Does your doctor seem to care about you at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have three doctors in my family and I am positive they all care, as they often talk about (not specifics) patients and their problems. It is emotionally draining for them to see very sick children, for example, or people who do not take care of themselves, and it impacts them. Do they express themselves in a way that these patients see as caring - I do not know - but they do care. I imagine most doctors are like this.

I agree with this. Also if they spend all their time commiserating, they can’t actually fix the problem. I think many doctors are very logical and have learned to compartmentalize a bit.
Expecting your specialist to really know you when they see you only occasionally probably isn’t very realistic. A therapist you’ve seen weekly for years is a different story.

[Anonymous]

My doctor at Kaiser often wants to know if I am depressed so they can give out anti depression meds. If I am healthy I physically, I feel well mentally. I guess it's cheaper to drug patients than to help them be physically well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^or limited concierge

Anonymous wrote:Even most concierge practices have more than 200 patients.

" limited concierge"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My doctor at Kaiser often wants to know if I am depressed so they can give out anti depression meds. If I am healthy I physically, I feel well mentally. I guess it's cheaper to drug patients than to help them be physically well.

I’m a doctor. Unfortunately I can’t fix a lot of the issues that patients are having - if they come to me super stressed about work and life I can offer emotional support, recommend therapy and prescribe anti depressants. I can’t change the world.

To answer the main question. I care and it burns me out. That’s why I’m so part time (barely see patients) so I think it self selects a bit. If you care too much, you can’t do this job for long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My doctor at Kaiser often wants to know if I am depressed so they can give out anti depression meds. If I am healthy I physically, I feel well mentally. I guess it's cheaper to drug patients than to help them be physically well.

I’m a doctor. Unfortunately I can’t fix a lot of the issues that patients are having - if they come to me super stressed about work and life I can offer emotional support, recommend therapy and prescribe anti depressants. I can’t change the world.

To answer the main question. I care and it burns me out. That’s why I’m so part time (barely see patients) so I think it self selects a bit. If you care too much, you can’t do this job for long.

I see what you are saying but to some extent I think when people refer to caring what they are just talking about is focused attention. Like you want your Dr actively listening and engaging, not just going through the motions and that’s what it feels like all too often. And I’m sympathetic to drs. The whole insurance, PE thing, combined seems to have made it really tough for drs not to just feel like robots. I don’t quite understand the economics but it doesn’t seem pleasant for the drs. I’d imagine many want to develop relationships with patients but they need to keep moving. At the derm recently I thought, this really seems like a boring (although lucrative) job - in and out of the room in about 4 min, no small talk, tiny procedure, next patient,

[Anonymous]

Of course not, OP. It's a business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My doctor at Kaiser often wants to know if I am depressed so they can give out anti depression meds. If I am healthy I physically, I feel well mentally. I guess it's cheaper to drug patients than to help them be physically well.

Seriously some people will complain about anything. They inquire about mental health and you complain. They don’t and they don’t care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:US healthcare is broken. Period. It is so bad the country is increasingly no longer a viable option anymore to live in.

Well that’s some hyperbole…

[Anonymous]

I have had a handful doctors in my life who truly cared and were amazing, went out of their way to be helpful with referrals, picking up the phone during an emergency abroad for ds (this was a VERY busy surgeon, and I am still amazed by his kindness!). And then many are fine, but detached. I don't entirely blame them. It must be so exhausting and out of self-preservation. I do get upset (not outwardly, but in my head, and I don't go back) when I see a doctor and they look like they don't want to be there and aren't even paying attention at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This struck me when my PCP went concierge. They are quite prepared to leave 3/4 of their patients dangling without a primary care doctor.

This seems like a really uninformed statement.
Or they may really care and want to provide good care to the number of patients they feel they can without having to see patients every 15 minutes.

I think the right thing to do would be to identify other PCPs you know that are taking new patients and share that list with patients that don't choose to stay with you. Otherwise it really is like you are leaving a bunch of patients dangling. They chose you and you changed the rules of the game (I respect that you have your reasons) and doing nothing is cold.

[Anonymous]

I have a cardiologist who really cares. We have had to make some big decisions and we make them together. She backs up what she says with research and her personal experience. She treats me like an intelligent person and isn’t afraid to tell me things I may not want to hear. She gives me an open line of communication. She will refer me to specialists that are the best in the field and not necessarily a colleague.
Most physicians I see are not this caring but I don’t need them to be.

[Anonymous]

My psychiatrist that does med management gives me a feeling of being cared about. I have seen him for 21 years. Actually I last saw him in 2020 when he switched to phone calls because of covid. There's one every 3 months if no problems. I have talked with him about everything. He is my confidant.
He is, I estimate, 84 now. Travels, cogent. But how long can he keep on?
I will be devastated when he passes. If he hands me off first, ok, but every call date I wonder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of them ever really care. They are not family.

This is kind of true. As a reminder, this is a job. So yes, we care to the extent that we want to do a good job and troubleshoot and problem solve. I care a lot about solving your present problems, if any, and avert new ones. And I “care” to the extent that if I, say, truly believe that inhaler ABC is superior and will actually get your COPD under control, then I will go to bat to complete a prior authorization to make sure you can insurance coverage for that drug.

But do I “care” that you started smoking again in secret because your son is a ne’er do well and left his wife and this is making you anxious and you wish he would get a job and and and. ….. honestly, I don’t.

I’m sure that comes across to you as callous when I cut you off in the middle of your rambling story about your smoking relapse, when I’m explaining to you why your COPD has come raging back. I’ll write a referral to counseling for you and suggest an Internet source where you can select a therapist.

But your lifelong difficult relationship with your adult children is just beyond the scope of your 20 minute appointment. Candidly, your lifetime of poor judgment is also jot something I “care” about on the individual level.

How could I? I would like someone to explain to me how I am supposed to genuinely care about that level of background for 200 patients. You can’t.

Two hundred patients? You only have 200?

NP, PA, or subspecialist (maybe).

Average US PCP panel is around 2500 patients.

PP back again. You are correct, I dropped a zero and my current panel is around 2000. I'm in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This struck me when my PCP went concierge. They are quite prepared to leave 3/4 of their patients dangling without a primary care doctor.

This seems like a really uninformed statement.
Or they may really care and want to provide good care to the number of patients they feel they can without having to see patients every 15 minutes.

I think the right thing to do would be to identify other PCPs you know that are taking new patients and share that list with patients that don't choose to stay with you. Otherwise it really is like you are leaving a bunch of patients dangling. They chose you and you changed the rules of the game (I respect that you have your reasons) and doing nothing is cold.

There are likely none available.
Why you would blame the doctor when this issue was CLEARLY created by the insurance company is baffling. Call your insurance company to see who you can see.
I mean this expectation is not reasonable at all.