5 ms·

I live in the US and have run into both kinds of doctor. If you end up with one that does nothing and only refers you to specialists, it's worth trying other do

by WWLink 3y ago

I live in the US and have run into both kinds of doctor. If you end up with one that does nothing and only refers you to specialists, it's worth trying other doctors. There are definitely nerdy doctors that know a lot more and are more willing to get their hands dirty. Ultimately, even the nerd doctors will send you to a specialist if you need it. I like my current doctor a lot. He runs his own independent practice and is just generally really cool.

jghn 3y ago
> it's worth trying other doctors In much of the US finding a PCP who is accepting new patients is hard. And the ones that are accepting new patients are unlikely to be one of the good noes.
- ryandrake 3y ago
  Plus, new patient appointments are a 6-9 month wait where I am (suburban California) so it could take over 2 years to try 3 Primary care doctors. We just got a doctor appointment now after scheduling in September. Went into the office and the receptionist explained “oh, sorry, Doctor X is busy and can’t make his appointment. Next available is in July.” It’s always funny when people say “universal healthcare will have long wait times for doctors like in Europe!!” This is is currently happening in the USA.
  - quickthrower2 3y ago
    Are there any walk-in doctor surgeries in the US? Or tele health? What do you do if you need a doctor today?
    - zerocrates 3y ago
      "Doctor's surgery" is what we'd call the doctor's office in the US, right? In terms of walk-in, there's "urgent care" and similar things. And of course the emergency room if the need is severe. Telehealth was vastly expanded during the pandemic and has stuck around to a significant degree.
    - SaintGhurka 3y ago
      In addition to urgent care clinics, every doctor I've had holds a few appointment slots open for same-day or next-day visits. I just have to call them when they open. Just checking my doctor's group, they have multiple appointments available for new or existing patients in all 7 of their locations around Austin as early as Tuesday - and that's probably only because Monday is a holiday. The only caveat is that you have to accept whichever doctor is available, rather than selecting you PCP. I know it's a big country with a lot of variability of experience, but this has been the case everywhere I've lived.
      - ryandrake 3y ago
        Yea, we basically use urgent care for everything, since it seems very few in-network doctors want any more patients, and the ones who do have no availability for months. So we're in this weird position where we have no "primary care doctor".
  - throw24761234 3y ago
    > universal healthcare will have long wait times for doctors like in Europe!! I don't know about that. The missus had a problem, had to see a specialist, they first said next slot is in 1.5 months, then she read her blood test over the phone and they scheduled her in like 3-4 days. TBH that wasn't funny at all, the 1.5 months appointment would have looked ... healthier. Eastern Europe where the universal health care isn't considered great. [Posting as throwaway because the missus can be identified by my HN nick]
  - yibg 3y ago
    Same experience with me in the Bay Area. Wait times where 2-3 months for anything reasonably close (within 45 minutes driving). Ended up paying for one medical.

by WWLink 3y ago

jghn 3y ago

> it's worth trying other doctors In much of the US finding a PCP who is accepting new patients is hard. And the ones that are accepting new patients are unlikely to be one of the good noes.

ryandrake 3y ago
Plus, new patient appointments are a 6-9 month wait where I am (suburban California) so it could take over 2 years to try 3 Primary care doctors. We just got a doctor appointment now after scheduling in September. Went into the office and the receptionist explained “oh, sorry, Doctor X is busy and can’t make his appointment. Next available is in July.” It’s always funny when people say “universal healthcare will have long wait times for doctors like in Europe!!” This is is currently happening in the USA.
- quickthrower2 3y ago
  Are there any walk-in doctor surgeries in the US? Or tele health? What do you do if you need a doctor today?
  - zerocrates 3y ago
    "Doctor's surgery" is what we'd call the doctor's office in the US, right? In terms of walk-in, there's "urgent care" and similar things. And of course the emergency room if the need is severe. Telehealth was vastly expanded during the pandemic and has stuck around to a significant degree.
  - SaintGhurka 3y ago
    In addition to urgent care clinics, every doctor I've had holds a few appointment slots open for same-day or next-day visits. I just have to call them when they open. Just checking my doctor's group, they have multiple appointments available for new or existing patients in all 7 of their locations around Austin as early as Tuesday - and that's probably only because Monday is a holiday. The only caveat is that you have to accept whichever doctor is available, rather than selecting you PCP. I know it's a big country with a lot of variability of experience, but this has been the case everywhere I've lived.
    - ryandrake 3y ago
      Yea, we basically use urgent care for everything, since it seems very few in-network doctors want any more patients, and the ones who do have no availability for months. So we're in this weird position where we have no "primary care doctor".
- throw24761234 3y ago
  > universal healthcare will have long wait times for doctors like in Europe!! I don't know about that. The missus had a problem, had to see a specialist, they first said next slot is in 1.5 months, then she read her blood test over the phone and they scheduled her in like 3-4 days. TBH that wasn't funny at all, the 1.5 months appointment would have looked ... healthier. Eastern Europe where the universal health care isn't considered great. [Posting as throwaway because the missus can be identified by my HN nick]
- yibg 3y ago
  Same experience with me in the Bay Area. Wait times where 2-3 months for anything reasonably close (within 45 minutes driving). Ended up paying for one medical.