Doctor or a Physician Assistant
 

Last time I saw my doctor at United Healthcare of the Villages I was told that I would be seeing his PA for my next six month visit, and perhaps for other future visits. This was disappointing as my understanding when I joined was that I would always see a doctor. I am sure that the PA is nice and communicating with my doctor but she is NOT a doctor.
Has anyone else experienced this yet? I was basically told that since I am healthy, he could spend more time with other less healthy patients.

That has become very common in the last several years. One reason is that insurance companies will pay the same amount to see a PA as they will to see a doctor, even though the doctor makes a lot more money than the PA. So, the doctor gets paid to do nothing more than to oversee the work of a PA. I agree that I would rather see a medical doctor than a physician's assistant. But, I don't think the trend will be reversed unless the insurance companies change the way they pay claims. But, when my doctor wants to schedule a phone call to tell me my lab results, and charge the same amount as an office visit, I refuse and insist on an in-person visit.

We have seen this with specialist a gastroenterologist. The PA was very knowledgable and spent a lot of time with my wife so was ok with it. However for a serious ongoing condition would insist on seeing Dr.

Solution, I don't have one. Like most things no shortage of conflicting information.
People in medicine even have a name for it GOOGLE MEDICINE. Controls, your doctor can only write prescriptions for a period of time. Medicare and or insurance insist you see the doctor to get another prescription. In many cases unless you have died, you will need that prescription. In many cases, if, you died the office staff probably will not take the time to discover that.
Nurse practitioner? My doctor found some guy right out of school. Pleasant enough, truth he did not know what he was talking about.
Staff? We have no record that you.............. HUM, false name, Mildred we called the office list of times dates etc. In fact we drove over there and I personally handed it to YOU.
Sadly, it is clearly a problem. Sadly, it does not seem to be getting better. There are only so many hours in a day. Doctors and patients are both on an overloaded tread mill.

Re: lab results
Your doctor may need to fill out some form. You can set up an account with the lab to see YOUR, test results.
Test results. Stuff like blood tests the report says your count was ....... normal range is ........... If, outside of normal it will clearly show that. Many tests before changing meds etc, they will watch it

I'm fine with the PAs at The Villages Health. I like my doctor as well. The PAs are qualified to do almost everything the doctor can do. Not all of it, but almost. So as long as I'm there for just a routine visit, or if I needed basic wound care, I'll be happy with the PA if the doctor isn't available for the appointment.

I do get my own lab results. But, the doctor wants to call to explain the results in a 5 minute phone call where I need to pay a $25 copay, and he gets $100 for an office visit. I refuse to do that.

Wow that's a bum deal. My doctor explains the results when I go in for my yearly checkup. I get the bloodwork done the week prior to the checkup. CBCs, nutrition panel, and full thyroid panel with the free T-3 or 4 or whatever it is, because I only have half of a functioning thyroid and have to monitor it. The yearly checkup has a $0 copay, it's a service covered 100% by my insurance.

We see our Dr every 6 months and get bloodwork done a week before and see the results before seeing the DR and discuss results at office appt.

Like some who have posted, I have no problem being seen by a P.A. I DO have a problem paying Doctor prices for P.A. service.

That said, I recognize that America has a doctor shortage particularly in non-specialist areas, so I believe that seeing a P.A. instead of a doctor will be more and more frequent.

Your doctor should schedule you with him least once per year. Having said that I have found seeing his PA perfectly adequate. It takes lots of training and eduction to become a PA. They're quite knowledgeable.

I agree. But, maybe things have changed. I have always considered a medical doctor to be someone with more than just knowledge. The title of doctor identifies him/her as a person who has chosen a life long reputable and trusted profession. If the medical industry wants patients to trust and rely on "physicians assistants" in a similar manner, I think they should change their name and responsibilities. Also, they should have personal liability for their job performance. Otherwise, they are just assisting real doctors, and their work should not be billed at the same rate as a doctor.

I have United Healthcare and see my doctor every six months with blood done before meeting. Have read in past posts that The Villages health will put you off to a PA after seeing your doctor once.

Putting you off is a good way to describe it.

As in most things, it comes down to the individual.

NP vs. PA: Key Differences

Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant: Key Differences

The two most fundamental differences between NPs and PAs are the training they receive and the environments where they work.

Nurse practitioners are trained in the advanced practice of nursing, where they focus on a specialized role, such as that of neonatal nurse practitioner.

Physician assistants, on the other hand, are educated in general medicine; their training follows the medical model and covers all foundational aspects of medicine and specialties.