Posted by kate9999 on March 31, 2001, at 5:46:24
In reply to Re: Bad doctors (referrals) » Bill L, posted by MarkinBoston on March 29, 2001, at 17:00:38
Yeah I've done the teaching hosp routine here in Boston - WRONG WAY TO GO. I've never met a bigger bunch of shmucks who:
1. Don't return phone calls
2. Don't spend any time in appointments
3. Couldn't care less about my opinion
4. Couldn't care less period.In retrospect (far retrospect) I sympathize with them. I think they're in a vicious rat race, swamped with very sick patients and just plain don't have time to do the job right.
Actually what's worked out best for me is a guy at a local suburban hospital who USED to be at one of the big teaching hospitals.
> I've had little success calling Boston teaching hospitals for referrals of endocrinologists specializing in mens' health. The referral line is often operated by a non-medical person working off a list of specialties, and sometimes doctors will list specific areas of interest. So, I've gotten names and numbers that were useless. The same information I found on the hospital web site and I knew what the subspecialties were about more than the call taker.
>
> If at all possible, getting a name from a senior doctor well tied in to networking with peers is a better bet. You just have to get 1-2 minutes of access to that doc.
>
> Another thing I have done is ask pharmicists. They surely know the bad docs who can't write a script correctly and waste their time, making them call the doc for clarification. They remember the ones that write contraindicated meds based on bad interactions or patient conditions. Pharmicists don't have the attitude and arn't competing for patients, so I like them as a resource. Find a time when they arn't busy and have time to talk.
>
> Hospital nurses know who the good docs are too. Ones in their 30's are best to ask - experienced enough, and not burned out yet.
>
> My experiences with teaching hospital docs is that it takes months to get an appointment, they have the largest egos, and are the least willing to try new things.
>
> > My advise is to call a teaching hospital and ask for a referral. That should not be any problem in Atlanta. Doesn't Emory have a medical school and hospital? If not, I'm sure there are others. I think that the teaching hospital docs keep up with things and see a high volume of patients which is important. Of course unfortunately there is still no guarantee that the doc will not be obnoxious.
> >
> > If you want to switch docs, you should call for a referral right away since you might have to wait a couple of weeks for an appointment.
poster:kate9999
thread:57824
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010327/msgs/58191.html