Im getting increasingly concerned that so many of my current providers are in their 60s and 70s and see few younger ones stepping up to replace them. What are folks doing to be sure they have providers that will continue to treat them now through the end of their lives?
One of my favorite docs I’ve been seeing for 16 years is retiring and I’m have a very tough time finding anyone to replace him. I’ve been to 3 docs and none of them have the breadth of knowledge and experience he does (and he agrees).
My internist is also I his 60s and not able to remember everything any more.
I have a great rapport with my providers but would like to find new ones while I’m still under private BCBS insurance and before I start Medicare in 6 years.
How are folks handling this, which I’ve heard is a national issue? Some docs are concierge and you have to pay $1600/year but don’t get billed, from what I’ve heard. I haven’t been thrilled about what I’ve heard about those docs so far.
When our doctor told us he was retiring, I asked him for recommendations, and he gave us a name. I’m very happy with the new doctor. Your current doctor doesn’t have anyone he can suggest?
Actually, my internist is concierge; when I had a host of health issues almost five years ago, I needed someone who ran a smaller practice and was more attentive to me. I really liked my previous doctor, but he was the most popular doctor in the group and it was becoming increasingly difficult to get in to see him and I wasn’t as fond as the other docs in the practice.
I’m not sure what you’re hearing that doesn’t thrill you about concierge docs. I’ve been very happy with mine. I do get billed, just not for my annual physical, which is pretty comprehensive. I have a regular co-pay with him at other visits, though, like I do with any other doc. I understand that the high fee to be a part of their service is not affordable to everyone, and I wish other doctors were able to restrict their patient load so they could give the time to all their patients like mine does.
I consider myself lucky. My doctor is in his late 40s. More importantly, he has assured me that he will continue to treat any current patient who ages into/transitions to Medicare. The practice limits the number of new Medicare patients it takes on every month. He also told me he would not consider going to a “concierge” practice due to his commitment to his patients and the community. My wife has had to find a new primary care doctor (she prefers a woman) several times as her doctor(s) have moved for various reasons.
Timely topic, I just selected a new dentist and primary care physician with this in mind. Twenty years ago I selected doctors who were mid-career, believing that experience was the most important criteria for good care. Now, having been through 2 doctors and 3 dentists due to retirement and health issues (one died ‘in the saddle’) my criteria are similar to yours. This time I looked for providers with 5-10 years experience and seemingly stable roots in our city. Our health care provider (Kaiser Permanente) provides detailed bios of doctors and I chose one who graduated from UCLA and did all of her training at large schools. In CA we can also search a database for disciplinary actions. Not sure how accurate those rating web sites are, as I know some very good providers who get low marks on those sites. Although I usually don’t go in for annual check-ups I plan to start doing that so I can establish a relationship before I have a problem. Also, if it turns out we don’t communicate well I will have time to switch doctors until I find one I like.
Only one of my docs has admitted he’s retiring and he’s trying to help me find a new doc, but most of the ones he knows best are around his retirement age.
Maybe I will ask the 49-year-old doc for recommendations.
As someone whose medical issues require a lot of coordination among different specialists, a super important criteria for me is to have a team of specialists across disciplines who work very well together and who communicate with each other very well. Each specialist not only has to communicate well with the primary care physician but the specialists need to be able to effectively communicate with each other. In my experience, that level of communication comes from years of working together. I’ve been in situations where those communication lines are not effective and it isn’t pretty. So I would tend to go with specialists that your current non-retiring physicians already have relationships with.
One of my kids recently moved to a new city and had considerable difficulty finding a primary care physician who (1) was accepting new patients and (2) didn’t have a concierge practice.
Both my primary care doctor and my husband’s are nearing retirement age. We may soon face the same difficulty.
My mother’s PCP is concierge, and it has been worth every penny! He is available not only to her, but to my brother and me when we need to discuss her issues, particularly when she was in the hospital near death a couple of years ago. That said, my mother carefully vetted all her specialists, which is fine, but once you’re in the hospital, forget it - you have to use the hospital physician/specialists.
A couple of years ago when I was in the hospital with sepsis, my concierge doc stopped by at least once every day, if not twice. This was in addition to the hospitalist that was in charge of my care, the infectious disease doctor and my gynecological oncologist who were coming by at least once a day. My PCP certainly did not need to be there because of the hospitalist, but he did - two of those days were weekend days, too.
I guess I don’t see any inherent reason why a concierge doc would be necessarily better or worse than a non-concierge doc. I’ve asked my H to consider going that route for his practice, but he won’t hear of it because a lot of his patients wouldn’t be able to afford it.
if you are in boston, los angeles, fort lauderdale,new york etc…you can use ZOCDOC you can find doctors in many specialties and often times get same day appointments. you can see the doctors education and residency etc… and click and make an appointment once you register (it is free to the patient) smaller cities do not have as many choices on zocdoc but it has been an awesome tool when needed. and since the reviews are written by the patients (you get a questionnaire email after your appointment) you know they are much more legit. ( I am sure a few doctors plant a couple with fake appointments on the system.)but not like say on yelp where some plumber has 100— 5 star reviews and you know they are bogus.
anyway I would recommend it…even my mom uses it(that is a big deal trust me) https://www.zocdoc.com/
I’ve had to do this several times. When my PCP stopped taking my insurance, I switched my H and I to a new doctor whose husband volunteered with our D at a sports program for autistic kids. When our children’s pediatrician passed away (way too young, what a good, kind loving man he was), we moved them into her practice. Two years ago, after finding herself unable to merge her practice with one of the groups around hear and finding it increasingly difficult to practice good medicine as a solo, my doctor became a hospitalist. She recommended some other local doctors for us. One was the guy who still didn’t take my insurance, another is a rude narcissist. The last one is a keeper. He’s about my age, late 50’s, a Persian Jew who attended medical school in Israel. He’s accessible, up to date and pleasant. H and I are having our yearly, better do it or I’ll pay 30 percent more on my health insurance premium, physicals tomorrow.
In addition to checking doctors out on the public site run by the state health department, I always throw their names into the court system to see how many times they’ve been sued for malpractice.
I do think the number of malpractice suits and the allegations in them would be useful info in evaluating physicians but unfortunately 99.9% of them demand arbitration agreements with their patients, and therefore malpractice actions are generally hidden from the public record. Arbitrations are private and confidential, unfortunately.
You are absolutely right that anyone can bring a suit for malpractice. I am a civil defense trial attorney and I know that very well. However, there are doctors who have a number of suits brought against them while others have none. There are certain specialties that are more prone to being sued than others, as well, such as ob-gyn.
I feel that investigating this aspect is just another way of doing due diligence on a provider, much the same way that one would confirm that a contractor is licensed and doesn’t have a horrendous record with the BBB. If I found that a provider had been sued once or even twice, I might still consider using him or her, if the rest of the recs were solid but if someone is sued multiple times, I would think long and hard about using that doctor.
My friend who is a doctor said that they are reluctant, as a profession, to turn each other in. The same can be said for attorneys as well. That’s why sometimes there’s not a disciplinary record even if there is a law suit.
“However, there are doctors who have a number of suits brought against them while others have none. There are certain specialties that are more prone to being sued than others, as well, such as ob-gyn.”
Yea I know, I’m married to an ob-gyn who has never been sued (knock on all wood surfaces nearby) and has been active in pushing for malpractice reform, even meeting with a previous POTUS. He also serves as expert witness (sometimes for plaintiff, sometimes for defendant). When he retires, the fear of a lawsuit is not over. He has to carry what’s called a tail - malpractice coverage for up to either 18 or 21 (I forget which) years after his last delivery, because a patient could sue up to that time.
" I found that a provider had been sued once or even twice, I might still consider using him or her, if the rest of the recs were solid but if someone is sued multiple times, I would think long and hard about using that doctor."
