Look for a board certified Internist.

Frankly, I don't have a family doctor. Most of them are nothing more than gateway doctors whose purpose is defined by HMOs - to keep you away from specialists.
I go directly to specialists. My medical insurance does not demand permission from a family dovtor to see one.
I have my cardiologist and rheumatologist. When I had a problem with acid stomach...I went to a gastroenterologist. A rash (which we now think was from Plaquenil)...I went to a dermatologist.

I've certainly been to my share of cr*ppy doctors. The specialists were just as bad... a endocrinologist, a neurologist and a rheumatologist all missed my Hashimoto's disease because they didn't do the right test. I've been to many GP's who also missed it despite a long list of symptoms all pointing to thyroid problems!

I have a pretty good doctor now (although it is quite a drive to see her), but she will run most tests that I ask for and she'll experiment with meds if I ask her to.

Thankfully we have really good insurance through my DH's work, so co-pays are low as well as most prescriptions. I can see whoever I want (as long as they are a provider for my insurance) without getting referrals.

I see my doc when I need to ... which, so far, has been seldom ...

... we don't talk money.

If I need a physical more than once a year, I expect that we do, then.

If I need letters, there's a fee for that.

I pay for lab tests relative to incipient prostate issues (family history) ... usually $20. - $40.00 ... annually, so far.

No fees for family doc., optometrist, surgeon or hosp. relative to two cataract surgeries last summer - about $50.00 for eye drops.

Relative to some recent swelling of lower legs and feet, no fee for a couple of doc visits, and paid under $50.00 for some prescriptions: antibiotics for possible infection, then some to reduce water.

I have a recently initiated assessment system, addition to my provincial income tax, about $450. - 600.00/year, depending on income level for support of health care. Some provinces have none.

We also hear complaints that some people feel that a number of docs are milking the system by calling patients in unnecesarily.

However - unless the payer can prove impropriety or fraud on the part of the doc ... the single-payer system pays. None of this arguing on the part of the insurer as to whether they cover or not - for required services.

Face-lifts, tumm-tucks ... different story!

ole joyful

i have 2 drs right now, an oncolcogist and kidney...so if i have a cold or anything else it's pretty much i'm on my own... if i called the oncologist i'd be referred to er...my reg scheduled appts, IF i'm lucky, a 2pm appt i saw him at 8pm...the kidney dr has good appt times but know one thing.

on the other hand dh has a excellent gp, part of a group of drs.

we do have bc/bs, and have a co-pay for office visits (this year they're $40)

My oncologist is great. I've gone through her for many things. She even sent me for my sleep study a few years back. My GP guy drives me crazy, but there aren't lot of choices. I have to be really sick before I call him.

I have an HMO and have been really happy with the care by my internist and the specialists I have seen.
But I think part of the reason is because I was an RN in the community for 35+ years and because I am very vocal about my concerns.

I am very happy with my internist here. She is young (about 35) and very knowledgeable.

I'm confused about the bills you're being asked to pay. As far as your GYN, I know that he might have billed the insurance company for that amount but he was required by law to accept the amount paid by the insurance company without passing the difference on to the patient.

You might have a deductible to pay before your insurance starts paying and maybe you have a co-pay, but you're saying you paid $292 out of packet to your GYN and you have insurance? And you paid $394 to treat your burns?

What state do you live in?

We've been with Kaiser (Nor Cal) for twenty-five years now, and I have rarely been unhappy. I do like the umbrella effect, as I call it, meaning all docs have immediate access to your records and labs, etc. are in-house. I've never had a problem changing docs if I'm unhappy, though that has only happened once or twice. Three kiddies almost grown, acl surgery for dd1, tummy surgery for dh, and cyst removal surgery for me, over the years. My mother is in Oregon and has been treated very well by Kaiser, including valve replacement and double by-pass at age 86, which has served her well. Only co-pay and rx co-pay to contend with. I sound as if I have a business connection to Kaiser, but I do not; just a happy customer.

I'm very happy with my GP. He is very easy to talk to, and is excellent at making referrals. He knows how to get things done, because any time we have had to be referred to a specialist, we have gotten in very quickly, even though the thought is that in Canada you wait months to see a specialist. My daughter and I each got in to see our respective specialists the week after being referred, and my husband got in to see his back doctor pretty quickly too. As far as his own skills, he diagnosed my DH with thalassemia very quickly, and when I read up on it, I read that a lot of people have it for years before their physician figures out what's wrong.

OJ, do you not have a doctor shortage there? We have one here in our side of southern Ontario, and there is no way the doctors would be looking for business. They're all booked up weeks in advance.

Did you know that there have been Provincial health initiatives, where the Province wants to promote certain screening tests, like pap smears for example? With their initiatives, they are directing doctors to send out letters to their patients advising them to book appointments for certain tests and procedures. My doctor told me all about it. I see how it can look like they're just calling patients in unnecessarily, because the letter I received suggesting a certain test did not indicate that it was Provincially driven. But it's a pro-active protocol that is relatively new.

My doctor never charges me for forms or notes either.

I'm not especially "happy" with my health care provider, but I'm not "unhappy" either. I just try not to go other than to get my migraine meds refilled once a year. Mine is a young local girl, a DO and fairly fresh out of med school. Our office visit copay is $25, I think.

We are somewhat limited to who we can see based on the insurance company's almighty "list" -- unless, of course, we want to pay hundreds of dollars more.

As for the healthcare system overall, I think it is badly broken. And I hate our insurance company with a passion.

We would never, ever, have insurance that insisted on a referral from a GP before being allowed to see a specialist.

We used to have a great family doctor, but he changed the way he runs his practice -- he no longer accepts insurance. He works on a "concierge" system. You have to pay him some outrageous amount of money (something like $7,000) per year as a "retainer." Then, whenever you need to be seen you can have as much time with him as you want, and it's charged against that $7,000. But, at the end of the year if you haven't used up $7,000 worth of "services," you're out the leftover amount of money.

No, thanks.

So, I have my cardiologist, dermatologist, ear/nose/throat, etc., specialists; but when I need to be seen for something "simple" or when the appropriate specialist doesn't have an appointment available soon enough to suit me, I just go to one of the walk-in med clinics. The one we go to is open 7 days a week, and it's open until 8:00 p.m., so I don't even have to take time off work. And the doctors there are fabulous. And it only costs me $20. Very worth it to me.

I would rather not have an HMO but it is the most affordable option for us.

Mona, I, basically, don't have insurance. I pay $487.00 a month for a "catastrophic" policy. After a $5,000.00 deductible, they only pay 50%. So I pay everything out of pocket. I've been trying for two years to find something more reasonable. No one else will insure me because of a myriad of pre-existing conditions.

Ang, I'd be putting that $487 in the bank, and paying as you go for your medical care. 5000K deductible and only 50%..might as well not have insurance..and I find it interesting that "Cash" isn't giving you a better rate. Some offices will negotiate a reduction for cash.

I don't have a doctor. The few times I've needed medical attention, there is a doctor that opens in the evenings only.
It is for people with no insurance, cash only, and I go to him. Fortunately haven't had anything horribly bad that didn't heal with time.

I love my current doctor, which I'm happy about because I just switched insurance and had to leave my other doctor, whom I also really liked. I'm back with Group Health, and I've generally had good luck with them. Also, if I'm unhappy with my doctor for any reason, I can see one of the other hundreds that work there. I don't need referrels for specialists either and I really like that my policy covers things like accupuncture and naturopaths if I want to use them.

I've been with the same doc for almost 18 years and I would hate to have to switch to another. If I call last minute, either he squeezes me in, or I see his partner who is equally great. I worked for a multi doc practice for a few years and I was disgusted at some of what I saw. It was all about the money with them. None of these docs would "go the extra mile" for the patients. There was no come into my office today, I'll see you tomorrow, etc. This company had a contract with a walk in clinic down the street and the knee jerk reaction of all the receptionists and doctors was " go to the clinic." This clinic was very busy and between the emergencies was alot of primary care things...med refills that could have been done over the phone, routine bloodwork,blood pressure checks, etc. One doc actually had the gall to send a patient that was in his office to the clinic to be evaluated for abdominal pain! His excuse...I'm too busy today to order the bloodwork and xrays! Then if a patient was severe enough that they had to go to the ER, the pcp would call and yell at the clinic docs because they would have to round on the patient at the local hospital! It was a real eye opener. Alot of the patients would say that they felt the clinic docs were their pcps. In 18 years, my doc had given me 1 outside referral and that was for surgery. Sorry for the rant but I was happy to get out of that job and am forever grateful to my doc for the wonderful job that he does.

Hi Susan,

I'm pleased that you feel that your doc diagnosed your husband's rather rare - and elusive - trouble well, and that you areimpressed with his service, overall.

I was fortunate to find the doc whose patient (amend that to "client", mainly, I think, for until recently I've only seen him for what's supposed to be an "annual" check-up, but often was more like "biennial") I now am, after the one that treated me (occasionally) for about 30 years retired.

As we have an acute shortage of doctors - nurses, too ... many of them get their (expensve) training ... then run off to the States. But - who are we to complain ... we raid the poorer third world countries for their skilled people. Depends whose ox is being gored, I guess.

My reference to unnecessary treatment was that there's talk of doctors calling patients back for another office visit as they are leaving today's consultation, when some consider that there's not really a need ... largely so the doc can bill OHIP for one more consultation.

Haven't yet been asked for a pap smear - don't expect to be.

ole joyful

angelaid, have you spoken directly with your doctors and asked if they'd be willing to accept a payment from you in the amount (or something close to it) that an insurance company would reimburse them for the procedure? He might be willing to work with you on the charges. It wouldn't hurt to ask. But speak with him and not the office staff.