The Villages Heath Care - Upsetting Experience
 

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.

I have never had a problem getting an appt.

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.

6 years, no problems with Villages Health Care. They even removed stitches for me from a surgery I had in Tampa when THAT doctor cancelled...THE SAME DAY. I find them to be very accommodating.

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!

I'm in the Villages Health Care and I've never had to wait more than 2 weeks for an appointment with my primary care physician. All the doctors have a limited number of patients assigned to them so that your experience doesn't happen. It must have been very unusual circumstances.

I agree with the others. There is something missing in the original story.

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.

Yep. With all due respect to the op, that's simply not typical of TV Health doctors. Not even close.

My wife's had many scheduled same day appointments (and so have I), but not always with her PCP, usually with an NP. However when this happened while she was going through difficult problems recovering from surgery her PCP would join in on her appointment with the NP. The result was it was the same has having a appointment with her PCP.

It would be good if you could give us some specifics about the reason you doctor's office pushed out your appoints. That just is so different from what we and many of our neighbors have experienced with Villages Health.

I have commercial insurance and Villages Health accept it (MultiPlan). I chose a PCP and for the first appointment I will wait 3 months. I asked if I am ill should I go to an urgent care and was told yes. I am used to this in other places I have lived, waiting for a "baseline" appointment. With that said, the person I spoke to stated when I am in their system, if I need a doctor, they will get me in the same day. I have never heard of a seven month wait anywhere, even a booked specialist.

Great to hear such positive reviews of The Villages Healthcare system. Also, was not aware that they took patients under Medicare age. Good to know for future reference.

I hope the OP comes back on to answer some of your questions and post a clarification of her situation.

OP, why not call back and try again? Sounds like a communication failure.

What are the odds the OP will return and clarify?

I'm confused about this report. If what GE says is true, shouldn't the office have explained why the wait would be so long? Sometimes staff is, well, you know.

I had to cancel an appointment with a dentist once for a teeth cleaning. I was told roughly the same thing as OP, maybe a little less time to reschedule. I had a legitimate reason for canceling, and though they tried to "scare" me out of canceling, I hung on because I had no other choice. Miraculously, they came up with an earlier reschedule.