Quote:
Originally Posted by casita37
Forgive me, but......
Something else that may be a concern....is to me...I went to a family doctor here in TV not too long after we arrived. I had not been to a doctor in several years, so it was time for all the tests, exam, etc. I saw the doctor for about 5 minutes, he ordered all the tests, then everytime I go back for results, I see the PA. On 2 occasions, the PA has suggested a treatment (nothing serious), and when I questioned him, he had to go find the doctor and ask him. Both times, the doctor changed the treatment plan. My point being, if I had just done what the PA suggested, it would have been wrong. Or maybe it would have been right, and the doctor was wrong. Either way, it makes me a bit uncomfortable.
And I [COLOR="rgb(245, 222, 179)"]have never even MET my gynocologist!! Nurse practitioner handles it all, including biopsies.[/COLOR] I met my dermatologist once, when he was removing a spot. Exams all done by someone other than the doctor. BTW, I don't feel real confident about that, either.
I am hoping to get in on the new Villages Health Care program.
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The scenarios you describe above are going to be more and more common as more and more people are being added to Medicare and Medicaid, with the shortage of primary care and family practice doctors that already exists before these large additions of patients having new, public insurance coverage. For example, California is working on legislating that:
"Pharmacists and optometrists could act as primary care providers, diagnosing and managing some chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and high-blood pressure...."
Amongst other big concerns, this certainly makes me wonder how the endocrinologist, for example, will be viewed as needed or not, and whether they will be trained and paid in the future.
Facing doctor shortage, lawmakers want to redefine healthcare roles - latimes.com