Posted by: jschwab
« on: October 27, 2013, 08:26:20 PM »We have insurance that does not require referrals, but our primary docs give them to us anyway when they feel we should have them for health reasons. Having a good primary is like having a strong foundation that can be built off of in managing your health.
I know, I just can't find one and we decided to stop hopping around for awhile and just stick with a practice that is nearby. I had a good one for about a year a good while back and she actually died. They did not even send out a note to patients, I found out from the work colleague who sent me to her . I had one quit taking insurance to go to a self-pay only practice (she actually almost killed my oldest when she was a newborn, but she was still better than the others!). I just pray a lot that the kids never get any hard to diagnose disorders. When I was a kid it seemed so easy. The receptionist would even call and make an appointment at the specialist and ask them to fit you in if it was something serious. And the doctor always knew that so and so was good for this or that and who specialized in what. I have not been in a doctors' office like that in years. My parents' doctor does all that for them but I think it's because they are older and there are more standard screenings that they need and age-related problems that come up frequently enough (he's not taking patients, by the way). Last year I had lyme diagnosed pretty quickly at this practice we are with and I got antibiotics quick which is critical for treating lyme. I am in the woods a lot and I hunt deer so it's nice to know they know lyme and that, honestly, is what's keeping us there for the moment. Some specialty areas are tough, too, to get an appointment in this area. Gyn is a four to six months's wait here, so if you have uterine cancer or want a breast lump checked out, you could basically be a goner before you ever get to see anyone.