Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Finding A New Doctor

When our Doctor changed his practice to concierge medicine we were left to find a new family practice/internal medicine physician.  I cannot begin to tell you how much I dislike the process of finding a new doctor.

I had had read doctors in private practice can refuse to see Medicare patients but hospitals cannot.  I was pretty burned by our experience and decided it would not be wise to choose another doctor in private practice.

The hospital in our community owns several clinics in the area.  I decided our safest bet would be to choose a doctor in one of those clinics. I don't know how these doctors are paid but I'm guessing they are paid a salary by the hospital.

Choosing a doctor in a hospital owned clinic meant we would likely be getting a different doctor from time to time as doctors entered and left hospital employment. 

It also meant chances were greater we would see a doctor of a different ethnicity than our own.  That's sometimes problematic for Bob.  He doesn't hear well and accents can be difficult.  The other thing we have to consider is humor.  Bob is a tease and humor doesn't always translate well.

Bob's hematologist is married to a doctor working in one of the hospital owned clinics.  I figured she was not likely to move as his speciality practice is well established.  She is Vietnamese.

She works great for me but was not as good a fit for Bob.  Eventually we switched him to a doctor with a geriatrics speciality.  She is from Slovenia. That situation seems to be working well.

Our community hospital also has some urgent care clinics.  One is located near us and I've used it a few times.  It's very nice to walk in and all your information already be in the computer.  All you need to do is have a seat and wait your turn.

I feel good about our decision to choose a hospital owned clinic.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Linda! It's nice to meet you!
    You live in a lovely place! I love Oregon since I grew up in Washington and we went to the Oregon coast a lot before my family moved here to Denver 20+ years ago!
    It IS frustrating trying to find a new doctor. I remember my parents had to switch it up a few times and they found that not all doctors agree on treatments which is confusing. I hope you don't have to go to the doctor very often.
    Yes, sewing is something we can go without, but when I sew I remember how much I like it. It's so much faster than other things like knitting.
    I hope you have a lovely day. Thank you so much for visiting my blog today!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh I hate trying to find a new doctor. We love the doctor we both see now, and hope nothing changes for a long time to come. The hospital in our town recently closed and there is no urgent care facility close by either. That is a little scary! Closest hospital is about 35 to 40 miles away.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm glad to hear hour recommendation of a hospital-owned clinic. That just might be where we'll go when it's time to find a new doctor. Our current family physician has been our doctor for decades, and he's certainly bound to retire one of these days. He's an excellent physician and stays very up-to-date with the latest practices.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Seeing a new doctor is like going on a first date. So much is unknown at first. I have a really old primary but since he is for minor stuff or referrals I usually use his nurse practitioner. She tends to listen more than her boss.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We receive our medical care through a not for profit Co-op, Group Health. We have area clinics and centrally located hospitals. While we don't always see the same doctor, our records are on computer whoever we see or whatever facility we go to. We have been with group health for over 45 years, and have never regretted it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes. I have heard that is a good way to do it. My new endocrinologist is part of a major hospital association. They have clinics all over the city now and I think the specialty doctors may do part days at different clinics. I am very pleased with this doctor. She seems to have made great improvements in my diabetes. I also went to a gp there when I had a rash on my head. She didn't know what it is but I knew I would be referred to someone in the field if it didn't get better. I have also noticed that the country of origin for many (most?) were other than US. I'm open as long as I can understand. The problem is usually complicated by my hearing also.

    ReplyDelete