Find a new MD or just suck it up?

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

Let's say that you are seeing a doctor/practice that has mostly very good to excellent reviews. You have always been kind of meh about them, but until recently had only minor issues with them. Even now, you recognize that perhaps you are being too picky.

Do you look for a new provider and risk seeing someone much worse?

Do you just suck it up because the things that have led to your disenchantment are pretty much par for the course with medical care?

I hate to switch and then find out that other offices are even worse. There are some good points about this doctor/practice, but I definitely am not over the moon with satisfaction. They are very geographically convenient, mostly don't offer unsolicited advice (which is a huge plus for me), and don't mess up with billing/insurance.

Recently, I am in disagreement with how something is being handled, and I kind of want to switch to somewhere else.

WWYD?

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

And I am intentionally being a bit vague, so just go with the facts as presented.

libbyann · February 2012

I'd probably need to know more about the situation before saying for certain. Could you make an appointment with a pedi at another practice and see if you "click" with them any better?

august8080 · February 2012

I think there are way too many drs in this city (unless it's some crazy specialty) to spend another minute being unhappy. I'd definitely switch.

I would ALSO (because ultimately it will help them, if they choose to let it), talk to the office manager/nurse in charge and let them know why you're leaving. At my pediatric therapy practice, one of our biggest frustrations is when parents leave bc they're unhappy and we didn't know about it. We either want to be able to a)fix it, b) address it with the employee, c) make changes for the future or d) chalk it up to them being crazy (I kid.....sort of). But really, any good medical practice wants to improve patient satisfaction, so you'd be doing them a favor by politely airing your complaints.

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

libbyann:
I'd probably need to know more about the situation before saying for certain. Could you make an appointment with a pedi at another practice and see if you "click" with them any better?

I'm worried that if I "cheat" on our pedi that we won't be able to stay there if we figure out that somewhere else isn't any better. My kids have rarely been sick (only 3 sick visits between the two of them over the past 18 months), so I don't really have a good reason to take either of them to another place.

I recognize that my expectations are often too high, so there's that to consider.

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

august8080:
I think there are way too many drs in this city (unless it's some crazy specialty) to spend another minute being unhappy. I'd definitely switch.
I would ALSO (because ultimately it will help them, if they choose to let it), talk to the office manager/nurse in charge and let them know why you're leaving. At my pediatric therapy practice, one of our biggest frustrations is when parents leave bc they're unhappy and we didn't know about it. We either want to be able to a)fix it, b) address it with the employee, c) make changes for the future or d) chalk it up to them being crazy (I kid.....sort of). But really, any good medical practice wants to improve patient satisfaction, so you'd be doing them a favor by politely airing your complaints.

I know that I went through multiple dentists and ob gyns before finding places that I was mostly happy with, and I'm not sure I'm up to dragging my kids to a bunch of places in hopes of something better.

We are being pushed into an expensive consult that DH and I don't want to do. We don't think DD is going to cooperate, the cost is very high, and we don't think it is needed. But we also don't want to be labeled negligent parents, so we feel a bit stuck.

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

FWW, the consult appointment has been made and we do plan on taking DD. I'm also not happy about the phone tag that was played and how the conversation about this consult played out (5 plus calls where we talked through the receptionist and it played out like a game of Telephone/Gossip).

august8080 · February 2012

PrincessBrideSarah:
august8080:
I think there are way too many drs in this city (unless it's some crazy specialty) to spend another minute being unhappy. I'd definitely switch.
I would ALSO (because ultimately it will help them, if they choose to let it), talk to the office manager/nurse in charge and let them know why you're leaving. At my pediatric therapy practice, one of our biggest frustrations is when parents leave bc they're unhappy and we didn't know about it. We either want to be able to a)fix it, b) address it with the employee, c) make changes for the future or d) chalk it up to them being crazy (I kid.....sort of). But really, any good medical practice wants to improve patient satisfaction, so you'd be doing them a favor by politely airing your complaints.
I know that I went through multiple dentists and ob gyns before finding places that I was mostly happy with, and I'm not sure I'm up to dragging my kids to a bunch of places in hopes of something better.
We are being pushed into an expensive consult that DH and I don't want to do. We don't think DD is going to cooperate, the cost is very high, and we don't think it is needed. But we also don't want to be labeled negligent parents, so we feel a bit stuck.

Yeah, I know when it's your kids, that's harder, but I'd still look for another dr. Esp if it's a pedi---there are a million great ones in Austin. Unless y'all have plans to move out of this city, this is a relationship you're going to have for a long time.

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

[

Yeah, I know when it's your kids, that's harder, but I'd still look for another dr. Esp if it's a pedi---there are a million great ones in Austin. Unless y'all have plans to move out of this city, this is a relationship you're going to have for a long time.

Good points. I'm just tired of dealing with health care and know that it could take trying out multiple places before finding someone we are really happy with.

I've never really clicked with our pedi but until recently had no big complaints.

s-a-r-a-h · February 2012

I don't think it hurts to get a second opinion.

mlf625 · February 2012

I'd absolutely switch. You've got tons of options, so if this one isn't a good fit, find another. I put up with a less than stellar pedi when we first moved up here, for almost a year. I finally made the switch over a vaccination issue, and found a really great pedi that I feel 100x more comfortable with.

libbyann · February 2012

PrincessBrideSarah:
libbyann:
I'd probably need to know more about the situation before saying for certain. Could you make an appointment with a pedi at another practice and see if you "click" with them any better?
I'm worried that if I "cheat" on our pedi that we won't be able to stay there if we figure out that somewhere else isn't any better. My kids have rarely been sick (only 3 sick visits between the two of them over the past 18 months), so I don't really have a good reason to take either of them to another place.
I recognize that my expectations are often too high, so there's that to consider.

Why wouldn't you be able to stay? Because of you or the pedi? I don't think the pedi has to know if you get a second opinion, and in this case, I absolutely would. I would probably cancel the consult, give them your reasoning, and say you're going to seek out a second opinion before going forward. Unless it's an issue that is life/death threatening or something that needs to be taken care of ASAP, I don't see why pushing it back a month or so would hurt.

AustinAggie01 · February 2012

I agree with Libby. I'd cancel the consult and get a second opinion from another pedi. With my own DD, we've been to 3 different "specialty" places. Two are working together reasonably nicely and one got butthurt. So what? My DD, my intuition, my money. We have to be our children's #1 advocates. You aren't comfortable with how things are being handled, so look elsewhere. Good luck, Mama!

brideonjuly8 · February 2012

PrincessBrideSarah:
august8080:
I think there are way too many drs in this city (unless it's some crazy specialty) to spend another minute being unhappy. I'd definitely switch.
I would ALSO (because ultimately it will help them, if they choose to let it), talk to the office manager/nurse in charge and let them know why you're leaving. At my pediatric therapy practice, one of our biggest frustrations is when parents leave bc they're unhappy and we didn't know about it. We either want to be able to a)fix it, b) address it with the employee, c) make changes for the future or d) chalk it up to them being crazy (I kid.....sort of). But really, any good medical practice wants to improve patient satisfaction, so you'd be doing them a favor by politely airing your complaints.
I know that I went through multiple dentists and ob gyns before finding places that I was mostly happy with, and I'm not sure I'm up to dragging my kids to a bunch of places in hopes of something better.
We are being pushed into an expensive consult that DH and I don't want to do. We don't think DD is going to cooperate, the cost is very high, and we don't think it is needed. But we also don't want to be labeled negligent parents, so we feel a bit stuck.

There's nothing negligent with getting a second opinion. I would do that before I broke up with them for good.

carlinlp · February 2012

I'm a big believer in following your instincts. If you are unhappy with the pedi, a consult, etc., move on. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't move on from DS's old pedi when my instincts were telling me to and it could have very well cost him his life. Moms know what is best for their baby.

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

libbyann:
Why wouldn't you be able to stay? Because of you or the pedi? I don't think the pedi has to know if you get a second opinion, and in this case, I absolutely would. I would probably cancel the consult, give them your reasoning, and say you're going to seek out a second opinion before going forward. Unless it's an issue that is life/death threatening or something that needs to be taken care of ASAP, I don't see why pushing it back a month or so would hurt.

Fortunately the consult isn't until the end of the month, so I have time to seek out a second opinion from another pedi before that time.

My concern is being kicked out or fired from an office because I disagree with their recommendation. There are reasons to stay at our current practice (I didn't list all of the positive reasons above), but there are also things that have been less than stellar. I don't have a clear-cut feeling about what I should do.

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

Thanks for all of the input ladies! I'll be spending some time looking at reviews and trying to decide what to do.

I do think that I want an unbiased second opinion on this health issue.

I'm also not sure about leaving the current office because there are some good things about them. Like everything else in life, I don't think I'm going to find a perfect fit.

MrsNole · February 2012

I'd switch. If anything don't 'ditch' your other place, just go for a second opinion then decide if the new place is a fit.

Want a personalized experience?

Find a new MD or just suck it up?

Re: Find a new MD or just suck it up?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards