Tips on choosing a doctor?

[awpitt]

Wow, I guess I've been lucky. I loved their staff and my doctor. Now I feel bad for recommending them. I hope you find a good doctor. I'd recommend mine here, but he's an internist and you don't need that.

Don't feel bad for recommending someone who you've had good experience with. In my case, I've been going to Breton Medical Group since before they became Breton Medical Group. They started out in the building next to the Air Museum, moved to Moakley street, then to San Souci, and now there moving to the new biulding next to CVS across from Khols. There are folks in these forums who hate BMG. I've always had good experiences there.

 

[acommondisaster]

I saw Dr. Sajja (Shah Associates) up at the Bean medical center for a year or two. I found him to be detached and uninterested. Very nice nurses, though!

If you're up for the drive, the Bauers (Karen and her father, Robert) (Shah Associates) up in Mechanicsville were very good. I saw them until I moved down to Lexington Park. Too much of a drive for me!

I'm currently seeing Dr. Gill (Shah Associates), he has offices in Leonardtown and the Bean medical center. So far I'm liking him. His nurses are great, he takes the time to read your chart before coming in and he takes the time to talk to you without making everything seem rushed. I'm also impressed with the wait times at his Leonardtown office. He doesn't seem to double and triple book like many other doctors around here do.

My husband sees Dr Sajj - he told me the doctor really emphasizes blood pressure and weight (both of which my husband is good with) but has also mentioned he's got a detached kind of demeanor.

Dr Gill was my doctor at Shah. I loved him and his staff. His nurses took their time, were great with the needles and never failed to call that day with lab results. Dr Gill took his time to explain my health issues and the wait was short. I really can't say enough good. My only problem was the drive and trouble scheduling (my screwy schedule, not his).

 

[acommondisaster]

i am very interested as well. does there happen to be a good one in the Waldorf area maybe? my wife and I have been going to Dr. Leon's office. nice that they have walk in appt's but the wait is so long, then when you go to the back the wait starts all over again. 1 of 2 people in there last friday and i was stuck there for 2.5 hours before seeing doctor. crazy

I'm going to PM you with my current Waldorf doctor. I know how frustrating the waits are at Dr Leon's.

 

[GopherM]

My primary care physician is Dr. Jeffrey (with Shah Assoc.) in Leonardtown. I have gone to him for years and he is fantastic. I have had experience with several of the other Shahs and associates and they have all treated me well and provided excellent care. I think if you listed ever doctor in the country you will get about a 50/50 split on the love hate relationship.

If you just need check ups for the time being, pick one, go to them and see what sort of relationship you form with them and whether they meet your needs. If they don't then move on.

 

[quattroginger]

whats the turn around time on your results for all these doctors people are recommending? mine takes a week + just to receive something in the mail that sates i need another visit to discuss my results with the doctor. then they always try to charge my insurance again to get my results that i already paid for a week or more ago when i was sick.

 

[acommondisaster]

whats the turn around time on your results for all these doctors people are recommending? mine takes a week + just to receive something in the mail that sates i need another visit to discuss my results with the doctor. then they always try to charge my insurance again to get my results that i already paid for a week or more ago when i was sick.

When I was seeing Dr Gill (Shah Associates) I almost always got a phonecall the next day with lab results. Once, they called my house before I'd even gotten home from my appointment with results and a request for me to make another appointment. The call was almost always from the nurse I saw during my visit. My husband sees Dr Sajja (Shah Assoc.) and he generally gets a call back in 1 or 2 days. I've never had them mail anything that I can think of - always a personal phonecall - and I have serious health concerns. Never had a billing problem with them.

 

[solidsison]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to read. A little background: I grew up in a military family and healthcare was always a no brainer because I just had to go to the clinic on base and get whatever I needed taken care of. Now that I'm out on my own I'm a little confused on the best way to choose my new doctor other than simply asking people for guidance. I feel like it's a big decision and I'm going through some major changes in my life.

I have taken control of my habits after spending a lot of time enjoying the delights of being over 21. I've worked off a lot of weight so far and intend to improve on my progress but would like the guidance of a doctor to make sure I keep myself healthy (and that I am currently healthy, no physical in 2 years). Does your doctor sound like someone that could help out someone like me? I'm male and would probably prefer a male doctor but I am entirely clueless as to what is best and very open to recommendations.

If you go to Find a Doctor and use NFH as the prefix and search based on zip code 20653 you will see what I have access to.

I'm at a loss and feel like I'm throwing a dart when trying to figure out who to go to; any advice? Thank you again for reading.

(I realized right before posting that this is probably better in the Health subforum, I hope posting it here isn't too selfish.)

Go outa town (Out of Southern MD) unless you want more issues than when you walked in.

 

[BOP]

I was hoping this thread was gonna be about playing doctor.

 

[alex]

I like the Drs and PAs at Calvert Internal Mediciine. They have offices in Solomons, Prince Fred and Dunkirk.

 

[OldHillcrestGuy]

i am very interested as well. does there happen to be a good one in the Waldorf area maybe? my wife and I have been going to Dr. Leon's office. nice that they have walk in appt's but the wait is so long, then when you go to the back the wait starts all over again. 1 of 2 people in there last friday and i was stuck there for 2.5 hours before seeing doctor. crazy

I am familiar with the waits at Dr.Leon's office, they move slowly.
I go to Southern Maryland Primary Care in the Cambridge building in Waldorf and see Dr. Sharma, they dont overbook usually out in 30-45 minutes, he spends time with his patients and he will personally call with results to tests and blood work usually in 24 hours, and always around 5pm after the office clears out of patients.
Only negative is that he has had some health issue's and only recently started back to work on a light schedule. There is another doctor in the practice, Dr Sein, I have only had dealings with him once when I was in the hospital, so I dont know much about him.

 

[DooDoo1402]

Go outa town (Out of Southern MD) unless you want more issues than when you walked in.

I really hate when people respond with this baloney! Like we have time to curry-comb the region and make appointments to all the doctors in DC, Baltimore or Annapolis. Why not suggest to find a doctor in Virgina, because Maryland doesn't have any good ones.

As the OP, I have attempted to find a familty doctor in the immediate LP area with no luck. Like this thread, I have had many co-workers and friends recommend doctor so and so. I have tried to follow up on some recommendations, only to find that some of the really good ones are not taking "new patients". I never heard of that until I moved here. Many of the other local doctors (especially the shah) are processors, not real family doctors. They make an appt and make you sit for an hour or more past the appt time (because they always over book), sending you thru different stations... then treat you like a "vet on a horse" and later bash on your medical provider top dollar for the charges that nearly always must be reduced or patient is responsible. It's all a f*****g game to most of them. Then they hire these geek billing companies (many work from home) and process the crap out of it all (medicare/medicaid, BCBS, etc.). Each have their own forms and rules. You are nothing but a patient number to them and a source of revenue... and try not paying. ha! The billing folks will dash it off to collections, who will ruin your credit quicker than a fly on sheet! It's all a racket. But we don't need socialized health care. The profit companies have everything under control... clah!

And the powers and decision makers in this county feel they must bring in more fast food restaurants and extravagant burger places than REAL doctors! Raise your hand if you look forward to retiring in southern maryland with that kind of thinking and leadership... we have some of the highest taxes in the state, but what do we get? Red Robin burgers and a $1M Great Mills road re-development for strippers!

 

[BernieP]

Shahs suck.

JMHO.

would have to concur, any practice that has been absorbed into their corporate empire goes down hill.

Back to the OP

#1 with a bullet, check with your health insurance provider if you are a PPO or HMO to see who their primary care physician are. That might limit you choices to a degree.

#2 personal preferences, you stated you wanted a male, is english as a second language acceptable (I kid). Back to serious, do you want a family practice or one that just does adults. Younger or older doctor - does age mater?

#3 hours and location - close to work, close to home, hours of operation. Nothing like a doctor (or dentist) office that forces you to take a a day off from work for something minor because of the time involved.

#4 recommendations from family, friends and co-workers. I would narrow my search and then ask about specific medical practices, don't just put out a blanket "who do you like" - you get to many opinions.

Good luck

 

[BernieP]

Dear DooDoo,

Your thinking is full of pooh pooh. All of your "issues" are private enterprise issues. The "powers that be" cannot force doctors to locate here, they cannot force restaurants, theaters or any private enterprise to open shop in SMC or Southern Maryland.

If you haven't noticed, the population of SMC and So MD in general is tiny when compared to any but the Eastern Shore areas. Along with geography it doesn't make for an attractive economic climate

As for a medical practice not taking on patients, that could well be a limitation imposed by your insurance company. In order to share the wealth, the insurance companies may limit the number of it's customers (that's patient to the doctor) each doctor/practice can sign up.

 

[DooDoo1402]

Dear DooDoo,

Your thinking is full of pooh pooh. All of your "issues" are private enterprise issues. The "powers that be" cannot force doctors to locate here, they cannot force restaurants, theaters or any private enterprise to open shop in SMC or Southern Maryland.

If you haven't noticed, the population of SMC and So MD in general is tiny when compared to any but the Eastern Shore areas. Along with geography it doesn't make for an attractive economic climate

As for a medical practice not taking on patients, that could well be a limitation imposed by your insurance company. In order to share the wealth, the insurance companies may limit the number of it's customers (that's patient to the doctor) each doctor/practice can sign up.

Well young man, your response is baloney too. Apparently you never worked on any county committees since your nitwit response shows you don't understand how local government works. Private enterprise don't decide what businesses are licensed, zoning, regs and codes. Contact the Land Use, Zoning and Code committee. They [might] give you an insight how things work. But I really doubt it. The Commissioners, who the committees work for, have a large say of what businesses build and operate here. In fact, they have many other authorities and tools to attract and intice businesses. And they can use those same authorities and tools to allow monopolies, which cause others to stay away. Do you really think the shortage of good family doctors around here is because of private enterprise? lol. Well I have some great ocean front property in Kentucky for sale too! They do announce when they hold public meetings. Perhaps you should try them. You might learn who controls what, where and why businesses operate around here.

 

[DooDoo1402]

Some do this to remain good providers. If a provider can only service X amount of patients providing a certain level of care, they can either degrade the care they are giving or limit the amount of patients they accept.

Yes, I understand the rationale. But my point was I never witnessed that until I moved here. [Note: see my previous posts]

 

[BernieP]

Government only inhibits, it dictates permitted uses and the rules - number of parking spots, impervious surface coverage, density, retail / residential / commercial / industrial etc. Government does not put up a sign and say "Ruth Criss stay out" or "Sony Theaters go away" - that's entirely up to the owners of siad business.

Government, state government, might disuade doctors from certain areas by encouraging them to open practices in areas the state wants to target. There is a physician shortage in this country and a lot of it has to do with Medicare and private insurance. The US federal government sets the standards via Medicare / Medicaid legislation. They set the rules that the other insurance companies tend to follow. It's why you no longer see private, sole practictioner, offices. Why you see a group practice with more people working administrative functions then medical.

I know for a fact that years ago the cable advisory panel wanted to throw then then Western Shore Cable out on it's ear and replace it with a Cox or Comcast. Problem was the big boys decided there just weren't enough homes in lil ol St. Mary's County to make it worth their investment. Hence you got SSDD.

We still have not pushed the role of government all the way over to the Marist side but we are getting there.

 

[daylily]

I like the Drs and PAs at Calvert Internal Mediciine. They have offices in Solomons, Prince Fred and Dunkirk.

That's where hubby and I go also. Usually the wait isn't too bad and they get you an appointment pretty quickly when you call. Hubby prefers a male doctor, tries to go to Dr. Lowenthal when he's available. Another male doctor there, Dr. Judge, has no bedside manner/crappy personality but he knows his stuff. I'd go back to him in a heartbeat but I'm ok with a doctor who is strictly business, no small talk.

 

[acommondisaster]

Never felt like just a number, never had long waits to see the doctor, never had a bill sent to collections - nothing bad to say about Shah. Liked that if I made an appointment at the Bean Building I could get just about everything done there.
Born in India, Transforming Rural Md.

Everyone always seems to have strong feelings one way or another about their medical care. I've known people who swear by the military healthcare; I wouldn't take a dog there. I guess the key is to graciously take recommendations from people you trust and then make up your own mind about what feels right for you and your family.

 

[officeguy]

There are a number of reasons why St Marys county has limited choices when it comes to medical practices:

- The hospital isn't terribly well managed and does a poor job recruiting new providers to the area.
- Private payors in Maryland reimburse poorly, most are even worse than the goverment (medicare/tricare).
- The tax environment is not favorable to locating a capital intensive business like a medical practice in the county. While other rural counties in Maryland dont tax business property, St Marys is right up there with the best of them with its 2.14% mill-rate.
- The medical market is dominated by a single group that is not above using its sway with the hospital and market dominance to quash any new entrants.

 

[BernieP]

There are a number of reasons why St Marys county has limited choices when it comes to medical practices:

- The hospital isn't terribly well managed and does a poor job recruiting new providers to the area.
- Private payors in Maryland reimburse poorly, most are even worse than the goverment (medicare/tricare).
- The tax environment is not favorable to locating a capital intensive business like a medical practice in the county. While other rural counties in Maryland dont tax business property, St Marys is right up there with the best of them with its 2.14% mill-rate.
- The medical market is dominated by a single group that is not above using its sway with the hospital and market dominance to quash any new entrants.

Thank you, very good ratoinale, you could add that Maryland as a state is experiencing problems with specialized practices because of malpractice insurance issues.
The tax environment reinforces the point that government can create an environment, but not dictate whether a business comes into the county. Obviously if money is to be made, they will come. When the population density is low, income may not offset the fixed costs imposed by the real estate tax. But the BOCC would probably tell you businesses don't vote, people do, and if they had to shift that tax burden to home owneres they would risk re-election.

Oh, don't we all know who they are - what's a four letter word for mafia that begans with the letter S?