Gastrointestinal/Abdominal Colonoscopy

[Cmaier]

Got an email asking me to fill out a survey from my last visit and for the first time I ever I gave them negative feedback, something I'm normally careful not to do because I know it can really impact one's career.

I stated that the GI NP I spoke with was polite and inquisitive but expressed my disappointment with the refusal to allow me any of the known alternatives. Also pointed out that I believe their doctors are so overworked that they cannot offer any sort of personalized care so they rely on stringent standards without any consideration for my background with diverticulitis.

On another note I took this up with ChatGPT, did my best to phrase the questions as objectively as possible as not to lead it one way or the other. I only expressed concerns about the colonoscopy, it then asked about my other background issues and history. In the end it still recommended the colonoscopy but also stated the minimal risks of not getting one and alternatives (much like @Roller said) and gave tips on how to monitor going forward, this is what I would expect from medical professionals. Even though I take it as anecdotal information, that machine treated me better than any doctor I've seen from Kaiser in the last decade.

This is why I am heartbroken that the only decent primary care physician I’ve had since high school is packing up and moving to the east coast.

 

[Eric]

This is why I am heartbroken that the only decent primary care physician I’ve had since high school is packing up and moving to the east coast.

Not sure who you're with but even though I love the fact that Kaiser is an all in one stop shop when it comes to pharmacy, test, etc. it just seems like they're more of a factory farm ushering people in and out as fast as possible while loading down their professionals with all they can handle. I also had a doctor up in Oregon at one point who was awesome but he also moved unfortunately.

I wonder where one can go for more personalized care, maybe it's more expensive I don't know but it would be worth it for someone who takes more than a couple of minutes to assess and herd you through.

 

[Citysnaps]

I wonder where one can go for more personalized care, maybe it's more expensive I don't know but it would be worth it for someone who takes more than a couple of minutes to assess and herd you through.

I went through that early last year, trying to find a local-ish doctor in a private practice (after Sutter Health let me down trying to schedule an appointment). They're rare, at least in the San Francisco mid-peninsula. Those that I did find were likely to retire soon - or becoming a concierge practice (and needing to pay around $100K/year). I'd then have to find another doc as soon as that happened.

As I mentioned in a past post, I ended up going with Stanford Medicine. I was initially reluctant believing they would be Kaiser-esque, but that turned out to not be the case. I have an excellent primary care doctor who is easy to see. Or, if booked up, and need to see a doc quickly, there's Express Care at Stanford where you can book an appointment in the morning to see a doctor a few hours later. That was great when I had a hernia and needed to deal with that. They also have a couple of remote clinics in the SF Peninsula.

 

[Cmaier]

Not sure who you're with but even though I love the fact that Kaiser is an all in one stop shop when it comes to pharmacy, test, etc. it just seems like they're more of a factory farm ushering people in and out as fast as possible while loading down their professionals with all they can handle. I also had a doctor up in Oregon at one point who was awesome but he also moved unfortunately.

I wonder where one can go for more personalized care, maybe it's more expensive I don't know but it would be worth it for someone who takes more than a couple of minutes to assess and herd you through.

my wife uses a concierge doctor. costs $3000 a year for the privilege, and she loves it. i can’t bring myself to do that, though.

 

[Roller]

Being in the medical profession, I've been fortunate to be able to access resources that most people couldn't. This included getting me and my family into PCP/internal medicine practices that were ostensibly closed to new patients. I always looked for physicians who were thorough, highly competent, and willing to listen to me, even if I didn't always agree with their assessments. It's a little harder now that I'm retired, but at least I know who to call, the questions to ask, and what to say, so we still get the care we need.

 

[Eric]

my wife uses a concierge doctor. costs $3000 a year for the privilege, and she loves it. i can’t bring myself to do that, though.

So that's on top of the normal insurance then? I would almost be willing to do it if that's the case and I didn't have to switch plans but a quick google shows Kaiser doesn't offer it. The biggest problem is that we already pay over $27,000 a year for insurance and that's just the silver plan so the copays for visits and tests are also pretty high. It's the main reason I have to subsidize by taking drone/photography work I don't necessarily want to do. We had a financial plan all set for retirement but didn't count on the Trump coefficient.

 

[Eric]

Being in the medical profession, I've been fortunate to be able to access resources that most people couldn't. This included getting me and my family into PCP/internal medicine practices that were ostensibly closed to new patients. I always looked for physicians who were thorough, highly competent, and willing to listen to me, even if I didn't always agree with their assessments. It's a little harder now that I'm retired, but at least I know who to call, the questions to ask, and what to say, so we still get the care we need.

I have a friend who retired from Kaiser and he and his family get the same thing, huge benefit not to ever have to worry about paying for healthcare.

 

[Cmaier]

So that's on top of the normal insurance then? I would almost be willing to do it if that's the case and I didn't have to switch plans but a quick google shows Kaiser doesn't offer it. The biggest problem is that we already pay over $27,000 a year for insurance and that's just the silver plan so the copays for visits and tests are also pretty high. It's the main reason I have to subsidize by taking drone/photography work I don't necessarily want to do. We had a financial plan all set for retirement but didn't count on the Trump coefficient.

Yeah, she’s on my insurance but the 3k gets her membership with the doctor. Pretty much guaranteed same day or next day appointments, no time limits, etc. my daughter is included in whatever plan she has there. I use sutter and Stanford myself. I think sutter has some sort of concierge thing if you pay for it but I don’t know details. I can ask my wife for the link to what she uses. Don’t know if they are in your part of the bay.

 

[Roller]

I have a friend who retired from Kaiser and he and his family get the same thing, huge benefit not to ever have to worry about paying for healthcare.

We still pay a lot for healthcare post retirement (Medicare + supplemental plan), but I can at least navigate the system reasonably well, as well as find physicians and other providers who know what they're doing.

 

[Cmaier]

I have a friend who retired from Kaiser and he and his family get the same thing, huge benefit not to ever have to worry about paying for healthcare.

@Eric My wife’s doctor works for this place. Looks like they are all over the place: https://signaturemd.com/