How to get a new high risk OB

Mustardseed2007

I guess this is going to be a combo intro and question.

I'm 26 weeks pregnant right now. At 24 weeks (over Christmas) I had some bleeding and went into the hospital. I got out after 4 days and have been on bed rest since then and I guess I will now be on bed rest until I deliver. They already knew before the bleeding that I had complete placenta previa and a velleminous cord insertion. While I was in the hospital they did an MRI and found out I had placenta accretta as well.

After that finding my OB said I needed to transfer my full care to a high risk OB. She already had referred me to one MFM who was consulting on my case. I'll start by saying that I've never been thrilled with the MFM office that my regular OB works with. Their staff is terrible, wait time is terrible, their office is uninviting and terrible, you have to go off site for all lab work, but the actual MFM doctor that had been consulting on my case is good and I like him. I was already nervous about having to go to them full time though, b/c a good doctor in a bad office can be tough, especially if you're having to go often like I am.

But I decided I'm just going to try this and see how it goes and hopefully I can just suck it up for the good of my baby. But I just had my appointment with the MFM and it turns out he's moving out of state next month so I need to get a new one.

So when I was alone with the nurse I asked who she would prefer to take over her case if she were me, and she actually said...well anyone but Dr. Hare. Anyway, when my current, soon to be gone, MFM asked if I had a preference about who in his practice would take my case, I gave him the names of 2 other doctors in their practice. Of course then the practice administrator tells me that Dr. Hare was actually already familiar with my case and wanted to take it.

I didn't say yes or no, but now that I'm at home and have had a chance to think on it I think I'd be stupid to go with that doctor at this point. I'm also feeling like maybe I should jus switch practices all together based on the fact that I didn't like anything about that office except my doctor.

In my experience, though, one really needs a referral from their regular OB to see a high risk OB and this practice is the only practice on my OB's referral list. I've got a call into the reg OB to see if she can suggest anything to me, but I'm wondering if you guys have any suggestions given that I know several of you have been through high risk pregnancies more than once.

This whole thing is stressing me out b/c I want to do the thing that's going to have the best outcome for me and baby in the end, but it's hard to see what that actually is and how to actually get it accomplished.

JennyOR30

Take advice from the nurse...Being a nurse myself, there's a reason, she said anyone but dr. x.  If you've given two doctors to your current MFM that you are comfortable switching to, stick to your guns.  It's your right as a patient.  I recently was referred to an MFM by my OB and was given the choice of UAB or Huntsville Hospital.  Huntsville would have been much closer for me, but my OB had personal experience with UAB and that was who he recommended. 

jg1011

If a nurse in the office said not that doctor....I wouldn't use that doctor. There is a reason for her feeling that way. She sees it everyday.

 

I think you should call your regular OB and ask for a referral to another office. If asked why, be honest about not being pleased with wait times, etc. Likely, they won't even ask!

This is a big deal and you need to feel absolutely sure about who you are working with.

 

Good luck.

Ylvelill

Important for your obs office to know why you are unhappy so they can perhaps reevaluate who they work with

Mustardseed2007

So an update, I did call the MFM office and told them the doctors I would be willing to take. I just said I have thought about it and didn't feel comfortable with the "unrecommended" doctor. I'm now waiting to hear about who else can take me on as a patient.

I also preemptively called my OB for another referral to a different office and it was as I feared - this high risk practice is the ONLY ONE they refer patients too. My OB delivers exclusively at this one hospital that specializes in procedures for women, and it seems that there is (incredibly) only one other OB in the building that is high risk, so I think that may be why. They didn't say that, but it's just my guess.

They aren't the only high risk practice in town, it's just that they are the only one my doctor refers people to. Which just pisses me off. Basically by being with this OB, I unwittingly committed to this high risk OB's practice that of course I never even thought about b/c I never thought I'd be in the position I'm in right now.

The only thing I can think of now if the high risk office won't work with me, is that I could TRY to go to another regular OB and have them look at my case and refer me elsewhere. Other than that I am at a loss. Hopefully the high risk practice will work with me on my choice, though.

iqwedding3

Hmm, I don't know about your insurance, but I have an HMO as well.  I knew I was going to be high risk before I got pregnant, and started shopping around for an MFM to see what I needed to do even before I got pregnant.  It took some fast talking, but I managed to cold call the office and get an appointment, and then work out a referral from my PCP. 

iqwedding3

@juleskelm: Love the signature, how did you find one that would mark you as 57 weeks pregnant?  

Mustardseed2007

So this MFM that I'm at informed me that I needed a referral (which was fine, bc I have one for them).
I did try cold calling one MFM yesterday, but I was told by their office that they only took referrals. Maybe it's my tone. Maybe I need to speak more briskly and just inform them that I'm calling for a consult and who my OB is and what my condition is that makes me high risk and then ask for who is taking new patients.
I'm a PPO. I do need to stay in network but I can go where ever. It's the MFM offices themselves that have told me I need a referral.

Mustardseed2007

SuburbsMrs said:

Mustardseed2007 So there are two separate things here 

#1 is you need a referral to a high risk OB - as in for the high risk place to take you they need to know you qualify - honestly I called my high risk OB office and said I was referred there they asked why and by who and I gave them details and a doctor's name (that is not an OB). 

#2 for insurance purposes you may need a referral (paperwork) lots of times this can be from a specialist like an OB or from your general practitioner. In the past I have had my GP try and refer me to someone they "work with" who was not the person I wanted. I then provided the office information and informed them.... you will refer me to X instead- thank you for your recommendation but that will not work for me. They always did what I needed (though they grumbled a little). 

Good luck and as if the MFM place needs justification or someone to sign off on papers. 

Yes, these are my problems exactly, thanks for the advice!
Yesterday my soon to be out of town MFM called to say that he was seeing if he could get me lined up with a different doctor so hopefully all my problems will be solved. He said he'd "see what he can do". Hopefully he can do it.

chicagobride_07

GL! I had this issue too. I did not like the MFM my OB worked with. I called a major university hospital here in Chicago and was honest about my situation. Their triage nurse got me in for a consult with one of their MFMs without an OB referral. I did need to tell her about my history and diagnosis. Once I saw the MFM, she referred me to a primary OB she worked with. Kind of a round about way to go about things, but it can be done. I have a PPO insurance plan so referrals were not necessary for that purpose.

Mustardseed2007

chicagobride_07 said:

GL! I had this issue too. I did not like the MFM my OB worked with. I called a major university hospital here in Chicago and was honest about my situation. Their triage nurse got me in for a consult with one of their MFMs without an OB referral. I did need to tell her about my history and diagnosis. Once I saw the MFM, she referred me to a primary OB she worked with. Kind of a round about way to go about things, but it can be done. I have a PPO insurance plan so referrals were not necessary for that purpose.

Thank you! It's nice to know I'm not the only one that ran into this problem! I have a second appointment with the MFM that is moving TOMORROW; if I'm not comfortable with their solution I have the name of another MFM practice and I'm just going to give them that info and tell them that's where I'm going to go...and so when the new MFM practice asks who referred me I'm going to just explain that my MFM is moving and basically say they referred me. If that doesn't work...well I'll think of something else.

I'm actually excited to go to this next appointment bc I feel like the problem is going to get solved one way or the other FINALLY.