<p>But the insurance will not cover a physical with the new doctor because she had one in February and only 1 per contract year is allowed. The new doctor will not accept her without performing a complete pyhsical. This is frustrating.</p>
<p>well, is she ill and needs to see the new doctor right away? If she needs a doctor, she can still see the pediatrician, no? Last time my 20-year old was home and needed to be seen, and her internist had no availibility, we called the ped. and they saw her the same day.</p>
<p>can you get records sent from the pediatrician? or will the new doctor not accept that? Sounds unusual. We have changed doctors several times, and have never been asked for a mandatory physical.</p>
<p>It sounds like she turned 18 and you are just looking for a doctor to start her on. My D thinks its slightly awkward to be in the waiting room with toddlers, but whatever. They have known her for 15 years, so I trust them.</p>
<p>In fact, last year we went to an internist and another specialist, and finally ended up in the ped’s office, and they were the only ones to prescribe the right tests and treatment.</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much. It’s not as if kids suddenly have ‘new grown-up’ illnesses that a pediatrician would not be able to diagnose. Can you wait until February for the physical with the new doctor, and meanwhile go to the pediatrician if she falls sick?</p>
<p>If she just needs a physical for some sort of form to be filled out, most pediatrician’s offices will fill it out if a physical exam has been done within the year. Fortunately for us, our pediatrician is willing to see kids through college, even though they’re really “too old” for pediatric care.</p>
<p>We have an HMO and she needs a referral. The new doctor will not issue one with first seeing her, and I understand that. Continuing to use the pediatrician’s office is not an option, when they age out, they are done. I will just have to pay for the physical.</p>
<p>Have you spoken to your own primary care physician or your spouse’s? Even if they are not the ideal doctors for a young adult because of personality or whatever, they might be willing to be cooperative for a family member of an established patient.</p>
<p>This sounds like a corner that you have been backed into. How about contacted your HMO, and asking how you can get a referral without paying for a physical? Our pediatrician is very flexible and reasonable. I know that our pediatrician would be helpful. I can understand why a new doctor would not want to order anything without doing their own exam. This makes sense.</p>
<p>I agree with #7. Definitely call your HMO. Sometimes you have to call several times as you will get varying degrees of helpful associates who may look deeper into the situation. Don’t give up after the first negative response, ask for a manager and explain the situation.
Just from being persistent, I have had “denied” claims overturned. There are no cut-and-dried answers as they may have you believe.</p>
<p>I do not have an advice for the OP, but I wanted to say that our pediatricians see kids until they graduate from college (or are 21, I’m not sure). This works well because it would be a lot of trouble to find a new doctor when they are away at school most of the year, and there is a high probability that they will not return to to liver here after they graduate. Our pediatricians are very keyed in to adolescent and college student issues.</p>
<p>I specifically asked our pediatrician when Mathson was getting his meningitis shot and he also said kids usually see him through their college years because it’s easier. For a daughter I might get a gynecologist in addition though.</p>
<p>My daughter does also go to a gynecologist as well as the pediatrician. The wonderful nurse-practitioner at the pediatricians office recommended a gyn (who she herself goes to) who is also a nurse-practitioner.</p>
<p>In my experience, nearly all pediatric offices see their patient through the college years so it is truly unfortunate that you have to find her a new MD for what may be a short period of time—what if she moves to another city after graduation and then she will need another new doctor there?
It seems to me that staying with your pcp until college graduation is best for continuity</p>
<p>When S1 was in this summer to see his PCP for his 18 year old check up he mentioned to his doc that he felt abit weird to be seen at the pediatrician’s office with all the little kids. His doc was reassuring and told him that it was his preference to see his patients through the college years.</p>
<p>Right. We chose to stick with the pediatrician for our son through college because we figured he’d use the health service while he was at school and would probably need to find a new doc elsewhere upon graduation.</p>
<p>He doesn’t seem to mind being the only 6’3" tall “kid” in the waiting room.</p>
<p>The OP’s issue is that some insurance companies will not allow people over 18 to see pediatricians. This has happened to other people I know, although, as I said above, our insurance company does not have this rule.</p>
<p>Believe me, if we had the option of staying with the pediatrician we would. That door is closed. The practice my husband and I use is no longer accepting new patients with our HMO, not even offspring of current patients (a point I tried to argue). The HMO said that if daughter has a GYN exam while at the new doctor’s first visit, then it would be covered.</p>
<p>BTW, do you think a nice arrangement from Edible Arrangements would be an appropriate goodbye gift for the pediatrician and his staff? I want to do something for 18 years of wonderful care and that is best idea I have come up with so far.</p>
<p>Edible Arrangements is a lovely idea. Our office just received one of these arrangments recently and it was a huge hit with all the staff</p>
<p>Our ped. allows kids to stay till they finish college or until age 21 if they are not in school. My 6’5" S used to have great fun there because some of the kids thought he was a doc and would come up to him, showing him their booboos or sore throats. One kid threw up on S’s shoe! (Not his fav day at the doc!).</p>
<p>He now has a specialized doc who does pilot physicals (apparently, they can’t just be checked over like the rest of us!), but S thinks the ped’s waiting room was way more fun with the fish tank, etc.</p>
<p>How old are your D’s when they have their first OB/Gyn? D is 16 and ped is urging me to take her by the time she is 18. I don’t think it is necessary if they are not sexually active or have some pathology.</p>
<p>cmb - Do I understand correctly…the HMO won’t allow the pediatrician’s office to simply make the referral for you? Or is it that the ped has policy against? </p>
<p>Btw on the other issue…I’ve known two young women who where diagnosed with ovarian and cervical cancer while barely in their twenties. I think an exam by an gyn or obgyn at 18 is prudent regardless of sexual activities or lack of symptoms.</p>
<p>sorry, cmbmom; I didn’t understand that the pediatrician was not an option.</p>
<p>(Seems like a silly rule, not that that matters in the least!)</p>
<p>Fencersmother, eighteen tends to be a good time for a first appointment with the ob/gyn for girls without symptoms who are not sexually active. Remember, you may not know when your daughter becomes sexually active, has questions, or has annoying but seemingly harmless symptoms.</p>