I have been very unhappy with my GP as my primary care physician for a long time - actually, I have never even seen her, I just get routed to whomever is the available Dr or PA in the practice and when I find one of them I like and ask for them again, they have moved on. I think the practice I go to is a launching pad for new Drs…they don’t hang around long.
I’ll be 62 at the end of the summer and I’m thinking I would like to move away from general practice/family practice and toward an internist…thinking they may pay more attention to those early aging concerns.
I use a solo family practitioner, probably one of the last of a dying breed. He’s in the same age range as H and I so I think he understands our needs. He’s fairly techy, though, and always thoroughly researches everything we ask. I have generally preferred solo doctors, though they are harder and harder to find.
Thanks @techmom99 - I actually was looking for that specific scenario for a while but you are right, they are very hard to find or they do not work with my insurance. Perhaps that is why the conglomorates show up on my provier search, they can float the fees until the insurance pays them back. I’m hoping an internest will be more attentive and talk to me about some health concerns I have - probably nothing but I can’t get my other Drs to pay attention to me. Or, is there a better type of Dr. that would work with aging adults, not a geriatric doctor - I don’t think I’m that far gone yet.
Internal or family practice physicians would be the usual ones adults would choose for primary care. Some may have secondary interests in geriatric medicine, or other areas like sports medicine, that may be of interest to some people looking for a new primary care physician. Such interests may be listed on their profiles on their web sites.
I’ve had at least 7 different physicians during my adult life. All changes except for the last were involuntary, because of the physician retiring or moving or changes of insurance company. I made the last change because a physician I had previously seen became available on my current insurance plan. He is great. I was so excited the day I found out his group of clinics was now part of my insurance plan. His “specialty” is internal medicine but to me, he seems like an old-fashioned GP. Mostly I like him because our personalities click. Our relationship survived the potential deal-breaker of him telling me how much a certain procedure would cost and being off by several hundred dollars; me writing a politely worded complaint letter; and him apologizing the next time I saw him. I think he really understands all the concerns of patients.
Used to have an internist who was great. Now I’ve had musical chairs of PCP because folks keep leaving our area for some reason. Had two NPs and now back to an internist who seems competent but her personality is a bit quirky.
I’ve been seeing a female mid level I have known and seen occasionally for years since the MD retired. I have been assigned a different female MD but have had no beef lately de schedule specifically with her.
Word of mouth from friends, especially any friends who have similar interests and concerns. I had a fantastic one when we lived in Ohio, back when I was young and hardly saw him. Today? Eh. Part of a big practice. He is okay.I barely see him so it hasn’t mattered. I am like you, on the verge of switching to someone I like better and the strategy I plan on following is the one I listed above. Not so much whether PCP or internist. There is a guy in my neighborhood who is a big believer in trying lifestyle changes before prescribing, and who lives that way himself, and I’d like to switch to him. He won’t tell me to stop running and swimming! Friends tell me he is also very up to date. In the alternative, we have a few new practices of young docs. I’d be happy to start with one of them.
I had the same internist with specialty in geriatric medicine from my teens until about 6 months ago. I switched lung docs because the one I had found was always indecisive and scared every time I was ill and really needed him. My allergist helped me find a better lung doc. I asked the new lung doc (whom I really like) what internist he recommends as mine was 68 and having several personal health issues interfering with his practice. He referred me to HIS internist who is in the same large medical group as he and has access to his records. She agreed to add me to her crowded practice and I like her a lot.
When H’s 68 year old internist retires in a few years, my internist has agreed to add H as well. Our kids live out of state and we will eventually need to find them MDs as well. For now, D used a rheumatologist as her primary and S uses urgent care.
Just saw my internal medicine doctor yesterday. Waiting room was mostly older folks visiting for routine maintenance, no crying feverish kids. Educational posters on the wall were all about age related afflictions, joint problems, diabetes, high blood pressure. I chose a young doctor to reduce the chance I’ll have to switch again soon and because she is up on the latest guidelines. For example my previous doctor always tested fasting glucose while this doctor tests A1C, a better reflection of average blood sugar levels. She also didn’t hesitate to prescribe Ambien for me to have on hand for travel through different time zones, whereas my older doctor was convinced it was a toxic poison to be avoided at all costs.
I’ve been seeing an internist for years and appreciate her attentiveness. We’re around the same age so she understands my concerns. She’s cautious (no Ambien, unless I would insist), but explains her reservations.
But, if it weren’t for the fact that we’ll be moving in the next 12-18 months, I’d be changing doctors, not because of her but because of the group she belongs to. She’s a solo practitioner who is part of a larger group of solo practitiioners. It’s the business office of the umbrella group that makes all the billing decisions. I hate that they nickel and dime for everything that they do (DH’s MD’s office does not). My MD says they won’t do that, but when I complain to the business office, they say that the MDs don’t know how things are done. Then I have hassles with my insurance company not covering a procedure as I expected.
I’m 63, and I see an internist in a solo practice. When she retires – which is likely within the next 2 or 3 years – or if she’s out of network for the new insurance I’ll be switching to in 2019, I won’t go with a solo practice again.
Seeing a doctor who practices alone can make things too difficult if the doctor has personal issues. I like my doctor, and I absolutely love her office manager, who is incredibly efficient, but the doctor has been dealing with the complex health issues of two immediate family members and is often unavailable. She recently had to cancel an appointment I really needed, and on another occasion I had to wait to get a prescription refill for several days because she wasn’t available to sign the paperwork. I don’t want that kind of hassle again.
My long time primary care doc, a FM, retired 4 years ago so I asked for doctor recommendations from all my [older] friends. I got several names. Most were FMs. I called one of the local in-network PPO and requested appointments with either of 2 doctors my friends had suggested, but neither was accepting new patients.
A well established IM doc had one new patient opening and I accepted an initial appointment with him. He turned out to be wonderful. Have stuck with him so far. He’s younger than me so no worries about him retiring, but old enough he has about a decade and a half of experience under his belt.
If I’d been offered a FM doctor as my new primary, I’d have no qualms about seeing a FM instead of internist. But I would have refused a geriatrician [-X I’m not THAT old.
There are very few independent medical practices in my town. You basically have to pick one of the 3 large healthcare group practices. (Like Kaiser, but not Kaiser. One was the 2nd large group integrated healthcare system to be established in the US way back in the 1950s.) Each has its own hospitals, its own lab network, its own in-house specialties, its own cancer treatment center–including nuclear medicine/radiation facilities, its own EMR (each of which is incompatible with the other EMRs in town).
What’s been jarring is my dentist retired last summer. We’re the same age and I’d been going to him since he opened his practice 35+ years ago. The young woman he sold his practice to is the same ages as my daughters and fresh out of dental school. My Ds love her, but going to her feel really weird to me.
It is hard when docs we’ve seen and depended on through some very rough times retire or become unavailable. At the end of 2016, my Long-term allergist retired due to personal health issues. We all really miss her and the new one we are seeing once/year doesn’t really work well in her place since she also served as an internist. The new allergist only serves as an allergist and only works part time.
My long-term internist is 68 and has been having personal health issues so after 40+ years, I switched to a group practice that is the same group as my lung MD. It really is nice when both MDs share the same electronic medical records! They also have others in the practice that can help with Rx refills and cover for appts that need to be scheduled on short time-frame. I don’t have to wait hours in an office of sick folks to be seen by my old doc (or his partner). All in all, I’m happy so far in the 2 years since making the switch.
I’m sad to no longer be seeing my other lung MD in Denver, but SF is much easier to get to than Denver and he transferred me to another great lung doc. I’m still adjusting.
It is not all that easy to find a new internist whose personality matches AND is in network AND accepting new patients. Referrals halo, but luck certainly plays a role.
It’s no easier for physicians to find doctors they like. We have found that here in Florida they tend to over test- even when the American College of Cardiology states not necessary every six months for example. A lot of solo practices here in Tampa, even though many are in a large clinic (for billing etc). Years ago we were frustrated when things changed to mega groups affiliated with hospitals- HMO like. Choosing a primary care physician from the group as required by insurance, sigh- and that group determined by H’s own group’s insurance because of where they did most of their work…
Ditto on post # 15’s last line- hard to find personality/network/…
@wis75 In your opinion, what is driving the overtesting? Litigation concerns? These hospital groups looking to increase revenue for other parts of their operations?
When I went to a cardiology practice owned by the cardiologist, EVERY time I went in, they wanted to do an EKG but I said NO. They also were terrible about making folks wait literally HOURS and didn’t keep track of patient allergies and keep patient tests in patient folders. I fired them and told my referring MDs exactly why. Terrible!