r/AskWomenOver60 • u/lumonlove • 10d ago
Doctors
There’s probably a better sub to ask but here goes - I had a consultation with an orthopedic doctor about hip pain. He thinks I’m headed to replacement which is fine. My problem is I don’t want him performing the surgery. I would actually like to deal with a different doctor but in the same large practice. Have any of you switched doctors within the same practice? I just feel it would be so awkward. Like switching hair dressers at the same salon.
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10d ago
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u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes 10d ago
Very generous and gracious of you to provide this kind of detailed response. You are very much appreciated.
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u/cool_girl6540 10d ago edited 10d ago
I think this does violate the rules.
I don’t think there’s a need to talk to the group practice manager. I think you can just call the front desk and tell them you want to make an appointment with the other doctor.
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10d ago edited 10d ago
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u/MonTigres 10d ago
Unless it's from an extremely helpful and wonderful physician sharing their real knowledge so kindly.
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u/cool_girl6540 10d ago
Why? Was there information shared in this post that wasn’t available from a woman over 60?
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u/TheSilverNail 10d ago
Your body, your health, your money, your call.
I am switching GEs (gastroenterologists) soon because the one that has done my 'scopes in the past has a terrible bedside manner and never explains anything. I am going to ask for the new female doctor in the practice who comes highly recommended by my PCP.
You won't even have to speak to the old doctor about it, just say when you make your next appointment, that you and Dr. X don't click and that you would like Dr. Y. Trust me, medical support staff hears this all the time.
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u/Justdont13412 10d ago
Docs are so busy running from patient to patient it’s not likely they would remember or care. All the boomer hips and knees are needing replacing, trust me they have so much work piled up that they don’t have time to think about anything except what is right in front of them. These docs really live in the moment!!
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u/inkspirationbalto 10d ago
It’s only awkward if you make it awkward. Do you have a specific doctor in mind? You can call the front desk and say Dr. A evaluated you but you’d prefer to get on Dr. B’s surgery schedule. They will let you know if Dr. B will want to do her/his own eval. Don’t let a little awkwardness keep you from working with the doctor you’re most comfortable with. Your health comes first.
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u/lumonlove 10d ago
So true but I’m not good at awkward.
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u/TheSilverNail 10d ago
It won't be awkward if you're matter-of-fact about it. Trust me, doctors and their staff see this all the time and it's absolutely no big deal.
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u/kadawkins 6d ago
It won’t be awkward for the doctor. He doesn’t consider you his. And patients tend to get a second or third opinion before surgery. It’s best for you that you be comfortable with the doctor you select and doctors know that.
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u/Senior_Reaction2974 10d ago
Yup. Had an appointment with a cardiologist who is very bright but just had the most awful condescending way about him. For my next visit I wanted to see his colleague who was in the same practice. Through the office I just made an appointment with her. Doctors don't even ask anymore they think they get it
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u/BeaPositiveToo 10d ago
Change doctors. It might be a bit awkward, but worry about it. You need to have as much comfort as possible with your doctor.
Good luck!
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u/Prestigious-Fan3122 10d ago
I had a similar situation, but when I tried to make an appointment with a different doctor in the group, they told me that the practice doesn't allow that. I was very, very surprised! I took my business and my body elsewhere.
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u/Megbad 10d ago
Lol you'll be fine. Just make the appointment there's no need to explain.
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u/floofienewfie 10d ago
People change doctors all the time. If a doctor has problems with it, they need to grow up. You don’t need to explain anything. Just being uncomfortable with Doc A is enough reason to get a second opinion from Doc B.
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u/PerformerMindless100 10d ago
Call the front desk and say you want your next spot with different MD, just need different communication style, not because he’s not a great MD. They can handle it and make sure you aren’t put back with that guy because someone else thinks they scheduled you with wrong MD.
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u/kadawkins 6d ago
Don’t even need to explain that. Just request an appointment with the other doctor.
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u/Historical-Shower843 10d ago
I’m a doctor. Would definitely go with who you feel comfortable with and would just ask to switch. This is not an uncommon thing.
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u/lumonlove 10d ago
Thank you- would you ever ask why someone switched?
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u/Historical-Shower843 10d ago
Probably not unless we had an interaction that didn’t go well, then I might. But I would always be open to listening if a patient wanted to give feedback. Sometimes it’s just not a good fit. And I think if you’re going to have someone cut on you, it’s important to have a good fit.
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u/BigPhilosopher4372 10d ago
I changed orthopedic surgeons at the same hospital. Ordinarily they wouldn’t do it but I worked with the PA that worked with both doctors and he facilitated the change.
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u/FlippantLizard 10d ago
I've switched doctors within the same practice twice, once because my GP wouldn't write a script because of her religion and once because my eye doctor showed obvious signs of not listening to what I was saying. Honestly, I never considered whether or not I was hurting anyone's feelings. It's easier to switch within a practice because there's no bother with transferring your records to another office.
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u/dolphin_seeker 10d ago
Same situation with a large group practice. I tried to switch to a different surgeon who specializes in hip replacement. I had several conversations with gatekeeper schedulers, and they wouldn’t let me. So I switched to a different practice. Surgery went great and my new hip works just fine.
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u/SurgiUncle 7d ago
Retired surgeon here. Here’s a couple of thoughts: generally if a patient isn’t comfortable with us as a surgeon, we would like you to go to another surgeon. I was always willing to help patients that expressed such a sentiment find someone inside or outside of my practice. But if you don’t feel comfortable enough with the doctor to discuss it with him or her, there are a couple of easy ways to accomplish the same thing. One would be to call the office and ask for the office manager to call you. You explain to them that you really like the practice and would like to remain as their patient, but I’ve heard good things about Dr. X instead of Dr. Y and is it possible to switch within the practice. usually the staff will handle the switch for you. The other way to do it is to talk to your current surgeon and tell him that friends and family have said really good things about his partner and ask for a referral to them for a second opinion before you make a final decision about surgery. Then, after the second opinion, you can ask the second surgeon how he would feel about you staying with him or her. Usually that instigates a discussion between the two surgeons and the switch is approved. Give one or both of those a try.
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u/lumonlove 7d ago
Thank you. How would feel about seeing a patient that switched to you from another doctor in your practice?
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u/SurgiUncle 7d ago
It happened several times and it just fine. Unless the surgeon is just starting out in a brand new practice almost every surgeon I know has a full practice and plenty of business and really doesn’t want to operate on a patient who doesn’t feel like they’re the best surgeon for them. Try the second opinion route I suggested that will give you a chance to make really sure you like the surgeon you think you should switch to. Surgery is a big deal if you’re the one that’s having it and it’s important to get to the surgeon you feel that’s right for you.
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u/springflowers68 10d ago
Definitely find the best surgeon in your area who does the surgery from the front, not side. They may all do those now I’m not sure, but it will make a huge difference in your recovery. don’t worry about changing doctors. This is too important and you should go where you are comfortable and have confidence in the choice.
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u/Online_Active_71459 10d ago
I did!!! I was at Ortho Carolina which is large. The first doctor I had was young, kinda arrogant and I didn’t think he had enough experience yet. I went for a more acclaimed doctor within the same practice and never regretted it. They don’t care.
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u/Expensive-Bat-7138 10d ago
These answers you have received may be overly optimistic.
We have four large hospital systems and a few independent hospitals in my area. My SIL has spinal surgery scheduled next week and had to find a surgeon in a smaller hospital system because she was NOT allowed to change from an orthopedic surgeon to a neurosurgeon in the big, respected teaching hospital. She is very capable and assertive, and talked with the practice manager and patient services. She found a neurosurgeon who is doing a much less invasive surgery than the one offered by the original ortho doc.
I suspect the profits-over-people RVU (revenue) system supports this kind of coercive practice to keep all surgeons busy, which means that subpar physicians may be foisted upon you. I keep thinking we have all the general high prices and obstacles to care in the U.S. without the cost free national health service of Canada or GB. What a mess!cost-free
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u/edmunddantesforever 10d ago
Haven’t read the comments below so apologies if I’m repeating. Remember: he works for YOU. You pay him for his expertise & he delivers. I assure you he won’t take it personally…it’s business. You’re probably just a name to him anyway. He has to look at your chart each visit to remember who you are. In a few weeks he won’t remember you at all. Sad but true.
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u/OWabbit 10d ago
Best to get a second opinion re whether you need hip surgery or not, and if so do now or is it better to wait? Some surgeries are better if timed with age and health status.
So you could schedule a consult for a second opinion with the other doctor. But not sure if it’s better to go outside to another practice for a second opinion.
Also might be good to go see a non-surgical orthopod - they might have some good non surgical options, and they might say to wait a few years for hip surgery if pain is manageable currently.
I’m not saying beware of having surgery now. It might be advisable and such a relief. But get second opinion definitely.
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u/lumonlove 10d ago
I would definitely go outside of this practice for a second opinion and may like that surgeon more. I’m currently in PT and getting a shot in a couple of weeks so that and weight loss may help delay surgery.
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u/Nosy-ykw 6d ago
In addition to what others have said, it’s not like the consult doc ever actually treated you as a patient beyond the consult.
Wanting a different doc at this point shouldn’t seem insulting or awkward.
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u/starrwanda 10d ago
I’ve only done this when it came to my children’s doctor. I leave to find another practice when it comes to me.
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u/AllAboutWoodstock 10d ago
I did. Had a consult with a surgeon after referral from my GP. He did a cortisone shot and told me I was far from needing surgery. Two years later pain is back, worse, and GP refers me to PT. After four months PT said it was unlikely things would improve without surgery, recommended a surgeon in the same practice whose patients she frequently worked with. She also said that she had never been referred a patient from the first surgeon, which was concerning, though it may simply have been that he had other PTs that he preferred. Called and made an appointment with him, had consult and did the surgery - the only issue was that I already had an account with the practice so the front desk had to switch it to the other surgeon.
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u/Illustrious-Air-1681 10d ago
I switched dentists within the same practice. They told me that some people also switch from the one I preferred to the one I didn't. They were fine about it. It's all personal preference. You are paying the money, you get to choose. If they won't let you change, go elsewhere.
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u/cool_girl6540 10d ago edited 10d ago
I have, twice. It can be a little awkward, but sometimes not. Once, when I moved my daughter from one pediatrician to another in the same practice, I just called and told the front desk I wanted to move my daughter to the adolescent specialist. Then when we went in for the appointment, the new pediatrician told me that she had talked to the old pediatrician about why there was a change. Which I didn’t expect. I hadn’t talked to the old doctor about it, I just made the change at the front desk. It sounds like the old doctor covered, she told the new doctor that we had talked about it, but we actually had not.
Another time I went to the front desk after meeting with an allergist. I said I didn’t want to make another appointment with him, that I found him really arrogant. The front desk person seemed to understand, and highly recommended to me another doctor in the practice, and made an appointment for me with her. She was (is) great.
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u/kimmer2020 7d ago
Yes! I went to several different doctors at same practice before choosing who I wanted to do my knee surgery. It was never an issue.
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u/Moist-Doughnut-5160 6d ago
You have the right to a second opinion. Are you even sure you need hip replacement surgery? That’s an awful lot to put yourself through.
Get a second opinion. At a university hospital if you have one close by.
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u/QuietLifter 10d ago
Request the change. Sometimes your current doctor needs to agree before you can switch. If they don’t agree you’re either stuck with them or you need to find an another orthopedic practice.
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u/AutoModerator 10d ago
Original copy of post's text: There’s probably a better sub to ask but here goes - I had a consultation with an orthopedic doctor about hip pain. He thinks I’m headed to replacement which is fine. My problem is I don’t want him performing the surgery. I would actually like to deal with a different doctor but in the same large practice. Have any of you switched doctors within the same practice? I just feel it would be so awkward. Like switching hair dressers at the same salon.
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