Medical care in the Villages
 

Hi Neighbors,
I moved here 2 yrs ago and immediately heard about the medial care. Because of all that I heard I continued to fly back to Michigan for any continuing issues I may have had. This wears thin after awhile and so I found some Dr's here. Some have been good and some just ok.
I felt compelled to write this because of a recent incident I had with Premier Medical associates in Lady Lake . I decided to try a dermotologist for my annual skin exam.
Now let me preface this with a little back ground of my experience from my MI exam. I had to lay on a table. The PA used a hand held magnifying glass and went over every inch of my body. Anything she questioned she had a larger magnifying glass with a light and went over it again. If it was covered with skin it got checked, every crack and crevice ie: between my toes, fingers the bottom of my feet.
This exam started with the questions of why I was there. I explanined that I have had breast cancer in the past and that my mom and aunt had skin cancer. I'm also very fair and covered in freckles.
I was never asked to remove any under garments. The PA had me stand next to the wall. I would be generous if I said this exam took 5 minutes.
My gown opened in the back. The PA did a quick scan of my back by eyeball, quickly felt up and down my arms. She never looked at my chest, upper thighs, my feet or hands/fingers. I told her I had eczema in my ears which she never looked at. She did a quick scan of one side of my head and said I had psoriasis. That was the extent of the exam.
I was dumbfounded that being in a state known for its abundance of sunshine (which I'm sure has a large amount of skin cancer) could be so cavalier about something that could be so deadly.
I'm sure others will say they have had good experiences but I just wanted to vent and perhaps let others know that this is not the norm when having skin exam.

Sorry for your recent experiences, I would suggest going to Alliant Dermatology, we have used Dr. Casper for over 10 years and very satisfied with his care. I have had items removed, frozen or otherwise treated and no negative outcomes. They have several offices in TV, I think he is primarily in the office on 466. I was seen on an "emergency" basis at one of the other offices and that was an excellent visit also.

I would recommend anyone coming here to keep in touch with your former doctors because you will find that your body will be riddled with cancer before you know it and the primary care doctors, urologists, dentists, gynecologists and other specialists will never let you know until its too late.

You have both good or excellent doctors here and also poor or OK doctors - the same you will find anywhere you go. No reason to fly to get care unless absolutely need a certain specialist.

Second Alliant :)

Not true.

…And this is known how?

This past spring blood was detected in my urine during a routine physical here in TV. The APRN immediately referred me for a scan that revealed a bladder growth, followed within two weeks by a cystoscopy that confirmed cancer, which was removed soon after by the urologist i was referred to (who the APRN confirmed was “best in The Villages”). The urologist had a description for the type of cancer, which I’ve forgotten, but he did say that “if you have to have cancer, this is the one to have”. Two 3-month follow-up cystoscopies and urine tests have revealed no return of the cancer, and I feel great!

I have nothing but praise for the people who were involved in my care during this process. They were quick, caring and very professional. I cannot conceive of how my service could have been any better.

We have been very happy with the medical care we have received since moving here. I would give out the name of our primary care physician but her patient load is full.

I totally agree that we have good and not so good Doctors here just like you would find in any other community of our size. That said, almost nowhere is there a place in America that has phenomenal growth like The Villages. The medical community just cannot keep pace with the population growth of The Villages.

alliant

I use Care Dermatology in Lake Sumter Landing and feel they have been very thorough, although not magnifying glass thorough.

Had the exact same experience with a physician in Michigan.

I second that! I was told don't go to the Villages Health and I have been very happy with them. They have all my history, but my GP sent me to do all the usual testing to make sure everything was looking good. And the testing was very complete!

Another vote for Alliant Dermatology. Dr. Casper is great and also luck with other doctors there. We finally found a family doctor we love. The great doctors are here, you just have to find them.

Would you share name of doctor and practice please.

If you don’t mind sharing, who is your family doctor?

Unless I missed it in your testimonial, did you ever address these concerns, in real time, with the practitioner?

Had the same experience with dermatologist at PMA. I will never go back to this particular dermatologist again. however, that being said my husband has a very good dermatologist at the same practice (PMA) - but different office location. You must be proactive with your care - you need to report this to your primary care physician and request a new dermatologist who meets your criteria. (which I believe is the only criteria to follow), If we don't report inadequate/inappropriate care - it will continue.

What??? If that’s what you think then just skip going to a dr forever. Save everyone’s time and energy and leave more appointment times open for the rest of us.

heard bad things about Premier. will never go there for anything. Alliant derm is the place to go

How do you determine if a Dr is really good? Many people judge Dr's by bedside manner - as a former health care professional I knew by the inside reputation of the Dr. I had that advantage. The public does not.

Like everything else, there are Good Doctors, not-so-good Doctors and Bad Doctors. Medical care is both a Science and an Art . . . a Good Doctor is knowledgeable and good at both. With the internet, you can educate yourself, then have an informed discussion with your doctor regarding any anomalies that you notice or that are discovered by your physician. It is essential for people to "manage" their doctors to ensure that they're receiving the correct and best care. A Good Doctor will appreciate your knowledge and work with you to ensure that you receive the proper care.

You answered your own question……talk to other healthcare professionals. My wife was one and investigated the background and education. Referral buy other healthcare professionals is best. Then if you get one that is not good, drop them and find another. That goes for the healthcare system &, insurance. Utilize only the doctors for initial visits, nurse practitioners next. PAs only after you trust the Doctor.

I don’t understand why people think this is acceptable. When I have a conversation about life in TV the conversation is always about the squares, parties, games etc. most of us have a medical condition that requires a doctor visit. We have to wait months for one, usually see a nurse practitioner instead. I started with a doctor I liked and after the second visit I was transferred to a NP. Then I was diagnosed by her that my diabetes was out of control and I needed to inject insulin. I wasn’t happy with that, went back to my original doctor in Jacksonville who verified everything was fine. I left Centerwell here to continue with treatment in Jax. Now Centerwell is being annoying trying to get me back as a patient. Won’t happen. I’m not alone in this but most others just say oh well everything else is great. Nope

We absolutely got a more thorough exam in Michigan. I’m very happy with the Dr at Alliant Dermatology. I wasn’t thrilled with the PA…

Another vote for Alliant Dermatology. Dr. Casper and his team are excellent. After having two bouts with melanoma before moving to Florida, I consider myself a highly "experienced" patient. Previously, I had been treated at one of the nation's premier cancer centers, and am acutely aware of what a thorough skin check involves, and I can say without hesitation that Alliant checks all the boxes. We are also very happy to have found an excellent primary care doctor. There are extremely good doctors out there...you just need to expend a little effort to find them.

Don’t agree. One’s perspective on this will depend on the quality of care from their previous location(s). We come from a city with excellent care and many options. Good competition between medical facilities. Health care in TV is sub par at best.

Sounds thorough to me for Dermatology. They wouldn't check your breasts as that's the physician's job.

I find the comment re "we'll be riddled with cancer" 100% wrong and a bit hysterical.

My wife and I see Dr. Jeff Morris at Alliant Dermatology. Very happy with Dr. Morris and the staff there.

Agree on Alliant!!

There are good doctors here, keep looking.

Keep going to Michigan. Fl healthcare is sketchy at best. University of Florida in Gainesville is a good second choice (and not such a long commute). My husband and I received good care there, but we tried to schedule as much as we could when we'd have our annual visit back to Michigan.

It has taken us a while to find a good PCP as well as good specialists. You have to be picky, willing to change providers if unhappy, & willing to drive a bit if you can't find what you need nearby. We are very happy with our current doctors, but dealing with office staff has often been a miserable experience. No matter how pleasant & well-intentioned the employees seem, an unfortunately large percentage of our referrals for tests or other specialists have been screwed up, requiring hours of our time to resolve & sometimes delaying treatment for weeks or months. Not sure if it is employee turnover/lack of training, or if the system is becoming too complex for them to navigate. Happened with both private insurance & Medicare. Have you snowbirds traveling to other states for care noted the same problems in last few years?

Medical education in our country is vastly degraded(so people don't flunk out) and consequently patient care has suffered not only from lesser quality people becoming physicians but also from government intervention in the medical process.

I started getting annual skin cancer screenings about 20 years ago in California, and since have been to at least 5 different dermatologists. In the beginning, the screening consisted of a cursory look at arms, legs and face -- the parts that get most sun exposure. I thought it was odd that I was never asked to remove any clothing (I was wearing shorts and t-shirt), so I checked online what a skin cancer screening SHOULD consist of. I found sites that described what you did with "the every-square-inch inspection with a magnifying glass", but none of the dermatologists I've ever been to have done anything close to that. I've always accepted the cursory look over as the 'norm' and never questioned it further, until now. So what is the 'norm', really -- that which SHOULD be done, or that which IS done?

I practiced medicine for >40 years.
After an initial visit to Premier, I decided never to return.
And would advise everyone to go elsewhere.

Back in Texas, my annual physical with my primary doctor INCLUDED a skin cancer scan, as well as prostate exam, and a stress-test every five years. Here, they send you to a specialist for everything -- and then barely test anything. The way they do it here, it would save everybody a lot of time and money if we just dropped into Quest once a year for a blood draw and scheduled our own specialists. My last "stress test" was nothing more than an ultrasound -- and cost my insurance twice what it used to cost for an EKG while walking on a treadmill in my GP's office. What a racket!

The worst is talking to some stupid TV in the waiting room (while a handful of drones with nothing else to do look on), every time you check-in to see some glorified nurse instead of your doctor -- who's always "out of the office" for your appointment that took you month to schedule.

No... the worst was the 45min ambulance ride to HCA Ocala for my wife's stroke last Spring, where they waited for me to arrive and badger my way past the emergency room drone, in order to ask me if I thought they should give her a clot buster. It's a wonder she survived relatively unharmed. That pack of fools certainly had nothing to do with it, and to this day, they've never explained what caused it.

I've seen the English "National Health" system up close a personal, and Florida's is not much better. At least in London, we were eventually able to transfer my employee to a real hospital before the NHS hospital managed to kill her. What's the closet real hospital to The Villages? Mayo in Jacksonville?

Same, but I had a different Doctor referred to Dr. Poch from Dr. Guru at Roswell cancer hospital in Buffalo NY. with bladder tumors (Cancer) which was removed. Then like you had 3-month scope nothing, then 9-month checkup scope showed more tumors grew back. two weeks later yesterday I had surgery. Dr. Poch at Moffit in Tampa removed 10 tumors, so I'm home the same day. I wish you well and no more occurrences, get checked at least every 3 months. Good luck

Dr Ana Karovska vuchidolov