Among Friends

[UpNorthGorgy]

My GF has a small  noncancerous mass in her breast. She has had one before. She had an ultrasound and removal  date is nine months out. She was mad because her doctor wanted a second ultrasound  a couple months later and another co-pay for her.

I think many treatments  an appointments are delayed if not life threatening? Seeing a Derm takes six months an hour away.

[CalminHeart]

I'd be shopping around for a reputable neurologist. 

[katie1859]

I’m in Illinois and it’s consistent out here as well…..long wait times for appointments and cherry picking new patients
That’s the state of the insurance market in the country
and they run the show
What’s becoming a common practice is people using the ER to be seen and heard
I personally believe on what I experienced and see is the medical profession getting ready for a socialist method and program
Get use to the perimeters that you are already thinking are unsatisfactory because this is the direction it is going

[AuntMame]

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@Q-Checker wrote:

Can the difficulty with getting medical appts be related to any PPO/HMO limitations?

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No, not around here. The inability to obtain appointments at the major medical center here is occuring to all patients regardless of insurance, and in all medical specialties. They simply don't have enough doctors or enough capacity in the clinics. I have friends who have had to travel to hospitals in other states for heart surgery and cancer surgery because they were unable to obtain care here in a timely fashion, i.e., in 6 mos to a year. 

[JoyFilled Warrior]

One dynamic that still 'throws me for a loop' is this "Concierge Services" that some MD Practices are/have been adopting, & in more & more practices.

This is where a Patient *must Advance Pay* a non-refundable, Annual, "Out-of-Pocket Fee," (usually $2,000/yr, +/-) before seeing any MD in Private Practice, "Concierge Svcs."  This charge appears to be for what used to be mere perfunctory, seamless, designated favor-for-favor, Alt coverage, when your own original MD took vacations! 

     (And, coincidentally, the MD's practice is electronicized, administratively, (ex: you get an Email/Text notice of something from the MD, such as yr MDs upcoming "Out of Town" dates.)

Any experiences with "Concierge Svcs" requirements where you are looking for MDs?