4 ms·

If you don't mind sharing, where are you living that finding a primary care appointment is impossible? During my recent battle with covid, I was able to get app

If you don't mind sharing, where are you living that finding a primary care appointment is impossible? During my recent battle with covid, I was able to get appointments with specialists in several fields in about 1 week or less, which I think was pretty reasonable. At the time I was living in Long Island, close to the Stony Brook University which I think makes the area a big hub for doctors.

screye 5y ago
I had a minor dislocation in my shoulder. It took me 1 month to finally see an orthopaedic doctor and a couple more weeks before I could meet a physical therapist. Guess what, my pain was nearly all gone by that point. This is in Boston, one of the US medical meccas.
- Invictus0 5y ago
  How many doctors offices did you reach out to? Did you try to find one on zocdoc?
  - screye 5y ago
    Only my primary care. It was a pretty major center in terms of associated doctors. The idea that someone would have to keep calling different doctors offices to find one that would take me is just as absurd as needing to wait 1 month.
    - Invictus0 5y ago
      It really isn't, and Zocdoc solves this problem. Calling an office hardly takes 2 minutes; why wouldn't you shop around? By contrast your approach is "I've tried nothing and I'm all out of options".
      - screye 5y ago
        Isn't the whole point of a primary care that a doctor chooses a 'limited' number of patients for whom they can make themselves available ? I usually keep myself open to any doctor in my primary care location, outside the one person I see on a regular basis. I don't see why you'd want to see a different doctor every time, if that means making sure insurances are sorted out, transferring all my media reports over to the new practice and building a new rapport with that doctor.
- iratewizard 5y ago
  I went to urgent care when I had a bursitis and tendonitis two years ago. Two days later I was in with a PT. How you approach it will impact how quickly you can be seen.
darth_avocado 5y ago
I live in California. It took me 2 months of calling people to finally get someone who was accepting new patients to be my PCP within an hour commute(I had to pay for one medical membership). Getting ANY dermatologist appointment is 1 month out, getting a good dermatologist appointment was 3 months out (involved a lot of time calling them up again and again). My wife is undergoing mental health crisis, it took us two weeks of just basically calling everyone on the insurance phone book to finally get an appointment 1 week out. My PCP appointments usually take at least 1 week out at all times. When I needed a gastroenterologist for a “mystery pain” in the stomach, it took me 1 month of suffering before I could see them (if you’re dying call 911, else suffer), my CT scan appointment took a week and me constantly having to call them up to expedite it. Basically the point being if you’re dying call 911 else wait at least a week to see someone. I as a person who has no medical degree should not be making that call. I should have access to someone who can make that call (without bankrupting myself). Even in third world countries you can see doctors the same day. It’s appalling you can’t in the greatest country in the world.
jrochkind1 5y ago
Baltimore MD, nobody I know has a PCP who they can actually see when they are sick -- like you can't get an appointment within 2 months. PCP's give you useless annual wellness checks, if you're actually sick or have another medical problem, you have to go to an Urgent Care where you see someone who is probably comptent to decide if you should go to an ER in order not to die, and that's about it.

screye 5y ago

I had a minor dislocation in my shoulder. It took me 1 month to finally see an orthopaedic doctor and a couple more weeks before I could meet a physical therapist. Guess what, my pain was nearly all gone by that point. This is in Boston, one of the US medical meccas.

Invictus0 5y ago
How many doctors offices did you reach out to? Did you try to find one on zocdoc?
- screye 5y ago
  Only my primary care. It was a pretty major center in terms of associated doctors. The idea that someone would have to keep calling different doctors offices to find one that would take me is just as absurd as needing to wait 1 month.
  - Invictus0 5y ago
    It really isn't, and Zocdoc solves this problem. Calling an office hardly takes 2 minutes; why wouldn't you shop around? By contrast your approach is "I've tried nothing and I'm all out of options".
    - screye 5y ago
      Isn't the whole point of a primary care that a doctor chooses a 'limited' number of patients for whom they can make themselves available ? I usually keep myself open to any doctor in my primary care location, outside the one person I see on a regular basis. I don't see why you'd want to see a different doctor every time, if that means making sure insurances are sorted out, transferring all my media reports over to the new practice and building a new rapport with that doctor.
iratewizard 5y ago
I went to urgent care when I had a bursitis and tendonitis two years ago. Two days later I was in with a PT. How you approach it will impact how quickly you can be seen.

darth_avocado 5y ago

I live in California. It took me 2 months of calling people to finally get someone who was accepting new patients to be my PCP within an hour commute(I had to pay for one medical membership). Getting ANY dermatologist appointment is 1 month out, getting a good dermatologist appointment was 3 months out (involved a lot of time calling them up again and again). My wife is undergoing mental health crisis, it took us two weeks of just basically calling everyone on the insurance phone book to finally get an appointment 1 week out. My PCP appointments usually take at least 1 week out at all times. When I needed a gastroenterologist for a “mystery pain” in the stomach, it took me 1 month of suffering before I could see them (if you’re dying call 911, else suffer), my CT scan appointment took a week and me constantly having to call them up to expedite it. Basically the point being if you’re dying call 911 else wait at least a week to see someone. I as a person who has no medical degree should not be making that call. I should have access to someone who can make that call (without bankrupting myself). Even in third world countries you can see doctors the same day. It’s appalling you can’t in the greatest country in the world.

jrochkind1 5y ago

Baltimore MD, nobody I know has a PCP who they can actually see when they are sick -- like you can't get an appointment within 2 months. PCP's give you useless annual wellness checks, if you're actually sick or have another medical problem, you have to go to an Urgent Care where you see someone who is probably comptent to decide if you should go to an ER in order not to die, and that's about it.