Ob office keeps assigning me to PA or other obs, is that normal?

[Anonymous]

Op again. Is cwc silver spring better than bethesda location ? I’m thinking of transferring there if it worth it.

[Anonymous]

Or rockville location ?

Anonymous wrote:Op again. Is cwc silver spring better than bethesda location ? I’m thinking of transferring there if it worth it.

[Anonymous]

Normal. They want you to rotate through everyone so 1. all staff is up to date on your file should they deliver you and 2. you are familiar with everyone that may deliver your baby

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or rockville location ?

Anonymous wrote:Op again. Is cwc silver spring better than bethesda location ? I’m thinking of transferring there if it worth it.

It's going to be the same at all CWC. And at most larger practices.

[Anonymous]

I go to Foxhall and they encourage you to rotate but they always ask who I want to see. If I’m booking after an appointment they default to whoever I just saw. Sometimes I say I can see anyone in the group (not all the doctors take my insurance and/or rotate), especially if I need a specific date or time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I go to CWC as well and am also “on rotation.”

I get it, but it isn’t my favorite. Definitely feels like my visits are checkbox exercises for the doctors.

For my first, I went to a small practice and saw the same doc at every appointment so was really able to develop a relationship. I cared more about feeling comfortable asking questions, etc. through those 9 months with my provider than whether or not I had met the doc who would deliver my baby once or twice.

They really are though. Which is good! It’s a good thing to have a routine pregnancy. If nothing is wrong, you don’t need any treatment. The prenatal visits are all just screening.

One thing I have learned to do as I’ve gotten older is to write down my questions and read them at the appointment. This keeps me from chickening out and I can kind of “blame” the paper. I know that is an unnecessary concept but it works for me. I do this with my kids’ pediatrician too. But it also forces me to look at the question and see if I can find the answer myself to save everyone time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is annoying but in reality you may not be delivered by your usual OB, so it's a good idea to get to know others in the practice. I liked my doctor who did all my checkups but she broke an ankle right before I gave birth so she wasn't able to do any deliveries. Surprises happen.

+1. My OB didn't deliver my first two and I'm not counting on her delivering my third - due in a few weeks. If you want to see your OB then when you are scheduling say "I want to make an appointment with Dr. X" and ask for only her availability. If you are prioritizing days/times that work for you they may give you whoever works. If your OB sees a lot of patients you may need to see her at times that are inconvenient for you if you want to see her.

[Anonymous]

I delivered my first with CWC and second with Reiter Hill. Both pregnancies I tried to rotate around all the OBs to at least meet all of them. I failed - both times I delivered with an OB I never met before. This is pretty typical of delivering a baby in DC, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I go to CWC as well and am also “on rotation.”

I get it, but it isn’t my favorite. Definitely feels like my visits are checkbox exercises for the doctors.

For my first, I went to a small practice and saw the same doc at every appointment so was really able to develop a relationship. I cared more about feeling comfortable asking questions, etc. through those 9 months with my provider than whether or not I had met the doc who would deliver my baby once or twice.

They really are though. Which is good! It’s a good thing to have a routine pregnancy. If nothing is wrong, you don’t need any treatment. The prenatal visits are all just screening.

One thing I have learned to do as I’ve gotten older is to write down my questions and read them at the appointment. This keeps me from chickening out and I can kind of “blame” the paper. I know that is an unnecessary concept but it works for me. I do this with my kids’ pediatrician too. But it also forces me to look at the question and see if I can find the answer myself to save everyone time.

Eh. I think we all have been numbed to expect to be treated this way by the medical field, especially in the DMV, but it isn't ideal. I am a pretty strong advocate for myself and also know that when doctors are rewarded for high-volume billing over quality of care, as our current system encourages, balls will be dropped. The doctor I was "rotated" to see at CWC after going into the hospital a few days previously for some light bleeding, for example, didn't even know I had been in the hospital until I asked them to double-check my chart when they seemed confused by some questions I was asking (while she was trying to rush me out the door).

More broadly, having a trusted doctor-patient relationship is a key part of true high-quality care. Such relationships enable providers to better identify and address potential health issues because a patient is much more likely to ask about something that may seem like "nothing" or that they're embarrassed/ashamed about. This can be particularly important, for example, for women of color or others who have good reason to distrust the medicine.

Having experienced both approaches, much prefer to have a consistent doctor. Others may disagree.