Originally Posted by Hopeful2 (Post 1506514)

I write this, only to let others know what they might be facing, should they choose to use The Villages Health Care:

I have an excellent Blue Cross/Blue Shield policy which allows me to go just about anywhere for medical services. When I moved here several years ago, I began seeing a wonderful doctor at The Villages Health Care. Fortunately, I have been blessed with good health and have only needed to see my doctor for semi-annual check-ups. Recently, I needed to postpone my 6 month check-up, due to a family emergency. (I called and canceled my appointment 4 days prior.) When I asked for a new appointment date, I was told that the doctor has no openings for 7 months!!! While I fully expected that I might need to wait a few weeks for another appointment date, I find a 7 month wait to be outrageous and unacceptable for an established patient. Needless to say, I have found another doctor ...not in The Villages Health Care.

Originally Posted by rustyp (Post 1506542)

The Villages Healthcare does not accept BCBS unless you are under 65 and not on Medicare. Are you ? Otherwise you maybe using the term Villages Healthcare to mean any medical facility inside The Villages. By the way if you are a member of The Villages Healthcare you would never wait 7 months for an appointment. If you are sick they will jump through hoops to get you in that same day. Your story does not compute with my experience.

Originally Posted by NotGolfer (Post 1506552)

We've been with The Villages Health-care system since it began about 5 or 6 yrs ago and never have had a problem. We've always been seen the same day, if we needed an app't because we were sick. IF not with our primary, with another that's equally as good!

Are you under 65 with your BCBS? They don't take that ins. unless you are but I've never heard of them making folks wait months to be seen!

Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 1506570)

It's good to see every responder setting the record straight. Probably the only doctors with a 7 month wait are dermatologists in Beverly Hills! You can be seen at TVH the same day if you are ill, maybe by a different doctor or NP, but they will do everything to accommodate you.
Perhaps there was a highly unusual circumstance. Could the primary care MD be on the verge of a 6 month sabbatical? Could it be a female physician who needed 6 months off for a high risk pregnancy? Could the doc need prolonged medical treatment of their own? But barring such unusual conditions, 7 months is not likely, nor is 7 weeks or even 7 days. Seven hours is more likely.
I hope the OP is happy with their new doctor. Of course, if he/she is a solo practitioner, the chances of a long wait are exponentially higher.

Originally Posted by John_W (Post 1510039)

I've been with TV Health Care under Medicare Advantage for the past 2-1/2 years. In 2016 I had a severe cold that wouldn't go away, I sent an instant message to my doctor at Pinellas and they replied to go to Lake Imaging and get an MRI. The next day they called and asked me to come in, they said I had pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics and strong cough syrup.

In 2017 I sent a message to my doctor that my back was feeling bad, that it was a pain to stand for any length of time. Once again they sent me to Lake Imaging and I meet the doctor a couple of days later and they said I had degenerative disc disease in my lower back. They offered a referral to a surgeon in Ocala or suggested alternative treatments.

I have to say, for having zero premiums, my care and check ups and overall treatment is superior than anything I've had before. I've sent instant messages on their website to my doctor on a few other occasions and had doctor visits every six months.

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye (Post 1510005)

If it was true what he said, this Dr. either had way to many patients or this Dr. was strickly into making a lot of money!

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye (Post 1510005)

If it was true what he said, this Dr. either had way to many patients or this Dr. was strickly into making a lot of money!

Originally Posted by Jim Thompson (Post 1510083)

The reason that the Villages Health does not accept BC&BS is the reason my wife and I found great Health Care elsewhere. The Villages Health stopped accepting BC&BS (Florida Blue) last year and forced us to change. Glad we did.

Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 1510153)

OK, time for a reality check. The primary care docs in TVH are limited to a patient panel of 1200, they allot 30 min for a routine visit and 1 hour for a new patient, and are on salary, so it doesn't matter how many visits they have. So much for too many patients and "making a lot of money"

As far as seeing the PA goes, that is what allows TVH to see a sick patient the same day and the doctor to keep on schedule. Unlike many physician offices, I'll bet the average time in the waiting room is less than 5 minutes. The PA is under the direct supervision of a MD, and they have scope of practice protocols they must follow. My doctor has been my friend for 30 years, we practiced in the same group in NY, in fact, I was HIS doctor for 30 years. Yet, if I call today with an acute illness, I have every expectation that I will be seeing the PA. There is nothing wrong with that----if there was no role for physician extenders, they wouldn't exist.

Lastly, if a patient called me and wanted me to order an MRI, I would LMAO. Medicine is not a Chinese restaurant where the patient can pick one test from column A and 2 from column B---it takes many years of education and experience to evaluate a problem and choose the right tests. And BTW, who on this planet orders a MRI for pneumonia???? It is NOT indicated, it is a total waste of time and money.

Sorry, but I found many of the last 20 posts far beyond left field, more like in a different stadium.