Schedule in July...LOL And people want Medicare for all. Just wait if you think wait time is long now and the upcoming shortage of doctors that will result. Crazy. If you want quick and efficient appointments you will have to pay a premium. (Concierge service) JMHO. There is a reason why Villages Health dropped basic Medicare. Just saying

You may want to get your own personal physician.

I use the University of Fl. for Dental in Gainsville. For orthopedic I use the UF office on 10435 SE 107 Pl Summerville 352-233 4393. Heart valve repair we use Dr. Arias (UF) in Orlando, for lung problems we use Dr Haim in Orlando. He is not with the UF but was recommended by the UF. He's outstanding. The Villages won't accept our ins. and it's just as well. If I don't like a Dr. I'm free to go to specialists I want and not one they want me to use. I also will not wait for over an hr. for any Dr. plus with the UF if they feel it necessary they send you to another specialist and don't run you around in circles just to rape your ins. I have no faith in the Drs. around here. As far as a GP I really can't recommend one here. If I have a problem I make an appt. with the UF. I have horror stories to tell about the Drs. around here. The UF is a bit of a drive but well worth the expertise you get.

For Cancer I use Moffitt in Tampa. I can't say enough good things about them. We had a Dr. in this area that told my husband he had stage 3 cancer and had a yr and a half to live with his treatment. This was all from one xray. ???? You can't diagnose ca with only 1 xray!!!! I made an appt with Moffitt. He went to them for 2 yrs and finally after turning him inside out they told him he never had cancer and released him. That was over 3 yrs ago. I now research everything they say, every med he takes and every Dr we go to. Do your homework!!! Trust NO ONE!

Be thankful you are not the one causing the delay. If you can't wait leave that will make the people after you get to see the doctor sooner. If it was the other way around and you needed the doctors attention I guess it would be a totally different story. Be glad your not.

As a nurse who has worked in several Dr. offices, I would first ask if you like and trust the Dr. If so, take a book and schedule accordingly. It does help to be the first patient of the day. If you don't like the Dr. or the way the office is run, fire them and then tell them why. They can't fix something that they don't know about. Each day has it's challenges, be it surgeries, patients with many problems to discuss, comforting a patient who has just received an upsetting diagnosis.... The list goes on and on. You may be the next person that the Dr. needs to spend extra time with. This also applies to waiting for the Dr. (nurse) to return your call. Please remember to ask all of your questions when you first call so the nurse can get all the answers the first time she/he discusses your situation with the Dr. You may want to write out your questions before calling so you don't forget to include all pertinent information. Good luck!

Ohiobuckeye
 

Well, we have a very good Dr. but we've been out of town for a couple of months & when we got back we've called his office to get an appointment for the 5th time & so far no one in his office has pick up the phone & we had to listen to a recorded message to leave a short message, IT'S NEVER BEEN ANSWERED, YET! You would think the TV hospital would have a heart unit to do surgeries, but if you have a heart attack or something worse, the only thing they can do is stabilize you & send you to another hospital. I know because I went to TV hospital for a very non life threatening heart issue, they didn't treat my issue & I was charged $3, 600. & when the CEO was approached by us she agree that I was treated like I should of been, so she tore up my bill. Don't take me wrong I'm sure they treat other things very well & are a very good hospital. Yes, they wanted me to pay cash for their $3,600. non treatment, no INS. would be accepted. Sorry just my opinion!

I have not experienced any problems yet.
I am wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a good board certified Dermatologist

I am a retired RN from up north. I worked for a very busy doctor who was also the head of a huge department within a University Hospital. His office was in the hospital itself. He told his staff that his patients' time was just as important as his own and that if his patients had to wait more than 15 minutes, we were to step into the waiting room and explain the delay. If he was called to the floor or to the ER for one of his patients, we were to give the waiting patients an option of waiting or rescheduling. He asked his secretaries to put those patients who were rescheduling in, even if it meant we stayed late or came in early to accommodate them. The issue I have here in Florida is that the patients are left to sit without any explanation. I would think that a good office manager would say something to those waiting to explain the delay, i.e. "Doctor was held up with a very sick patient and we're running 15 (20, 30) minutes late". Patients should always be given the option of rescheduling if they have other obligations. If we were the sick patient, we would expect our doctor's attention as well.

Dr. Andrew Conti-Primary care physician-one of the best!

I’m sorry you can’t use the Viiages Health Care because of your insurance because that’s what I have and I never wait more than about 5 minutes. If you can change your insurance that’s what I’d recommend. Otherwise other advice you’ve gotten about leaving is pretty good. There are no easy answers to your dilemma.

Don't see any answers--are they any?

Part of the problem here is finding and retaining good front office and nursing staff. I recently left a long term doctor I liked because of overbooking, long wait times. and errors with billing, scheduling, prescriptions, etc. The office had only recently digitized their records and added an online patient portal but none of the staff knew how to use it. There was a lot of turnover. The phones rang busy or went to voice mail. It just became too much of a chore.

On the other hand, my dentist has really helpful, pleasant and efficient staff and assistants. Maybe she pays better, who knows

I have two doctors with Florida Heart and Vascular, plus have my blood work done there and never wait more than 5 minutes.

Doctors
 

OK Doctors? There is a very big money pit here, so docs and others are in for that, Big Time. So, what we do, if they have the long waite time, we simply leave. If they then call us at home, we tell them to learn to meet on time or nearly so.
People of the villages, put up with it, so we are stuck with this bad habit. One doc office was late, very late commonly. We left, stopped at Perkins for breakfast and there he was with friends, just having a great time.

:bigbow: