Wellness

[Moonchilde]

This happened to my niece.  She's a basically healthy person who rarely needs to see a doctor, so she doesn't go often.

Her doctor also treated my mother (who passed away just shy of 95) for about 16 years. The doctor frequently complained that rules and regulations and administrative and governmental changes were very disheartening and had him thinking of quitting his practice.

One thing in particular was the rise of hospitalists - a hospital can decide that ALL of its inpatients WILL be treated, while in the hospital, by a doctor paid by the hospital to manage their inpatients. The patient's regular doctor cannot treat them while they are hospitalized, only the hospitalist - a complete stranger who knows diddly about them. If that had been in effect during his care of my mother, she would have died 10 years before she did.

My mother went into a nursing home 2 yrs before she died, and as most people know, the nursing home usually has its own doctor, period (at least, for medicaid patients).

So, my niece lost track of the doctor. Last year she had to go to the ER with a kidney stone. When they asked her who her doctor was and she told them, she was informed that he'd closed his practice months before. A new doctor was in his office space, but she was told that "no one knew" where patients' records were. She had never gotten any notification.

She never pursued it, but I know that legally those records MUST be available somewhere, or lawsuits would be filed.

I think the doctor just said **** it one day and walked out. He doesn't have to worry about any state medical body because he retired - he isn't going to practice medicine again. 

[DiAnne]

I am just curious - who would you report this to and what would they do about it?

I had a doctor I just loved - her mother has a heart attack on the other coast.  She left with 24 hours notice and never came back.  

[cherry]

I don't know who you could report this to, and what would you say?  They quit. It is their right

I know you were left high and dry and that's a shame, but it isn't like you have a malpractice  claim against them

[CelticCrafter]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

This happened to my niece.  She's a basically healthy person who rarely needs to see a doctor, so she doesn't go often.

Her doctor also treated my mother (who passed away just shy of 95) for about 16 years. The doctor frequently complained that rules and regulations and administrative and governmental changes were very disheartening and had him thinking of quitting his practice.

One thing in particular was the rise of hospitalists - a hospital can decide that ALL of its inpatients WILL be treated, while in the hospital, by a doctor paid by the hospital to manage their inpatients. The patient's regular doctor cannot treat them while they are hospitalized, only the hospitalist - a complete stranger who knows diddly about them. If that had been in effect during his care of my mother, she would have died 10 years before she did.

My mother went into a nursing home 2 yrs before she died, and as most people know, the nursing home usually has its own doctor, period (at least, for medicaid patients).

So, my niece lost track of the doctor. Last year she had to go to the ER with a kidney stone. When they asked her who her doctor was and she told them, she was informed that he'd closed his practice months before. A new doctor was in his office space, but she was told that "no one knew" where patients' records were. She had never gotten any notification.

She never pursued it, but I know that legally those records MUST be available somewhere, or lawsuits would be filed.

I think the doctor just said **** it one day and walked out. He doesn't have to worry about any state medical body because he retired - he isn't going to practice medicine again. 

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I had no idea hospitals were doing this until it happened with my father.  After seeing him for all of maybe 10  minutes, she decided he was depressed because my mom had passed and she put him on anti-depressants.  No, just no - they had been married 55 years, of course he's going to be sad but he did not need a pill for it.

I called his PCP to find out who this person was and did my father for some reason fire him.

[gracie2014]

@sfnative That is too bad, have you found a new doctor? Have you ever tried vitals.com..its a free site..gives lots of good feedback on those in the healthcare fields..I find it helpful when looking for a new doctor..you basically tell the site what is most important to you and it will give you a list of providers.

[gracie2014]

@sfnative Could it be due to changes in the healthcare system? I have received a few of those over the last six months or so....was told to anticipate this depending on what happened in November of 2016..

[Moonchilde]

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

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@Moonchilde wrote:

This happened to my niece.  She's a basically healthy person who rarely needs to see a doctor, so she doesn't go often.

Her doctor also treated my mother (who passed away just shy of 95) for about 16 years. The doctor frequently complained that rules and regulations and administrative and governmental changes were very disheartening and had him thinking of quitting his practice.

One thing in particular was the rise of hospitalists - a hospital can decide that ALL of its inpatients WILL be treated, while in the hospital, by a doctor paid by the hospital to manage their inpatients. The patient's regular doctor cannot treat them while they are hospitalized, only the hospitalist - a complete stranger who knows diddly about them. If that had been in effect during his care of my mother, she would have died 10 years before she did.

My mother went into a nursing home 2 yrs before she died, and as most people know, the nursing home usually has its own doctor, period (at least, for medicaid patients).

So, my niece lost track of the doctor. Last year she had to go to the ER with a kidney stone. When they asked her who her doctor was and she told them, she was informed that he'd closed his practice months before. A new doctor was in his office space, but she was told that "no one knew" where patients' records were. She had never gotten any notification.

She never pursued it, but I know that legally those records MUST be available somewhere, or lawsuits would be filed.

I think the doctor just said **** it one day and walked out. He doesn't have to worry about any state medical body because he retired - he isn't going to practice medicine again. 

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I had no idea hospitals were doing this until it happened with my father.  After seeing him for all of maybe 10  minutes, she decided he was depressed because my mom had passed and she put him on anti-depressants.  No, just no - they had been married 55 years, of course he's going to be sad but he did not need a pill for it.

I called his PCP to find out who this person was and did my father for some reason fire him.

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It's up to the hospitals, and I imagine to some extent the PCPs as a committee to vote on at a given hospital. They don't all do it, but the trend is going that way.

IMO, having worked in hospitals and around doctors for 47 years until I retired, it's mostly because of the extreme necessity of hospitals billing 100% correctly and so all billable bases are covered with up-to-date codes and charges.  Secondarily, many PCPs are probably happy not to have to do hospital rounds.

How hospitals are reimbursed by Medicare (and insurance companies most likely soon to follow) has changed over the past 2-3 years. It is by diagnosis, not by individual patient and the individual patient's issues.  If a patient comes in for a hip replacement, X thousand dollars is the reimbursement for hip replacements, period - one set amount. Any patient who has any type of complication whatsoever that keeps them in the hospital more days than the set days/amount is costing the hospital money they aren't going to recoup.

IMO, hospitalists are desired by hospital admins because they help to insure there are no complications, everything goes as it should, and patients are released "on time."

And no, contrary to the uninformed belief of many, non-profit hospitals (which most hospitals are) are not rolling in the bucks. I understand that some will never believe it - and will probably be the first to scream bloody murder because they didn't get "whatever" they think they should have gotten while hospitalized, without thinking it's likely because they had to lay off employees to keep operating not quite so much in the red.

[gracie2014]

@Moonchilde Initially I was so angry with the whole hospitalist issue, I wanted to be seen by my own doctor. My feelings have changed...as a frequent inpatient requiring multiple infusions....i find the hospitalist tend to take cases they now really well...this works out just fine with me....now I get nervous if it is not a hospitalist I know really well...hope this makes sense as I am in the middle of a flare right now.

[Moonchilde]

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@gracie2014 wrote:

@Moonchilde Initially I was so angry with the whole hospitalist issue, I wanted to be seen by my own doctor. My feelings have changed...as a frequent inpatient requiring multiple infusions....i find the hospitalist tend to take cases they now really well...this works out just fine with me....now I get nervous if it is not a hospitalist I know really well...hope this makes sense as I am in the middle of a flare right now.

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@gracie2014, I think it makes sense if a patient has multiple serious things going on - IF they consult with and pay attention to history & info given to them by the patient's regular doctors. But going in cold...as a patient, I'd be leery. They need to be quite personable as a group, I would think, or they'd be turning patients off right and left.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

We go to a group practice when needed.  One of the doctors somewhat abruptly left the practice a little over a year ago.  It wasn't a matter of him going to work for another practice, he just decided he had to stop for personal reasons.  The practice did send out a letter to their patient roster, to let them know.  Because I know the background, I felt badly for the doctor and I felt bad for us too because we liked him a lot.  Still, he had to do what he felt was right for himself and his family.  I did not take it personally nor did I feel abandoned.  I'm now seeing the nurse practitioner a couple times a year and am quite comfortable and confident in her.

@sfnative - this kind of thing happens.  You were not abandoned.  Would you expect the doctor to feel that you abandoned her if you decided to go to another practice?  People are free to pursue their happiness and that's just what she did.  Period.  There is nothing for you to report, she did nothing wrong.