[davem4616]

nothing against a PA, but like the OP said, they are not a doctor

we switched to a different neurologist for my wife when we arrived for an appointment with the MD and we were told that we would be seeing his new PA

these doctors are 'fishing in a barrel' here in TV... we now use a couple that are outside TV and are quite pleased with them

[NotGolfer]

I have an ARNP that I see all the time....she great! The Dr. assigned to her I reluctantly see. In many cases nurse practitioners know ALOT.

[Two Bills]

If the US is looking to strengthen its borders, I would recommend my doctors receptionist to become a guard.
No one gets past her!

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

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 find sometimes the pa knows just as much, if not a bit more than the actual dr. op needs to get to know their pa, it's the common link between dr & patient

[blueash]

Originally Posted by PugMom

i find sometimes the pa knows just as much, if not a bit more than the actual dr. op needs to get to know their pa, it's the common link between dr & patient

If your PA knows as much or more than the "actual dr" you need to find a new doctor. There is nothing similar in the intensity of training. The actual doctor, if this means a board certified medical physician did four years of college then four years of medical school. Two years were basic medical science, learning human anatomy, pathology, microbiology, embryology, physiology etc, then two full years of hospital/ambulatory patient exposure for far greater than the 8 hr work day. Then three to seven or more years of intensive training in a field.

Your nurse practitioner did an undergrad nursing program then a two year nursing master program. Several of these programs have elected to grant their graduates a doctor of nursing degree. Be careful. The health care person being introduced as Dr. Smith may be a nurse. Nothing changed in the program except the title being bestowed. Much of the advanced training is focused on nursing issues, designing nursing plans etc. There is a requirement of clinical time which is less than one year of patient interaction. The link above says 500 hrs of clinical. That should frighten you.

Do you want to see a doctor who spent 3 months learning patient care? Just 3 months.

The PA program has a 2000 hr requirement. That is one year at 40 hr/wk. Now your "actual doctor" spent at a minimum five years learning clinical medicine and their week was longer than 40/wk. So if you believe your PA knows more clinical medicine than the doctor, something is very wrong with the training of your doctor.

[Luggage]

I was actually denied insurance claim, when the PA saw my wife. I had to go to the office manager to get it straightened out. It's very similar to going to a university and paying $100,000 a year to get to it, but most of the lectures are only taughtt by the assistants . It's very unethical in my mind and not very safe has certainly the doctor can see and hear things and an assistant cannot because of the extra years of experience they have.

[Luggage]

Pennywise and pound foolish if you don't go to the doctor for the 25 bucks. He spent half a million dollars on his education and you should take advantage of it. Every time I go to my doctor I learn something new. And if you're worried about the $25 you have the wrong insurance as there are plenty of insurers advantage plans with zero copay for primaries. And in fact for certain things like psychologists you can go every day of the week for free if you need medical and help.

Originally Posted by schwarz

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.

Yes, happened to my parents in TV healthcare as well with no warning.

[rustyp]

Originally Posted by schwarz

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.

I also belong to The Villages health system. If the staff books me a PA for a scheduled visit they always ask if I was willing to see the PA instead of the doctor. Once I asked what would happen if I was not willing to see the PA. They replied we will simply give you a different appointment that coincides with the doctor's schedule.

[Travelhunter123]

Originally Posted by DAVES

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.

Well said: all of these happened to me

[Altavia]

It's not all about education. I've seen RN's save a patient in the hospital from the Doctor more than once.

[Travelhunter123]

Originally Posted by schwarz

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.

In the Brownwood location, there has been a “turnover” of doctors In the last 4 years I have had 5 Doctors, one only lasted 3 months
They schedule PA visits while they wait for the replacement Doctors to arrive

[Chloe Girl]

Originally Posted by davem4616

nothing against a PA, but like the OP said, they are not a doctor

we switched to a different neurologist for my wife when we arrived for an appointment with the MD and we were told that we would be seeing his new PA

these doctors are 'fishing in a barrel' here in TV... we now use a couple that are outside TV and are quite pleased with them

I have United Health Care and was under the impression that you had to see your doctor at least once a year. Fortunately I don't have any health issues at this time so l'm OK seeing the PA. When I was going to have surgery, I went for my pre-op tests and my doctor came in and asked if I had a cardiologist. Something was seen on my EKG that she didn't like. Turns out it was nothing but it made me feel good to know that she was called immediately when there may have been a problem. You can always request that you see your PC at every visit but you may have to wait awhile for an appointment.

[banjobob]

Thats the way it works , for routine blood work analysis why not just have a phone visit to review your results. Making an appointment to see them is a waste of time and money unless you are ill. An Yearly physical examine should be done by the doctor.

[NoMo50]

These scenarios are particularly acute within dermatology practices. For your routine visits, you are going to draw one of the PA's. However, I have found this to be just fine. The PA I see at Alliant Dermatology is thoroughly professional, and is very focused on her patients. The MDs stay plenty busy fielding more serious concerns and procedures, such as MOHS surgeries. In this environment, a good PA is more than acceptable.