Wellness

[jubilant]

I'm fond of family practices.  The one I like now is family owned but they have enough people working for them that they can get you in quickly within a day or two and  give you pain meds (if you need it) till the next day.  None of this having to go through one or two weeks of pain medicine along with antibiotics till a dental surgeon can "fit you in".   No waiting when you need help.    If you have ever had a toothache that's worse than having a baby (with no pain meds) you know what I mean!!!!! Going to a dentist and then having them send you to someone else, waiting two or three weeks out....is over for me after finding this place.  Like I say, it is family owned.

[ScrapHappy]

The dentist I used to go to works out of an office that was was a ranch home back in the day.  He's an older man and a couple of years ago had a heart attack.  Right next door to his building is a huge dental chain office.  Caters to children.  And now right across the street they just built another new dentist office called the Dental Spa.  He still seems to have a good amount of clients, but not as much as the others.  I can see him retiring sooner than later.

[Alexa6352]

My Dentist has a Private Practice  he is in his 40's and does everything in one office. Root Canals,Tooth Extractions Implants and Gum problems. He tells me all the time..Don't worry I can fix it..and he can..The Dentist I had before him only filled cavities made Caps....If I needed a Root Canal,sent me to a "SPECIALIST" $1500..Needed an Implant another "SPECIALIST" TOOTH PULLED.You get it..When I found my current dentist I was in Heaven and Root Canals were much cheaper and everything else was too..To say I LOVE my Dentist you got that right!

[lovesrecess]

I cancelled my dental insurance when the max payout was less than the premiums. I have been through four dentists the past few years. They retire or move, but some are selling to the big corporations and they have offices with a dozen dentists in one huge room. No thanks.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Group 5 minus 1 wrote:

We are in shock! Liked this office a lot.

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@Group 5 minus 1 

Just curious .... is she just closing her office ... or selling her practice to someone else?

[Tinkrbl44]

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@granddi wrote:

50% of all physicians are employed- that is get a pay check. They do what their employeer expects. So this health care delivery model is being followed by dentist, optometrists, vets, and others.

I recently commented about those surveys that we are asked to complete regarding physician visits. It just doubt if negative responses are taken sincerely by the organization. I think individual physicans DO care about how patients are treated but never know that the company they work for is just not being kind, or courteous to patients.

It is such as shame that we have skilled, well trained health care providers and they are throttled by the employment groups, owners of their businesses, insurance companies (third party payers) and legal worries.

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@granddi 

Years ago I dated a pediatric cardiologist who never drank any alcohol, even wine.  He was basically on call 24/7 for just-born infants who had serious heart problems ....  out of the blue he would be paged and call in with his location and either he was picked up by a police car (with flashing lights)  or helicopter that would take him to the hospital's neo-natal unit. 

Within an hour he was performing open heart surgery on a premie or infant, trying to correct their heart abnormality and save their little lives.   He was considered to be one of the best pediatric heart surgeons in the country.   Suffice it to say, he did very well.

I was surprised to learn he was considering other various job options.  He said the one thing that REALLY was a shock to doctors was that no one in medical school and other training ever spent much time on how to run a medical practice!  After all, it's a business, like other businesses.   He said I had NO IDEA how complicated running a medical practice could be, and many of his colleagues were totally unprepared for running such a business.   

When I see many dentists or doctors joining a "medical group", I think about his frustration.   I don't know what the answer is, but being a doctor now is much, much different than it was a hundred years ago!