Getting a New Pediatrician

We are going to see a new pediatrician today. The old one--the one we've been seeing since we moved here 7 years ago--has outgrown us. The last time we visited the office, I paid $110 for a 14 minute visit...after waiting for 30 minutes in the waiting room.

With a sick 2 year old.

At check out, "the new office manager" didn't know how to handle a non-insured/self-pay account. She made a huge deal about how different this is and acted as if we were an inconvenience to her. As I recall, I had had about all I could take of sick and grumpy children and I refused to apologize for her inconvenience. Sorry. Last time I checked I was paying the bill here...if it's inconvenient for you to take my money...apparently you don't need us a client.

That last incident set us on the path to finding a new pediatrician. It's one of several complaints I have about this office...but I stuck with it because it's less than a mile from our house and has very extended hours. But no more.

So, we are going to our new pediatrician today because G has what I believe to be "the croup". Such a lovely messy problem. Who knew there were so many shades of green??

Our non-insured/self-pay status is a long story involving a well-known medical insurance company tht dropped it's coverage of all it's subscribers in Tennessee without proper notification, effectively leaving us without medical insurance and for Julian and me...eliminating the possibilty of getting new insurance due to current health conditions. It was hugely wrong and illegal and we filed a complaint with the TN Insurance Commission but nothing came of it.

So we have chosen to pay cash for our medical events. It's a blessing that we are all fairly healthy and can afford this option. The boys haven't been to the doctor for a sick-visit for the last nine months. Joal gets a cold about 2x a year and we have an excellent GP whom he sees. I see him once a quarter for Diabetes testing and his PA for other things. We really like him and his staff. He is a Christian man and one of the most personable and caring people I've ever met. His staff is friendly and comforting. The GP actually gives us a cash discount, which we really appreciate. He has taken the time to understand our position--he knows that we don't want to pay for services we don't really need...but it's not a problem to pay for what we do need. He actually took the time to check out the medical co-op we are part of via the web and ask questions about it. I'll be glad when the boys are old enough to see this GP instead of a pediatrician.

Given our experiences, I am not a fan of the insurance world.

So today we are visiting our new pediatrician for the first time. I'm a little nervous...first day of school jitters and all. LOL! It's a 40 minute drive to Franklin but we'll adjust. I think it will be worth it. It's a not-for-profit children's clinic and one of the office executives is Julian's Sunday school teacher.

If you think of it, say a prayer for us...especially the slightly stressed mommy who got 1.5 hours of sleep last night and the daddy in NC.

Happy Tuesday.