Military Families
PCSing to Pax River in Jan 2011
Anyone know how promptly the clinic makes OB referrals? Almost 6 weeks, and my OB says I need to get in with new one ASAP - high risk due to past miscarriages. Idea of having to wait a couple weeks for an OB referral is seriously stressing me out.
This is my first experience with TriCare Prime - have always used Standard so I could pick docs myself, now wondering if I made a good call. Any tips?? Thanks in advance!!
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Re: PCSing to Pax River in Jan 2011
Hi
My husband and I have been in Pax River for 3 years. I have had two high-risk pregnancies while here.
There are no high risk doctors around Pax River (the two local hospitals are St. Mary's Hospital and Calvert Memorial Hospital) and the closest MFM (and hospital with a NICU) is in Annapolis. All of my friends (and myself) who have needed high risk care have gone to Annapolis Maternal Fetal Medicine and seen Drs Sweeney, Spencer, and Weinbaum.
I HIGHLY recommend my OB/GYN - Dr. Michelle Johnson - for your OB care. She is wonderful, works very well with Dr. Sweeney (and that whole practice), and took great care of me both pregnancies. The only downside is that her offices are in Prince Frederick (40 minutes from Pax) and Dunkirk (an hour from Pax) and she delivers at Calvert which is the farther hospital of the two. If you want a more local doctor I have had friends see Dr. Polko and like her. Unfortunately, she doesn't have as good of a rapport with Dr. Sweeney's practice which can be frustrating. Dr. Shonekan also has a good reputation with my friends. Polko and Shonekan work out of Leonardtown and deliver at St. Mary's so are only about 15 minutes from Pax.
Please feel free to PM me if you want my email address for more details. Please page me on this board that you sent a PM so that I know to check. I very rarely check PMs.
Is your husband going to Test Pilot School? I know the January class is starting to arrive. My husband graduated in class 134.
I forgot to answer your first question... They make OB referrals pretty quickly at Pax and you can request your doctor. Almost everything at Pax is civi so they are used to making things happen quickly. It is small-town here so everything seems to happen sooner than in big areas like Norfolk where you "take a number".
That being said, I am on Standard for a number of reasons. OB care being #1. I didn't want to have to worry about the referral process between my OB/GYN and my MFM (which you might have to deal with being high risk). I had about 30 ultrasounds with my recent pregnancy, saw the MFM every other week and the OB every other week... My total cost (on Standard) was $25.
Thank you so, so much. I did send you a PM, but couldn't figure out how to page you through the board. Sorry, new at this thing.
Definitely given me some good things to think about re Standard vs Prime. Guess I'll have to see how Prime works over the next month or so, then think about switching back if it's a pain. Thanks again!