[Michael G.]

Originally Posted by PugMom

& as for Mayo, they do not accept Medicare. we tried, & ended up paying out of pocket

Another T of TV rumor...........

Does Mayo Clinic accept Medicare?
Yes, Mayo Clinic is a participating Medicare facility in Arizona, in Florida, in Rochester, Minn. and at all Mayo Clinic Health System locations.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by jswirs

For the most part I have had unprofessional and uncaring services provided by health care "professionals" here. This includes dentist, PCP, and urologist. So now I am my own PCP, along with my wife and Dr. Google. Yes, I know, some information on Google can be wrong, but I have found one needs to review MANY articles on Google before reaching a conclusion. And so far, I KNOW I am better off consulting Dr. Google. Other than providing a prescription for blood pressure meds and yearly blood test, I don't need any "Medical Doctors".

Do you use books or YouTube when you do your own surgery?

[jswirs]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

Do you use books or YouTube when you do your own surgery?

U Tube. (Take that!)

[Sunflower33]

I wouldn’t give a dime for the villages health care system. My husband has cancer and we need the best and that is doctors outside of the villages. I have friends with health problems and have still not come up with a medical solution for there problem and it’s been over 2 years. I used them when I first got here but when they would only take advantage insurance and I didn’t have that they refused to treat us. They did both of us a great favor. We have great doctors now if them are village health care. Just FYI.

Originally Posted by Gpsma

Perhaps, TimeForChange, follow your name

[Spike380]

Originally Posted by timeforchange

have lived in tv for over ten years. In that time we have used four different primary care physicians. In those ten years my wife has been mis-diagnosed twice. The first by a rather popular dermatologist. This dr. Totally missed a cancer in the corner of her eye on the skin. The dr. Blew it off as nothing. If not for usf health care in tampa she could have lost an eye. After the cancer was removed in tampa her entire eyelid had to be rebuilt with a great plastic surgeon. That was two years ago. In june of this year we thought we had found a good primary care at one of the largest medical groups in tv. We had been going to this dr. For a year. My wife mentioned to him an issue on one of her breast. He first prescribed a topical cream and in the next two visits another cream and then an antibiotic. My wife took it upon herself to get a biopsy at usf tampa after her dr. At moffitt recommended she do so. As it turns out it was breast cancer and we have due to the tv dr's missed diagnosis,
failure to review her past medical history and failure to request an immediate biopsy now delayed a mastectomy that will .be required asap. My advice is do not totally trust your local pc anywhere. If you have and issue medically that will not go away then go out of tv and the area and get an expert opinion or a second opinion. I am sure there are some good dr's in tv but still i would go to a major clinic and get an opinion. There are 1200 people a day moving to fl. There are no where near enough great dr's in the area.

when moving here it is a challenge to find the right doctor.
My husband got into a huge group, and in 10 years he had 9 different drs--either the quit mid-appointment, ran away with a co-worker, and termination of drs and office staff. I begged him to leave but he felt he should stay. Finally gave in after realizing they did nothing for him, and left. He now has a very caring cardiologist; internist; and pain dr. Beyond pleased with them all. Sometimes you just have to keep looking and yes, always get a quality second opinion.

[Jhrath7@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by TimeForChange

Have lived in TV for over ten years. In that time we have used four different primary care physicians. In those ten years my wife has been mis-diagnosed twice. The first by a rather popular dermatologist. This Dr. totally missed a cancer in the corner of her eye on the skin. The Dr. blew it off as nothing. If not for USF Health Care in Tampa she could have lost an eye. After the cancer was removed in Tampa her entire eyelid had to be rebuilt with a great plastic surgeon. That was two years ago. In June of this year we thought we had found a good primary care at one of the largest medical groups in TV. We had been going to this Dr. for a year. My wife mentioned to him an issue on one of her breast. He first prescribed a topical cream and in the next two visits another cream and then an antibiotic. My wife took it upon herself to get a biopsy at USF Tampa after her Dr. at Moffitt recommended she do so. As it turns out it was breast cancer and we have due to the TV Dr's missed diagnosis,
failure to review her past medical history and failure to request an immediate biopsy now delayed a mastectomy that will .be required ASAP. My advice is do not totally trust your local PC anywhere. If you have and issue medically that will not go away then go out of TV and the area and get an expert opinion or a second opinion. I am sure there are some good Dr's in TV but still I would go to a major clinic and get an opinion. There are 1200 people a day moving to FL. There are no where near enough great Dr's in the area.

You have to be yo9ur own advocate these days…..second opinion!

[Michael G.]

If you find your ideal doctor, don't get to complacent with your find because it could change over night
for reasons mention above.

I drove medical van transporting our veterans, and the biggest problem with government funded hospitals and clinics.
While in medical school, the students get government loans, and the government says they have to do a 2-year internship in a VA hospital.

After the two years are up, all the good doctors leave and go on their own.

That might be the case with our own VA clinic.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by TimeForChange

Have lived in TV for over ten years. In that time we have used four different primary care physicians. In those ten years my wife has been mis-diagnosed twice. The first by a rather popular dermatologist. This Dr. totally missed a cancer in the corner of her eye on the skin. The Dr. blew it off as nothing. If not for USF Health Care in Tampa she could have lost an eye. After the cancer was removed in Tampa her entire eyelid had to be rebuilt with a great plastic surgeon. That was two years ago. In June of this year we thought we had found a good primary care at one of the largest medical groups in TV. We had been going to this Dr. for a year. My wife mentioned to him an issue on one of her breast. He first prescribed a topical cream and in the next two visits another cream and then an antibiotic. My wife took it upon herself to get a biopsy at USF Tampa after her Dr. at Moffitt recommended she do so. As it turns out it was breast cancer and we have due to the TV Dr's missed diagnosis,
failure to review her past medical history and failure to request an immediate biopsy now delayed a mastectomy that will .be required ASAP. My advice is do not totally trust your local PC anywhere. If you have and issue medically that will not go away then go out of TV and the area and get an expert opinion or a second opinion. I am sure there are some good Dr's in TV but still I would go to a major clinic and get an opinion. There are 1200 people a day moving to FL. There are no where near enough great Dr's in the area.

I am so sorry for what your wife has had to go through and hope things go well for her in moving forward.

What bothers me is that with her horrible experiences you have not named the doctors who have not diagnosed her correctly. To my way of thinking you are giving these same doctors the opportunity to misdiagnose others, thereby putting others in harm's way and for them to possibly have an even worse medical problem than your wife had.

Conversely, it would be great to know who the plastic surgeon is that did such a terrific job in repairing her eye.

You actually are doing others a disservice and not doing anyone a favor by protecting these doctors by not saying who they are.

[Gulfcoast]

I don't think that too many people opt to move to The Villages for the fabulous healthcare. They move to TV to be active, socially engaged and to enjoy a good quality of life in retirement. Leading an active, healthy, happy lifestyle makes people less prone to illness. Of course, illness can happen no matter where you live and no matter how happy and active you are. The older you get, the more likely it is that you will develop health issues that require a certain level of medical diligence and competence to treat effectively.

But, again, few people move to The Villages for the healthcare and, in TV, there seems to be a rather significant supply/demand issue. I was looking around at the various medical center websites and I was noticing that many doctors are not taking new patients. It may very well be necessary to look outside The Villages just to find a primary care doctor which is sort of crazy.

My husband and I are in our mid to late 50's and pretty healthy. We would definitely be moving to The Villages for the active lifestyle and overall quality of life. We have never chosen to live anywhere based on the quality of healthcare services. The town we live in now has adequate providers, I wouldn't call them "the best" but we really don't have any reason to need top notch medical care right now. An annual physical is fine.

However, it does give me pause to hear the concerns being raised regarding the medical care (or lack thereof) in The Villages. I am not too keen on the idea of having to drive long distances just to get treated by a qualified specialist, especially when we're older. At the same time, I can't see moving close to The Mayo Clinic "just in case" we might get sick some day. Lifestyle is definitely our number one consideration at this stage of our lives. I appreciate you all sharing your stories. You've given me some things to think about. One would think that a large community like The Villages would attract more in the way of healthcare providers.

[Inexes@aol.com]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Wow sad that they would lie about the appt.

Do you ever read the notes after a doctor visit. I read all mine, and I cannot believe the things they print out that supposedly occurred at the visit. For instance, abdomen soft,, non-tender. Never touched abdomen. No Carotid bruit, never checked carotids. And on and on.... I am an RN..... I know what they checked and didn't check.... it is unbelievable what they document. And the list of diagnoses is never correct, ie, DM... I am not diabetic, HTN, I never had high BP and never medicated for same. My spouse's reports are the same. One doc had noted in the H & P (pt history) that my husband has 5-9 drinks of alcohol daily..... NEVER in 40 years have I seen my spouse have more than 1 cocktail before dinner.... it's deplorable.....and this is not only in TV....

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Inexes@aol.com

Do you ever read the notes after a doctor visit. I read all mine, and I cannot believe the things they print out that supposedly occurred at the visit. For instance, abdomen soft,, non-tender. Never touched abdomen. No Carotid bruit, never checked carotids. And on and on.... I am an RN..... I know what they checked and didn't check.... it is unbelievable what they document. And the list of diagnoses is never correct, ie, DM... I am not diabetic, HTN, I never had high BP and never medicated for same. My spouse's reports are the same. One doc had noted in the H & P (pt history) that my husband has 5-9 drinks of alcohol daily..... NEVER in 40 years have I seen my spouse have more than 1 cocktail before dinner.... it's deplorable.....and this is not only in TV....

Is this so insurance or medicare would pay them more?

I have noticed some odd things in mine as well.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Inexes@aol.com

Do you ever read the notes after a doctor visit. I read all mine, and I cannot believe the things they print out that supposedly occurred at the visit. For instance, abdomen soft,, non-tender. Never touched abdomen. No Carotid bruit, never checked carotids. And on and on.... I am an RN..... I know what they checked and didn't check.... it is unbelievable what they document. And the list of diagnoses is never correct, ie, DM... I am not diabetic, HTN, I never had high BP and never medicated for same. My spouse's reports are the same. One doc had noted in the H & P (pt history) that my husband has 5-9 drinks of alcohol daily..... NEVER in 40 years have I seen my spouse have more than 1 cocktail before dinner.... it's deplorable.....and this is not only in TV....

Falsifying medical records? Fraud? Reported to authorities/ state medical board for review? Insurance go up thanks to false records. Sounds like some of your doctors deserve to lose their licenses.

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by Aces4

I would like to tell you it only happens in The Villages but it happens everywhere. Four people in our family, including in-laws, have not been correctly diagnosed with cancer even though they were screened through annual tests or specific office visit to assess a medical problem. There are these nightmare stories everywhere.

i find that unacceptable, under any conditions. i can't imagine the grief the family felt knowing this was the case. how terrible

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by Reeds

Be careful with Cleveland Healthcare. This is our PC office and we are looking elsewhere. The office is run horribly. They NEVER answer the phone and they NEVER call you back when you leave a voicemail! I even submitted an appointment request via the patient portal (since it seems preferable to them) over a week ago. Still haven't heard back from anyone. Good luck!

I'm beginning to think that not returning calls is status quo for just about every medical service in or near TV. I like my dental service a lot but leaving a VM and asking them to call me back MAY result in a callback in maybe three days. Ocala Eye offers adequate ophthalmological services but again, contacting them or asking for a callback can be a pain. Only exception to that is Dr. Trevasani (oral surgeon). They're very good at contacting and returning calls; the whole operation, Dr. Trevasani included, seems to be running on fast forward and they all seem to know their jobs. Had a tooth extracted there a couple of weeks ago and I was in the chair, Novocain to tooth lying in a dish, no more than maybe five minutes.

I can take the contact frustration. My beef is when the actual service is compromised. Example: at my physical last year the tech. transposed my weight when he put it in my record (put 147 lbs. instead of 174) then claimed that once in the system it cannot be changed. Three times now in three contacts with my primary physician there has been a glitch in my prescriptions. The first two took a couple of weeks to straighten out and I ended up doing most of the work. The third--well, it never was solved but I have enough meds to last until I see the new guy at Cleveland health so I'm not going to fight that fight again.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

I'm beginning to think that not returning calls is status quo for just about every medical service in or near TV.

It's become a universal problem... My wife tried to talk to her doctor for two weeks here in DC...

In my practice, we make it policy to return all phone calls within 24 hrs...

Why other practices can't do that is beyond my comprehension...