Health Care Issues in the Villages
 

I get the impression after being here for one month, that all this building of new homes, so many people moving here and no actual plan of better health care exist. The Village Health centers are overwhelmed , cant even get registered with a doctor until the end of the year. Seems like no planning is going into this issue. I hope its not the case. I also understand the hospital ER wait is awful, especially in Snowbird season. I just hope i am totally wrong. What is a newbie to do, and as seniors we need good , reliable and quick health care. Again, I hope i am wrong, please tell me. Any ideas about how to get into a GP, or any clues as to how to see specialists?/ We are also young seniors so we are not on Medicare yet...

I would say it all depends on what health insurance provider you have. Go to their web site, pull up a list of the physicians in their network, check out a few of the physicians online and make an appointment.

As far as The Villages Emergency Room, consider one of the Urgent Care centers if you do not have a life threatening or damaging emergency. Also, if you do feel you have a real medical emergency, call 911 and let them transport you to the ER. Ambulance emergencies do get immediate attention while walk-ins do have waits.

The developer can build buildings which they have done (Look at the large Hospital) and they have tried to build a health network but they cannot make doctors come here to work. Generally excellent doctors are attracted by large teaching hospitals and grant money.


Personally I think that the state of Florida is behind generally in the quality of medicine that is available, compared to Cincinnati, Ohio where I am from.


We consult Dr. Felix Agbo and he is still taking patients.

We use Felix Agbo,too. Lots of Drs. are getting out of the business due Obama care. They are working for medical developers as contractors.

Dr Swietarski is taking on new patients now. 352-326-7850 Very nice Doctor

So much in medicine is changing so quickly that our whole country is experiencing growing pains. There is now an emphasis on draconian over-regulation and reporting to insurance companies and the government agencies that has robbed time from patients to fulfill bureaucratic wet dreams. The financing of health care for patients, providers, and institutions is undergoing vast changes. The demographics of providers and the nature of practice is evolving rapidly. The technology, and its cost changes almost daily. The body of medical knowledge now doubles every 2-3 years by some estimates. The challenge is to keep pace.
GG is right---building offices is easy, it's what TV does best. Recruitment is a big hurdle everywhere. I know that the senior leadership of TV Healthcare is trying hard. I personally started getting headhunter letters from TV every 3-4 months starting 4-5 years ago, I just keep getting them, even though I retired. They were able to recruit one of our partners after 28 years in NY, and it looks like they are managing to staff their primary care offices. Clinicians are not necessary attracted by large teaching hospitals and grant money---this really only applies to academic physicians who want to do research and teach more than they want to see and treat patients. It does have a bigger impact on recruiting sub-specialists. Compensation is not the biggest factor either.
In our small city of 32,000, our primary care group has had great success in recruiting quality American University trained physicians. As I leave 8 doctors here to carry on, we have 3 HS valedictorians, I believe 5 summa cum laude university graduates, and residencies from SUNY to Charity in New Orleans to Wake Forrest and Univ of Michigan. Two of the 8 were chief residents, including Strong Memorial in Rochester, one of the best programs in the country. I have personally been part of recruiting all but one of them. The secret is that we deal honestly regarding work schedules, compensation, responsibilities and the group philosophy. There are no surprises and no unrealistic expectations.
I do not believe this model will survive for long. Private practice is A LOT of work beyond practicing medicine. Because of certain legal decisions, most notably the LIBBY ZION case, residency training has instilled a "shift mentality" into young doctors. Many now just want to work M-F, 8-5, no call, no hospital, no administrative duties and collect a paycheck, often as a salaried employee. This is the death knell of private practice. Solo and 2 physician partnerships are all but gone under the new reality, it will probably take at least a group of 6 to survive

Sorry to digress, but this was a summary of the challenges we face in American healthcare, among others.
Is VHC "overwhelmed"? I don't know. I believe the original plan was for 8 primary care centers, so given the ongoing recruitment I would not be surprised to see 2 more open, geographically Brownwood and Pine Ridge would be logical. This is just MY speculation, NOT inside info. Is the quality of medicine in Florida lagging? That's a huge generalization, but one I've thought true for the last 30 years based on treating "snowbirds". This too is changing, and applies to specialty care more than primary care anyway.
It takes a few months to get an initial appointment at VHC, but they allow plenty of time for visits so I understand the delay---but if you are signed up
they will take care of an urgent problem even before your 1st visit.
Bottom line , IMHO. TV and its healthcare is just facing the same problems as the rest of the nation. It will eventually settle out (or collapse). But even if the new reality fails, people need healthcare, so some other Phoenix will rise out of the ashes

What other developer or builder is expected to provide medical care?

Expected?-----None

The new trend, however, is to create stratified adult communities to serve residents from retirement to grave. This includes a path from independent home ownership to assisted living to nursing home, and medical care is integral to that model. I get the sense that Gary Morse was ahead of his time in this vision, others are just now playing catch-up.

Just my own experience ~ and I'm not eligible for Medicare yet, either.

It did take a while to get into Villages health Care, and then I loathed the Doc I got. I did some research, found a Doc I thought I'd like. Called and asked for her, and had an initial visit within three weeks. I did like her; no complaints. Needed some tests and a small foot problem dealt with. No complaints about care.

Came down with a bug a few months ago. Called for an appointment, they scheduled me that very morning. Not with my primary, but with a PA. She was fine.

A day later, I was having trouble breathing ( I have asthma) and went to the urgent care attached to the hospital. It was around 6 PM. There was no one else there, I was seen instantly and whisked to a room. The Doc was great, very thorough and patient.

I've only been her 6 months, but so far I am satisfied. Hope this helps!

I totally agree. We are not members of the Villages Health care system. We have our own primary doctor and have found no problem at all getting in to see doctors or have any complaints about waiting times or quality of care. We have lived here several years and I've never worried one minute about that. You just have to do your research on a GP. Get recommendations from others and if you need a specialist do the same. We have access to lots of great doctors all over the place. I also love the urgent care at the hospital. Have been there 3 times and have never had to wait. They have access to x-rays and bloodwork because they are in the hospital.

there are plenty of good doctors in and around the villages. the hospital here is ok but I'd go elsewhere. Leesburg has a decent hospital and for serious stuff there's Shands and Mayo but they are a bit of a ride. this is based on my experiences.

We have used the urgent care clinic at Sumter Landing twice and found the doctors and care we received very satisfactory.

Been here 2 years, and my (our) complaints are:
1. The Villages Health care system, does not do or have the capability of the Lehigh Valley Health care system. It seems to lack specialists, and when you go to a specialists, they are not on the same electronic patient network, so several time the PC doctor never sees the reports from the specialist.
2. Be careful about the local United Health Care HMO, I have United Health Care (through AARP) and have had no problems, my wife went with the HMO, had to change 2 0r 3 specialists, and their mail in pharmacy has provided several problems with renewals and late deliveries.

When I think of a SYSTEM I expect a fully integrated system, that is not what we have, so ask questions, lots of questions.
Hope this helps.
PS, once we got everything settled, we have been satisfied with the results, but it was very confusing initially.

There are reasons other than Obama Care........

Greed for one.

Excellent post!

First of all, one has to be their own health advocate.

Coming from the tri-state area in the northeast, and I have found the level of care of the doctors in TV, to be more than acceptable. To avoid being scared, one has to do the necessary research and find a doctor that you feel will be good for your health concerns.

I find "honest dentists" to be an oxymoron here in TV. One person said to me, when they take your insurance card and see you live in TV, the simple thing you wanted to do now costs, thousands of dollars.

Some people may have serious conditions and have lodged several complaints about care in TV. They may be valid but consider this, there are 115,000 people in TV. If one is in reasonable health, one shouldn't have the fear they are going to die because of inferior health care. It isn't that bad as some people make it out to be.

It's your decisions that count and who you choose, to be taken of. Good luck.

Question....where is the urgent care attached to the hospital?? I have been here 8 years and don't know about this. We are using one in Sumter Landing area.

Hmm, that has not been our experience. When we moved here less than 2 years ago we setup new patient appointments to "get into the system" at Pinellas. I think the appointments were less than 1 month out. First appointment went fine, we were both taken on time. We liked the Dr. so we setup new appointments one year out for annual exams (we had both had annual exams just before moving to the Villages). No issues, we were both taken on time. I went in to see the Dr. a few weeks ago about a joint issue (to see if I need to see an orthopedic guy). I had to wait 2 days to get in but it wasn't urgent. They saw me on time. Overall, I am pretty pleased but we don't have any issues that require seeing lots of specialists so I can't comment on that.

a) not true
b) totally uncalled for

I'm sure there are greedy doctors. There are greedy lawyers, greedy teachers, greedy politicians and of course, greedy used car salesman.
The reality is that for those whose main aspiration in life is wealth, it is A LOT easier to skip 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 3-7 years of residency and pursue a MBA instead.
For me personally, I had always said that the day I spent 51% of my time doing paperwork instead of patient care I was done, and I hit that mark this year.
Obamacare is not the sole cause of any of this, it is simply an insurance plan (and a power grab and a tax increase and a redistribution of wealth). But it's impact on the practicing physician has so far been negligible. The big impact has been the big government and insurance industry bureaucratic mentality. They have no idea what a physician actually does, but they believe big government can do it better. So they go about it in the only way they know how---regulation and data collection. I really can't blame them, after all, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. It is those in power who pursue this policy as a national health care goal that are to blame.

The Villages Regional Hospital Urgent Care
1451 El Camino Real
The Villages, FL 32159
*Located on the first floor of the main hospital
352.751.8863

Go in through the emergency room, turn right. It is down the hall on the left. They are the best I think. They have access to x-rays, tests, bloodwork all on site.

And, their are designated parking spots for the urgent care out front of the hospital main entrance, which you can also enter through.

True, but many of the reasons are mandated by it, such as "Meaningful Use" (whatever that is a euphemism for.....).

A former neighbor and primary care doctor gave me this blog article that reaffirms the "meaningfulness" of evaluating physician performance/quality by how many of their patients TRY to get registered on the required internet Patient Portal.

My "patient portal" at one of the nation's top teaching-research hospitals is a total headache to register and log in to, and for medical record viewing it is worthless, but it is top-notch for seeing and paying the many BILLS.

This is good for everybody to read, as is the whole blog:

In My Humble Opinion: MU With Or Without You

Actually, the "meaningful use" program was in place before Obamacare and is not part of it. Simply put, the program was set up as an incentive/subsidy to the requirement that all physicians utilize an electronic record by 2017. The government was willing to help defray the cost, but only if the physician could "prove" he was using the EMR.
That's the theory. Of course, as usual, once the bureaucrats got a hold of it the criteria by which "meaningful use" was determined became more complex and convoluted to the point that a medical office ends up hiring a "meaningful use" consultant to make sure the criteria are met. Just another example of how a halfway decent idea morphs into a surrealistic nightmare ten times as big, ten times as complicated, and ten times as expensive as it needs be.

Villages Health Care
 

I will agree with OP,it does take some time for the initial visit.But after that it is a breeze(IMHO).I woke up one morning at around 5:30 with severe swelling and redness of both hands.I contacted Santa Barbara Clinic thru the Patient Portal,at 8:15 I was contacted by my teams RN and after explaining my situation was given an appointment at 9:30.I was seen by our PA and the on call Doc,diagnosed,perscribed and was on my way by 10:30.I don't think it gets much better that that.

And that is exactly the standard I would expect, knowing the director of the Santa Barbara Center for the last 30 years. Great to hear from a patient that he has picked up at TV right where he left off in Auburn. You (TV in general) don't know the value of the asset that you have acquired.

Greed of the insurance company's, not the providers. Chill out...

mea culpa, mea culpa. my bad

But probably more ignorance and regulatory enthusiasm that greed---health care insurers are hardly getting rich on these policies. They'll never lose either, but they have far more profitable products with a far more predictable market.

So......

Still wondering......

On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), how "meaningful" is any of this for that pesky thing called "patient care"??

There are plenty of good doctors here near TV - just look outside of The Villages Healthcare.
I have been very satisfied with Premier Medical Group. Always get to see someone same day if needed. I also am pleased with Citrus Cardiology (who UHC Village plan does not allow you to go to). I have BC/BS Medicare.

Mine at U of M(ichigan) was a piece of cake, both before and after Obamacare. In fact, I still log into it three years after leaving Michigan. (Their colonoscopy prep method is not only the latest recommendation, it's cheap, not nauseating, and the result has been hailed by my gastroenterologist, although he thinks I'm using his method, which involves either drinking a gallon or snot or buying a $90 prep.)

Bottom line meaning of "meaningful use"

For the patient----nothing (0)---your physician was probably already doing any of the quality measures that count anyway

For the physician----nothing (0), other than it increases time spent on non-patient care, so it probably reduces direct patient care hours

For the bureaucrats----EVERYTHING (10+). This is exactly the type of crap they live for. The outcomes do not matter to them, it is the process of fulfilling "regulation" that is the essence of their existence

Three Answers
 

Villages Kahuna - I believe you meant to say that each doc is limited to 2500 patients - at least that is what they advertised on the front end.

My wife has UHC Villages Plan and is being seen right now by
Citrus Cardiology with no problems.

Great post!!!!! I agree 99.9% (patient profile of more like 1000-1250-- ? typo)

Methinks I smell a retired healthcare administrator. I just hope you didn't confuse anyone with the facts!

Very well said, and I agree, except for Obama Care!!! Health services can only get better down the road, her in The Villages. I'm very happy with my doctors and health service. When it comes to Dental, it's a different story. (Ugh)

Well said. As usual. Always look forward to reading your posts and find my head going up and down.

golfing eagles: what you express here as to my understanding is true.
The expansion(intrusion if your a doctor) accelerated in the early 1980's by insurance companies who desired to emulate medicare's price controls (DRG's ,etc). Insurance companies suddenly demanded second opinions, certification for the need be admitted to the hospital ,etc. All of this was then exacerbated with the advent of Obamacare which has nothing to do with improving health care but a government demand that health insurance carriers abandon insurability rules and liberalize benefits to anyone and everyone.

Now Obamacare certainly carries with it a smooth populist tone but that is not the reality of economics and the housing collapse was a prime example.

One would only argue to infinity if Obamacare was even necessary (ie providing insurance for the uninsured) but the fact is Obamacare did not even resolve that issue.

What you state as trends within your discipline carry to such an extent that some doctors have resorted to treating patient on a cash basis and having their patient mail their paid bills to their insurer. As Obamacare evolves it chages and the changes continue to be for the worse. It has the medical profession and insurance companies in the constant state of confusion attempting to meet the government demands.

Being a doctor is as challenging as being a cop in today's America

As to The Villages Health Care System its a waste of time and energy to debate it because like everything connected to TV it ends up as an argument of being anti-developer or pro developer...a subject that should not even enter a discussion such as this.

Personally, I found the Ocala HealthCare System responsive and friendly having utilized since my arrival in 2006.

Google goolge and Google before you go to any doctor. Check their credentials. Ask around about them. Check their record. Be your own advocate. There are some great doctors but their are some really horrible ones too.