…because it would probably be easier and take less time than finding a family doctor in my city.
My family doctor decided that he didn’t want to practice family medicine anymore, so I need a new doctor (primarily for my two kids). I have phoned at least 40 doctors’ offices. Nobody is taking new patients. I contacted the health region and the College of Physicians and Surgeons to see if there are doctors taking new patients. No luck.
I find it mind boggling that I live in a city of over a million people and can not find a doctors to do my kids’ annual checkups. If they get really sick, I can take them to an urgent care clinic or the emergency room (and wait for Og knows how long), but that doesn’t really seem to be a proactive approach to their health.
I’m only half kidding about the medical school thing.
I think most people tend to ask friends if they like their doctors, and then if so, try them out. Alternatively, ask one of your other doctors (dentist, eye doctor, ENT, whatever) to recommend someone.
Isn’t it important that they be in your insurance network? Most networks’s websites can generate a list of in-network doctors by area, which you can then compare with online ratings elsewhere.
My GP is the same as my dad’s, and he was referred by his previous doctor who moved away. Perhaps you could ask the quitting doctor for recommendations/pulling of strings to get you in?
My sister’s pediatrician (for her daughter) moved away and needed a new one, I happened to overhear my boss (at the time) saying he liked his pediatrician, so I asked him some followups and my sister went there and loved the place.
How did my boss pick that doctor? Because the doc had the same last name as himself.
The insurance issue isn’t applicable to me, as I live in Canada. That’s one of the problems with socialized medicine - even if you’re willing and able to pay out of your own pocket to get medical care, that’s not an option.
My doctor did give me a couple of names of doctors who were taking new patients. By the time I called, they were full. I have a relative who’s a registered nurse, and she hasn’t even had any luck pulling strings for me. I was only able to get in to my last doctor because he was a client of mine - he wasn’t taking new patients, but took me on as a favour.
It’s very different here than the States. Here, if you don’t like your doctor, you generally just suck it up, because it’s too difficult to find a new one. The idea of visiting several doctors, asking questions, and deciding which one you’d like to give your business to is laughable. You basically take what you can get.
It’s frustrating, and I just needed to vent.
Interesting.
Do you think this is because there are not enough doctors to go around, or because, since everybody can go to the doctor for free, everybody does, so there’s more of a demand for regular medical care than in the states (where there’s a financial cost to seeing a doc)?
I understand that’d just be a matter of opinion. Don’t want to start a healthcare kerfuffle, just curious.
I think it’s a little bit of all of the above, with a few other factors thrown in.
I’m no expert on the medical system here, but there are a few significant problems. First of all, doctors have very little control over what they can charge for their services. The provincial governments have fees schedules which dictate what doctors are paid per procedure or per office visit. As I understand it, the fees associated with a general family practice are not very high, so doctors tend to want to stay out of that area of practice and specialize or practice in a field in which they can charge patients directly. Cosmetic procedures, for example, aren’t covered by the province, so doctors are free to charge patients whatever the market will bear. My family doctor left family practice to do vasectomies full time, which are paid for by the patient and not by the government.
It’s also my understanding that for the past few decades, admission to medical schools in Canada has been kept very low, and as a result, there are not enough doctors to serve our population. Some of the shortfall is alleviated by immigration, but there is still a shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas. The problem is exacerbated by the retirement of many older doctors, many of whom had large family practices. We also lose quite a few doctors to the States, as they can make significantly more money there.
I hear about this all the time while listening to the Windsor, Ontario radio station, and it slightly boggles my mind. There was a literal panic a few months back when a doctor retired from obstetrics, and when a doctor leaves town it seems like the world is coming to an end. I live right across the lake in a very doctor-rich area…heck, we’re tripping over them all the time, what with the Cleveland Clinic and a hospital every five to ten miles. Windsor always seems to be offering financial incentives (just like on that TV show, Northern Exposure…but Windsor isn’t a little tiny rural town) This is why, when people tell me the Canadian system is better, I just shake my head. I know, I know…I’m spoiled…but I’d rather be.
Where are you, kathmandu? I guess it all depends on which part of the country you’re in. I didn’t have any problems finding a family doctor when I moved cities and I’m in Sask. I know Alberta sucks right now because it simply boomed way too fast and couldn’t keep up with essential services.
I’m in Calgary, but I have friends who are having the same problem in Manitoba.