How do you change primary doctors

[Tybee]

I have medicare and I think I may need to switch doctors. I have had not good experiences with both my primary and the PA at the orthopedic practice. The primary does not communicate anything and lets balls drop. The PA told me, "oh, you don't have a Baker's cyst" and my MRI showed I had a Baker's cyst, along with a bunch of other things. She went for the easy obvious answer and ignored a lot of other things. I just read the report she finally sent the primary and there is nothing on there about the most troublesome problems--she minimized what was there and was condescending.

Husband says, "we need to start over." Only person who seems competent and interested is the hospital radiologist, who is recommending the followup testing.

How do you start over? Do I just try to find another primary and go in an explain everything? I'm real unhappy with both offices right now.

[sweetana3]

Is your doctor an independent or a member of a group? Ours is a member of a big group and we just need to ut a new doctor in the same group. They share electronic records. I understand how you feel as I have felt the same way about our doctor and am considering someone else. Right now all we have is RX refills needed from primary. Sometimes I think they want to find something wrong even when I tell them I am fine and controlling anything that comes up.

[Rogar]

I have a Medicare "advantage" plan and all it took to change the primary care doctor was a phone call to their member services as long as the doctor is in their network. I don't know about just regular Medicare. Of course then you have to find a decent doctor, which seems like no easy task these days. When I had some foot problems insurance covered a second opinion from a different podiatrist.

[Tybee]

Thanks, guys, I have original, and the primary is in a tiny office with one other person so need to change offices. The othopedic is a giant practice with towns closer to us so maybe I can use that to switch to a different doctor there but stay with the bigger doctors office.

[frugal-one]

Here you are required to see the doc to have them as primary. Did a teledoc appointment during covid.

[Yppej]

If you find one who doesn't require masks please let me know. I have not found one in NH or VT and in MA the state still has a medical mask mandate.

[catherine]

I don't think you need to do anything if you have Supplemental. I don't remember assigning a specific doctor to my insurance plan, but I could be wrong.