Any "normal" doctors?
 

I'm still looking for a "normal" doctor ... You know one that sees a healthy person and doesn't need to send them for a dozen tests they don't need. I have tried three doctors in TV without one being "normal". I have brought all my records with me with current copies of my tests but still haven't found a doctor that says "see you next year for your annual".

I have been told of a Dr. Coy but don't know anything about him. Any comments?

Any help would be appreciated....thanks!

Most of them are. Think about it.

I am not sure that any doctor any where will take your test results from some place else and just "go with it". Knowing the people that try to con doctors, if they take your results and then you "develop some malady" so you can con them where do they stand?

They are all going to want to set their own base line.

I would be upset if they did not do that.

You and them can at lease compare the results with what you bought with you to make sure you be on the same wavelength.

Z

:agree:While the history is helpful, a provider that is going to be responsible for the care of a patient will want to get his/her own data through a lab that is known and trusted. Once that is done, a decision on return interval can be appropriately made.

I don't agree trust me your blood work and that stress test results are very good information and can be trusted, ( if not lots of money to be made). A doctor who wants to rerun the same test you had last month in another state, is not the doctor i want to use. Being in the health care field for over forty years help make our move easier, if we can't find the right guy here, we will just wait till our six month check up to make an appointment

My doctor sees me annually. Also,have blood workmdone annually.

Doctor Recommendation
 

Try Dr. Andrew Conti near Villages Hospital. golf cart accesible. I have been seeing him for about twelve years. Wife went for first visit last spring. He told her he should see her again in about a year.

Sorry, can't agree. The OP made no mention of how recent the test results were that he/she brought. Nor did they mention what tests were done. All that was mentioned was that the OP felt they were "healthy". Where did you get the info that the tests were a month old and included a stress test?

I've seen many patients on a routine exam only to discover that they had the early signs of a serious condition and didn't know it. One had gone blind in one eye and didn't know it. As we age is conditions appear that weren't there a month or two or three ago.

most test are of little value
 

The routine annual blood work is in large part a waste of time and money. Most labs are national organizations. Quest in ohio is quest in Florida. If you feel well and there is no change in overall health then you may ask if labs are really needed or not. Men: Stay Healthy at Any Age is a resource for recommended tests. Interestingly they even suggest that in the absence of symptoms (be honest with your doctor, don't minimize) that the physical exam, listening to your heart etc is of little value. More lives would be saved by spending time reminding you to wear your seat belt, give up smoking and get some exercise.

Are you looking for a doctor whose main purpose is to look at you and decide he "sees a healthy person" and says "see you next year" (which is convenient), or are you looking for a doctor who does a complete history and physical exam and then recommends you come in in accordance with the FINDINGS he/she made in the exam?

I'm pretty sure that if you had a major stroke, heart attack, sudden blindness or found a cancer gone wild 2 or 3 months after the minimal, "see you in a year" visit, you'd be asking here about a good malpractice lawyer because the dr. didn't do his job by just eyeballing your exterior and deciding "you're healthy...see you next year".

I don't know. I vote for the tests. My physician back in Ohio did blood tests every six months on all three of us. He found seriously low vitamin D levels, and high thyroid and climbing cholesterol by these tests,with none of us feeling ill, not in all, we each had one, but I don't want to bore you with our families health history. When I started with our new physician here, we waited for six months to start and were not surprised that he too ordered the same tests.

Early stages of high thyroid, Graves disease did not make me feel ill at all. I now take medication to lower thyroid hormones. High sugar and high cholesterol and blood in urine really do not make you feel ill in the first stages.

I wonder this...as I think that excessive medical costs need somehow to be curtailed. Do doctors get a kick back from Quest labs? It seems they are the only labs around The Villages.

(I gotta say those Quest techs are mighty good at getting blood on first stab)

The new Villages Health Center will be opening soon. One of their big promises is that they will not do any unnecessary testing. They also claim their doctors will be better than "normal" (Marcus Welbys). So that may be something to check out. The only thing I would caution you about is there will likely be a monthly or yearly charge to belong to this "concierge" service.

Otherwise, you might try joining a Medicare HMO like Optimum. I belong to Optimum and I feel as though I'm getting concierge service without having to pay a fee for belonging. In fact I get my Medicare premium refunded every month. There's no charge to me for my yearly exam and I can see my doctor whenever I want with no copayment. There's never any waiting in the waiting room and the doctor spends a lot of time with me.

I went to my doctor on the 19th to get the results of my yearly blood work and he said everything came back perfect. (That's without having to take any drugs.) Medicare HMOs don't believe in unnecessary testing either so I have never been pressured to take any tests that I don't want to take. He's not my boss; he's more like a partner. It only took him about 30 seconds to explain my good results (from the blood test) and we spent the next 20 to 25 minutes just talking. It was a fun visit.

I have had the same problem. I am a nurse and was shocked at the crazy labs my Doctor ordered( which were all normal) and then she wanted to see me in 3 months. She wanted me to come in for injections twice a week and take a bunch of supplements... I said WHY? I haven't been back. If you come up with a normal doc please let us all know! Thanks, Jen

Consult-A-Nurse (Ocala)
 

Consult-A-Nurse of Ocala recommended 2 doctors in the villages. And I was told that these doctors don't pay any fee for referral. If you would like to see their ad in The Villages phone book (yellow pages), it's listed under hospitals on page 317. They provide free physician referral and health information.

Family Doctors of Belview
Stephen Fisher (internal medicine)
Office in The Villages:
8575 NE 138 Lane Suite 201
Ph: 391-1056

Mid FL Medical Group
Dr. Jagalur (internal medicine/board certified)
910 Old Camp Road
Bld. 150 Suite 154
ph: 751-5055

It's recommended that you call first to find out what their policy is on testing.
Ask lots of questions. If you don't get answers that satisfy you, you don't have to make an appointment. I think it's worth a try. Good luck and let us know what results you get.

Angel: I believe that finding a new doctor is one of the most difficult issues to solve when moving to TV. It is no small matter. As others have advised----ask your friends and neighbors and maybe even try TOTV doctor suggestions. Personally, I don't think we have enough good doctors to go around in TV. We have grown too fast for the number of doctors available. Many of the doctors are not accepting new patients because of their "load". Good luck----I'm sure you will eventually find a "normal" doctor here in the area. :welcome:

Agree
 

Agree with you Gracie. Not to overdo the tests, but they may pick up something your other physicians didn't. Got our blood work done last week but at another lab (for insurance to cover) and those girls got me on the first stick! I don't give blood well....veins small. Also, is it "normal" for an ultrasound result to take 7-10 days to come in? Geez, could be dead by then. Seems they send it out to be read and wait for the results to come in. I'm not at all impressed with Florida's health care system so far.

Our doctor sees us every four months, we do blood tests before each visit. I really don't mind seeing the doctor and having me tell me that all appears to be fine. The doctor visit is free, blood tests are free and as Gracie said things happen in your body that you are not aware of and your blood can tell alot. I personally would rather have my doctor actually recognize when I walk in his office....he has no idea who you are if you see him only once a year. On the other hand, they can tel alot about you by reading your reports if the lab where they were done is one that is familair to him....not all labs report the same.
Sorry you aren't happi with the medical situation here, happinow.....but which is worse for you, bushes or medical care???????????????

Medical care....Just find it unusual that it takes so long for tests to come back. It's unsettling. Always seems a lot longer waiting for anything. Not use to waiting that long. We did find a very good doctor so we are pleased with him. Hopefully we won't need to see him much, but I appreciate the fact that he did a total blood work up on both my husband and I as new patients. He seemed thorough. Thanks for asking.

Thanks for all the opinions pro and con....I have been trying to find a good doctor in TV since I bought my house two years ago. I have been to four so far and each experience has been lacking....so I've gone back to my home state and had my regular doctors do the usual tests (blood work, ekg, stress, colonscopy, pap, mammo, bone density, etc) Everything comes back fine (thank God). One doctor (recommended by a TV neighbor) told me that I had a heart condition and I could have complete renal failure at any time...I was shocked and jumped on a plane the next day to confront my doctors in my home state -- not only my regular doctors but a second opinion proved nothing of what the TV doctor said was true. Another doctor in TV told me he would send me for a different test each month "just to look for something"...I never went back. I am returning AGAIN to TV next month with all my tests done within the last two weeks, and trying again to live comfortably there. I would love to just find a good doctor thats not interested in scaring someone to death and start enjoying my new life in TV--I love it there!. I should mention that I am a widow with no family in the area. Its difficult to feel comfortable without a good doctor. I have excellent coverage with no copays but sometimes I wonder if the doctors are getting a percentage when tests are ordered when I have no complaints. When I ask for a recommendation from some people I've met in TV they say "I wouldn't recommend my doctor" or "I'm on my fourth doctor here and I don't like him". Please, do you have a good doctor's name to recommend?

:clap2: You get your Medicare Premium refunded every month? From Whom? No co-payment and never any waiting in the waiting room. I'll bite on this bit of information. Where is this place? Sounds like the most wonderful doctor's office in the area. :MOJE_whot:

Does anyone else have medicare and AARP? I think its good coverage but still can't find a good doctor.....

thinking that once the TV center opens there will be plans you can opt for

I belong to a Medicare HMO; it's called Optimum. Optimum refunds my Medicare premium every month. Yes, there's no co-payment to see my primary care doctor and I have never had a chance to sit down in the waiting room. As soon as I sign in, they escort me to the exam room. After the nurse takes my blood pressure, I might wait about 2 or 3 minutes for the doctor to show up.

You can call Opuimum for more information: 1-866-409-0888

My doctor's office is across from Laurel Manor recreation center
Doctor David Hunt, (352)-751-9900

Being that I'm in good health, how would I go about evaluating his skill as a doctor? He hasn't had to solve any mystery ailments or diseases. So what do I know? Well, I just like him as a person and he seems willing to spend some time rather than rushing me out the door.

P.S. They also have another office on 441 with a woman doctor

Dr. Florian Gegaj (pronounced GeeGuy) at Premier Medical Assoc in Sumter Landing. Not only did he not do a zillion tests (just a simple blood test to check due to mess I am on) but after results came back, he took me OFF a medicine. His office number is 352-259-2159. My husbAnd and I both like him, not always the case in our house lol. Good luck!

I order my own blood work. Either Quest or Lab Corp do the draw and analysis and I don't involve a doctor unless I see a disturbing result. Once a year is my schedule.

How do you order blood work without a script from a doctor?

Try Dr. Seth Perkins in the strip across the street from the Citizens Bank drive thru by Toojay's. He is good, and he does not make you come in or have tests just because. His office phone # is 753-6886. Good luck!

Thanks for the information-----appreciated. Justjim

Easy, google it. there are at least two companies I've used, probably more.

I highly recommend Dr. Agbo. Medical Services in The Villages, Florida 32162 - Sinai Internal Medicine Specialists PA - About Us

I go to them. There is no charge. I followed my Drs. Nurse Practitioner there. I go to the one in the Sharon Morse building. It is Family Doctors of Bellview. I still also love my Dr., John Burress, at Lake Family Medicine on 466.

Dr. Coy is great, but he is on a personal leave of absence :(

Normal doc
 

Dr Felix Agbo LSL

I just started seeing Dr Agbo and really like him. I am getting necessary lab work and not a bunch of costly tests.

Forgive me, but if you have test records that are current enough that you are comfortable with them, and you consider yourself a healthy person, why have you been to 3 different doctors? Why not just wait until you feel it's time for new tests or you get sick? I understand wanting to have a family doctor who is familiar with you, before you get sick. Is that your intent?

Something else that may be a concern....is to me...I went to a family doctor here in TV not too long after we arrived. I had not been to a doctor in several years, so it was time for all the tests, exam, etc. I saw the doctor for about 5 minutes, he ordered all the tests, then everytime I go back for results, I see the PA. On 2 occasions, the PA has suggested a treatment (nothing serious), and when I questioned him, he had to go find the doctor and ask him. Both times, the doctor changed the treatment plan. My point being, if I had just done what the PA suggested, it would have been wrong. Or maybe it would have been right, and the doctor was wrong. Either way, it makes me a bit uncomfortable.

And I have never even MET my gynocologist!! Nurse practitioner handles it all, including biopsies. I met my dermatologist once, when he was removing a spot. Exams all done by someone other than the doctor. BTW, I don't feel real confident about that, either.

I am hoping to get in on the new Villages Health Care program.

We have 2 Primary Care Doctors. Dr Seth Perkins and Dr Alain Smolarski that are both amazingly normal doctors. We also have an amazing GYN in Dr. Oscar Osario. To add to it we have two amazing hand surgeons in Dr. Harding and Dr. Chin. We also provide a lab in our Lady Lake office right across the street from Target. Dr's Perkins, Smolarski, and Osorio can all be seen at either the Lady Lake office or the Lake Sumter Landing Office. you can call Primary Care at 753-6886 or GYN at 391-6464

The scenarios you describe above are going to be more and more common as more and more people are being added to Medicare and Medicaid, with the shortage of primary care and family practice doctors that already exists before these large additions of patients having new, public insurance coverage. For example, California is working on legislating that:

"Pharmacists and optometrists could act as primary care providers, diagnosing and managing some chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and high-blood pressure...."

Amongst other big concerns, this certainly makes me wonder how the endocrinologist, for example, will be viewed as needed or not, and whether they will be trained and paid in the future.

Facing doctor shortage, lawmakers want to redefine healthcare roles - latimes.com