Looking for a specialist...
in Health ·
swiftcrane3 said:Hey there! I'm not really sure where to ask this, so here goes... If I want to switch my primary care doctor, do I actually HAVE to go see my old one first?
Basically, there's a doctor much closer to my place, and I wanted to drop by and see if they're accepting new patients. If they say yes, what's the deal with the paperwork? Besides getting things sorted at the office on Main Street, do I really have to trek all the way across town to my current doctor just to grab my files or something? Thanks!
Yeah, unfortunately, you do. At least, that’s how they tell you. I went through the whole process of switching doctors a while back and had to stop by the office on Main Street. I brought over the transfer form I got from the new clinic, and they just entered it into their system, stamped it, and handed it back to me to take to both my old and new doctors. When I asked, "Wait, can't you guys just handle that on your end?" the lady just gave me this look and said, "No," like I was being ridiculous. 🤔🙄
So, here we are in 2018, living in the 21st century... still walking around carrying piles of paper from the new doctor, to Medicare, then back to the old one...
Just imagine if, in some distant future, they actually invent computers and a decent IT system. Who knows, maybe then life will get a little easier for us. 🙄