Primary care doctor? One in the north, one in the south?

[bighatnohorse]

Does anyone have two primary care doctors?
Or one primary care doc and a secondary southern GP doc?
How does that work? How did you get the second doc?

[bighatnohorse]

I've been thinking about the topic and discussing it with my better half and it occured to me that my local primary care doc would be the one to ask first - if he works with a PCP doc in Arizona - I'm sure that I would not be his first patient to winter down south.

Maybe someone else could ask their PC doc and see if it's been done before?

[rk911]

charlestonsouthern wrote:
Deb and Ed, I'm guessing that you two are on Medicare. My husband and I drive to Florida for one or two weeks a year from SC and are now on Medicare. Years ago, my parents' next door neighbors decided to move to Tampa to be near family, and because Florida administers the health plan, they were required to become part of a State Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) which does not allow a new resident to openly choose any primary care physician; Ellie really hated that because she did a lot of research on candidates here in SC before she chose her primary care physician. Personally, I was surprised when she told me this since Medicare is a federal program, but each state seems to administer Medicare its own way. Ellie and her husband have passed on now, and possibly the Florida rules could have changed. However, since that discussion with Ellie, we vowed never to move to Florida; nice place to visit often but never spend months there if not feeling well.

she may have meant MEDICAID. AFAIK states have no control over or input for MEDICARE. during our recent snowbird trip to AZ i had a non-CV19 medical issue. over 5-days i saw 4-docs including one in an ER, two blood draws, an MRI and CT-Scan. no issues with medicare and my BC/BS supplement.

[charlestonsouth]

Deb and Ed, I'm guessing that you two are on Medicare. My husband and I drive to Florida for one or two weeks a year from SC and are now on Medicare. Years ago, my parents' next door neighbors decided to move to Tampa to be near family, and because Florida administers the health plan, they were required to become part of a State Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) which does not allow a new resident to openly choose any primary care physician; Ellie really hated that because she did a lot of research on candidates here in SC before she chose her primary care physician. Personally, I was surprised when she told me this since Medicare is a federal program, but each state seems to administer Medicare its own way. Ellie and her husband have passed on now, and possibly the Florida rules could have changed. However, since that discussion with Ellie, we vowed never to move to Florida; nice place to visit often but never spend months there if not feeling well.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Thanks for posting the question, and the answers. When Covid-19 reared its ugly head, Ed and I wondered who we'd contact if we needed medical help while in Florida. As it turned out, we managed to not become infected - but still will probably seek out a PCP in our area down there.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

BarbaraOK wrote:

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:
I thought doctors now accept consultations by phone in case you are out of town.

Have not tried this ourselves since we are reasonably healthy and would set an appointment only for regular physicals twice a year.

But our PCP would assure us we can call her anytime, consulting hours of course.

Dave has done two 'office visits' with his nephrologist this spring. He went and had labs drawn a week ahead, then did the visit via Face Time. I had to make sure I had his weight that morning, as well as blood pressure, medication list, etc., for the nurse who called ahead of the appointment - all of those things that they go over with you before you see the physician. He can't do that with the cardiologist because they need to listen to his heart. And for our primary care physician, we update via the patient portal. Medicare will now pay for telemedicine visits just like regular office visits.

Yes, and thank you for this info that everyone should emulate.

And indeed, not a few cases need to have a face time with the physician.

Even in common cough, the doctor needs to diagnose and listen to your breathing as to whether it's just upper respiratory tract infection on something more serious.

[CarnationSailor]

Last year I had a trip to the ER in Palm Springs, CA where I was treated. The ER said to followup with my PCP in two weeks. I said no problem. Then I tried to find a doc that would see me in less than the standard 4 month wait for a "new patient" appt. (I didn't have a PCP in CA.) After a lot of talking, I was able to get an appt. in 3 weeks.

I liked this doctor so I asked her to be my Snowbird PCP, and she agreed. I saw her again 3 months later for a different issue, then soon after she moved from the area.

I plan to search for a new Snowbird PCP about 4 months before we head south this year. That way my "new patient" appt. should happen soon after we arrive. I like having a local PCP at both ends so that I can quickly be seen by someone I know and trust rather than taking "potluck" at an urgent care.

[bighatnohorse]

We went to a Doc-in-the-box who missed the diagnosis.
A physical therapist at Mayo Clinic was a mistake.
The soonest a primary care physican was available was six weeks out!

DW flew home and saw her PCP who diagnoised a life threatening condition.
And the diagnosis was made with a simple physical exam!

A good PCP is essential in my experience which is why I ask.

[BarbaraOK]

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:
I thought doctors now accept consultations by phone in case you are out of town.

Have not tried this ourselves since we are reasonably healthy and would set an appointment only for regular physicals twice a year.

But our PCP would assure us we can call her anytime, consulting hours of course.

Dave has done two 'office visits' with his nephrologist this spring. He went and had labs drawn a week ahead, then did the visit via Face Time. I had to make sure I had his weight that morning, as well as blood pressure, medication list, etc., for the nurse who called ahead of the appointment - all of those things that they go over with you before you see the physician. He can't do that with the cardiologist because they need to listen to his heart. And for our primary care physician, we update via the patient portal. Medicare will now pay for telemedicine visits just like regular office visits.

[Edd505]

I had no issue traveling urgent care for minor, Er for more serious. I was admitted in IL for an issue Mayo AZ had taken care of years ago. Dr sent for the records & had them faxed in a couple hrs. Sent his findings back to Mayo when I was released.

[pawatt]

We have in MN and Texas.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

I thought doctors now accept consultations by phone in case you are out of town.

Have not tried this ourselves since we are reasonably healthy and would set an appointment only for regular physicals twice a year.

But our PCP would assure us we can call her anytime, consulting hours of course.

[wanderingaimles]

As others mentioned use of the "Doc in the Box" is common, but one other thing you may want to do if you have multiple doctors in the same system is to pull a copy of your medical records onto either a thumbdrive or a cd and take that with you. It will give any other docs you need to see all the information from meds to cases and even x-ray and CT results.
We have carried these for about the last 5 years and they came in handy twice.

[Ron___Shirley]

We have a primary care Dr in Missouri where we get our yearly Physical. We also have an internal medicine Dr. in the Rio Grande Valley.
We have a cardiologist in both Missouri and the Rio Grande Valley. We see each one once a year unless the need arises to see more often.
We spend more time in south Texas than Missouri but want to be covered on both ends.
We have Medicare and Humana. It works for us.

[rk911]

we don't. i needed to see a doc last april while we were still in AZ for a non CV19 issue so i just went to a local "doc-in-the-box". thru treatment and referrals i saw a doc who could be our PCP in AZ but didn't care for his methods or approach. we both have chronic but under control health issues but in the 25-yrs we've been heading to AZ in the winter/spring we've only needed to see docs twice, once for each of us.