Would this make you change pediatricians?

MSUMands · November 2013

I picked my pediatrician because she had a great reviews online and is VERY close to our home (we had just moved so didn't have any references).

I've always felt luke warm about her, she's adequate but I wouldn't necessarily recommend her.

Yesterday, we had a bad experience at his one year wellness visit. The new nurse (we hadn't seen her there before) asked us to strip down our baby. It was a chilly 39 degrees outside, and the room was quite cold. He sat there in his diaper for 18 minutes while the nurse asked us questions such as "What are your first names? What city do you live in?" and then more relevant questions, about my little guy's habits and patterns. I was irritated to say the least... his feet were turning blue.

Then, our doctor for the past year walks in and calls him by a name that is close to him, but isn't his name.

Am I overreacting? Is this enough reason to change pediatricians? I am currently pregnant, and the closeness of the pediatrician is very attractive. The next closest one I would consider going to is about 25 minutes away. There is also a $150 charge for them releasing our files to another doctor, if that would influence your decision at all.

JENandJEH · November 2013

If you don't care for her (you said you wouldn't recommend her) then I would switch.

As for the issues mentioned, I always carry a blanket with us to doctors appointments because I know they ask me to strip him down right away to do weight/height and then we have to wait for the doc. If he's got an easy shirt to slip back on, I usually just slip it back on if it's chilly until the doc comes in. You could have simply said, "I'm sorry for interrupting, but could I re-dress him while you're asking these questions? It's a bit chilly for him." As long as she had done height/weight, I doubt she would have said no.

And unless you've been in and out of the office frequently over the past year, I wouldn't expect the doctor to remember my child's name without looking at the chart. They see tons of patients daily and if your child has been healthy and only in the office for well visits, they probably aren't a patient that stands out in their memory. DS2 has had a few issues that have meant we worked closely with his doc numerous times so she does know him and his brother and will speak to us when we see her around town. I think you're overreacting but if you don't really care for them to begin with, it's easy to find fault in little things.

Is there another doctor in the practice you're going to now? Do they have the option for nurse practitioners instead of a doctor? Both of my boys go to a practice that is mainly nurse practitioners with 2 pediatricians leading "teams" so if there is a bigger issue, they can consult.

dufferoo · November 2013

I wouldn't switch doctors over these issues alone. If it was the first really cold day of the season, the nurse who asked you the questions might not have realized just how chilly your son was. If his feet were literally turning blue, you definitely should have spoken up and covered him up! And regarding the doctor not calling him by the right name, that's more of an awkward flub than a true sin. I would guess that 90% of your doctors, dentists, hairdressers, etc. don't really know you by name unless they look at your file right before seeing you. I wouldn't take offense at that. Not everyone is great with names. No biggie. EDIT: switching to a doctor 25 minutes away would be majorly inconvenient though not un-doable. And charging $150 to release files is indeed shady,

mb314 · November 2013

JENandJEH said:

If you don't care for her (you said you wouldn't recommend her) then I would switch.

As for the issues mentioned, I always carry a blanket with us to doctors appointments because I know they ask me to strip him down right away to do weight/height and then we have to wait for the doc. If he's got an easy shirt to slip back on, I usually just slip it back on if it's chilly until the doc comes in. You could have simply said, "I'm sorry for interrupting, but could I re-dress him while you're asking these questions? It's a bit chilly for him." As long as she had done height/weight, I doubt she would have said no.

And unless you've been in and out of the office frequently over the past year, I wouldn't expect the doctor to remember my child's name without looking at the chart. They see tons of patients daily and if your child has been healthy and only in the office for well visits, they probably aren't a patient that stands out in their memory. DS2 has had a few issues that have meant we worked closely with his doc numerous times so she does know him and his brother and will speak to us when we see her around town. I think you're overreacting but if you don't really care for them to begin with, it's easy to find fault in little things.

Is there another doctor in the practice you're going to now? Do they have the option for nurse practitioners instead of a doctor? Both of my boys go to a practice that is mainly nurse practitioners with 2 pediatricians leading "teams" so if there is a bigger issue, they can consult.

This exactly.

singingirl96 · November 2013

JENandJEH said:

I always carry a blanket with us to doctors appointments because I know they ask me to strip him down right away to do weight/height and then we have to wait for the doc.

This.

I think you're overreacting. You were unprepared. This is how it is at all pediatrician appointments.

capulet · November 2013

I wouldn't change over the things you mentioned. I don't expect our pediatrician to remember our kids' names; she sees hundreds of patients every year, I'm sure. And I would probably have asked at some point if I could keep my LO covered up while the nurse was asking questions, or just done it. And probably grumped about it later. I'm too lazy to go that far away for another pedi over minor issues.

But the charge for transferring records seem ludicrous. I have never been asked to pay what seemed an unreasonable amount for releasing records (although for some reason the records departments at our former pediatricians' offices - we move a lot - have been bad at actually doing it), so I haven't had to deal with it myself, but I did a quick google and apparently most states have laws about how much doctors can charge to copy records, so check to make sure what they're charging is even legal.

melody921 · November 2013

singingirl96 said:

JENandJEH said:

I always carry a blanket with us to doctors appointments because I know they ask me to strip him down right away to do weight/height and then we have to wait for the doc.
This.

I think you're overreacting. You were unprepared. This is how it is at all pediatrician appointments.

Yep, all sound standard. We've waited way longer than 18 minutes too.

mexicolombiana · November 2013

Yep I agree w/overreacting. If my kid is stripped down and getting cold I also don't just let him sit there while his feet turn blue??? I would have picked him up and dressed him again and just undressed him when the nurse/doctor came back in. I don't get this part. Why would you just leave him sitting there freezing? Why didn't you pick him up and wrap him up in something?

I feel like I'm missing something.

fanofanne · November 2013

theresat858 said:

It sounds like you do not feel comfortable with the office, which is reason enough to switch. But I think the undressing is standard practice -- you could have asked to put his clothes back on or asked for a blanket if you were concerned that LO was cold.

I think it's illegal to charge more than the cost of copying to transfer your records.

i agree...just on the feeling alone i'd switch...even if they did everything by the book and i still didn't feel comfortable there i'd probably look for a new dr. and i also heard that it was illegal to charge for records as they are YOUR records...but i'm positive.

shannm · November 2013

I wouldn't switch over the cold room, that is normal. I bring a blanket to wrap LO in while we wait. But if you don't like the doc, switch.

kateraid · November 2013

I would be super annoyed that she asked to undress your LO so early but I wouldn't have let him sit there cold either. You have to speak up for him. If you think he's cold put clothes on him and let her know to ask next time when she's ready for him. I wouldn't switch doctors over it or the name slip.

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