, it seems to be a step in the right direction.

General ACO info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountable_care_organization
Medicare ACO: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/ACO/index.html?redirect=/aco/

Hopefully in your area you've got options to choose providers. Although there's a large healthcare system and heavily managed group practices in my area, I managed to find an independent, single physician practice who manages it the way he wants. It's refreshing. They're out there, but you have to do a lot of research to find them.

Another alternative is to find a practice that allows you to see a PA or NP. Not only does that save money, but the premium on their time might not be as heavy as it is for physicians.
 
Make your apts the first in the morning or right after lunch, docs are pushed by upper mgmt to see 'x' amt of pts per day, per hour. If they don't, they (docs) don't get their 'bonus checks'.
 
debbie in seattle said:
Make your apts the first in the morning or right after lunch, docs are pushed by upper mgmt to see 'x' amt of pts per day, per hour. If they don't, they (docs) don't get their 'bonus checks'.
Click to expand...

Isn't it ridiculous, it takes well over five to ten minutes until they enter the room, glance at your chart and pull up the info on the computer so they check your meds. This doesn't leave much time for anything new or the reason why you're there.

My sister once told me that doctors often turn off listening to people who complain a lot.(she works for one) I told her, " so how do I tell her what I am there for without sounding like I am complaining?" I'm not there for a social visit! Go figure!
 
I believe our doctors make appointments every 10 minutes. But they always run over time so there is always quite a bit of a wait so I watch the tv, thumb through magazines, get online with my phone, or read my kindle. I've never felt at all rushed. I've been completely satisfied with the doctors I've had here over the last 16 years. We are assigned a doctors office according to where we live, but if for some reason we don't like those doctors, we can choose one farther away.
 
Yes, 15-20 minutes is it, which is often enough time especially after
talking about your meds and test results for 5-10 minutes.

I believe now that even GP's or primary care family doctors have their own "speciaities"
or pathological diseases or problems they know more about and have interests in but they will not tell you.
If they do not keep up in their field, their knowledge is quite limited anyway. Maybe 15 minutes is all
they care to spend on some patients and they are reluctant to talk without test results.
 
What drives me up the tree is when you get there and they take you back into the exam room within 10-15 minutes and you're thinking WOW! I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE IN LESS THAN A HALF HOUR!!! Then you sit in a tiny claustrophobic freezing exam room, dressed in a glorified paper towel and with nothing to read but The Journal of Neurological Surgery or Diabetes Today or a three-year-old Golf Digest, for an hour until you've lost all feeling in your lower extremities and you've forgotten what you came for and THEN the doctor actually deigns to make a three-minute appearance.
 
Last edited:
Victor said:
Yes, 15-20 minutes is it, which is often enough time especially after
talking about your meds and test results for 5-10 minutes.

I believe now that even GP's or primary care family doctors have their own "speciaities"
or pathological diseases or problems they know more about and have interests in but they will not tell you.
If they do not keep up in their field, their knowledge is quite limited anyway. Maybe 15 minutes is all
they care to spend on some patients and they are reluctant to talk without test results.
Click to expand...

You are so right, Victor. If a doctor doesn't stay "current" there is a lot they could miss or even misdiagnose. If it is outside their realm, and some doctors still do it today, they will refer you to someone in that particular field. Now, they are the same too, if they haven't kept up since graduation, there may be a lot of techniques they are unfamiliar with, or again, they may not be able to provide answers. I have experienced this first-hand several times. I live in a small borough and local doctors and hospitals may not have been exposed to different diagnosis/treatments. Sometimes if you're having trouble receiving a diagnosis, it is worth seeking a doctor who may have a little more experience in that particular field. I have on several occasions, searched the Internet to check out a doctor's credentials. It can give you an idea of their experience. Her is another thought, though horrible as it might sound, you know there are some who were at the top of their class in med school and some maybe that squeaked on by. Hard for us to tell, but I actually would prefer their honesty and it would seem the better doctors will admit freely if they just don't have an answer. Sometimes, they just don't know and that as OK as long as they acknowledge what you have told them and try not to throw you into the psyche basket.
 
Physicians who are certified in their practice specialty are required to stay current to keep up their board certifications. This is a voluntary process and unrelated to a state medical license requirements. Doctors stay up-to-date by earning CME (continuing medical education) credits which are then submitted to the certification board for review and re-certification.

It's important to know if and for what specialty your doctor is certified. Personally, I don't go to any physician who doesn't have board certification for their specialty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_certification
 
Our doctors are very good about referring us when needed. If they feel it's important they order a 'rush' appointment. Sometimes we get appointments for a specialist in a few days - across the water in the city.
 
My doctors see me in a reasonable amount of time. If possible, I advise scheduling your appointments early in the day or when the doctor arrives.

I went just yesterday. He spent 10 minutes with me, 5 minutes writing test orders, We just talked, no exams. His assistant could not even weigh
me correctly!! I told her the weight was wrong but she insisted she was right. No, she could not read the scale, off by 10 pounds. I told the
doctor that--he was annoyed when I told him she was dumb.. He was in a hurry to leave,. I may get another GP soon
 
It's important to be able to communicate with your doctor without feeling so rushed. To be off 10 lbs in your weight sounds careless and disinterested. I'd be looking around too!
 

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