Should I see my trusted family doctor or will I be wasting insurance money by not using my universities clinic?
Asked by
Wine (
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)
March 4th, 2013
I had a reoccurring health problem that I thought a doctor at my university had found a solution to. However one of the possible side effects happened to me and I felt as if I wasn’t properly informed of the possibilities prior to performing the “solution.” Now it seems that I have a chain of illnesses and I need to know and be fully informed of what my next step will be.
My S.O. believes that the university doctors are just as qualified as my family doctor and therefor sees it as a hassle to go out of our way to visit the family doctor.
But I believe that there shouldn’t be a second thought on who I should see because this decision can permanently affect my health, the university doctors have proved to me that they don’t fully inform me of a situation, I would assume that a popular and well reviewed family doctor has more experience and I trust her decision making skills and because I want to really be able to talk to a professional (at my school I feel as if they look at my symptoms, “solve” it, and send me off; if something is wrong I’m supposed to come back).
I would also need to explain the situation to my parents because I’m not too sure how our insurance works.
Should I use my parents’ insurance to see my family doctor or is my worry unnecessary?
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8 Answers
Your family doc is going to need to know all about your health situation anyway so why not just see him, or her? Those from out of state who stay on campus won’t have the choice to go back home to see their doc, is why the university has one there, I am guessing.
If you feel you need a second opinion then get it. If your insurance doesn’t cover it then I would hope a doctor you had seen for years will ask a reasonable fee for the visit. If he needs to run tests your insurance will likely pay for the tests as long as they are done by approved labs. Get a copy of your chart from the school, but I recommend not forwarding it to your doctor, wait and see what he says before you offer the information.
If you feel more confident about your family doctor, go and see that person. You are talking about your health. You have access to insurance, so it’s really just about convenience. It will be much more inconvenient if you don’t get your health issue resolved with the university doctor and then have to see more help. Listen to your instincts.
Go to a different doctor than the ones you don’t trust. Ask your parents for help.
I think if you trust your family physician you should go to him or her. Clinics can give people short shrift.
Doctors are not created equal. Talk to your parents and explain the situation. Let them help you.
Don’t ever go to a doctor you don’t trust.
FWIW – my PCP is employed at the University Health Service at the University where I work. She is allowed to take a certain number of private practice patients. My parents, husband and friends have switched to her care. She and her colleagues are fabulous clinicians and are very experienced.
I don’t want your experience to cloud your view of University Health physicians.
I would be careful if you don’t have insurance for your family doc. Healthcare can get very expensive really quickly. You may have had bad luck with one university doctor, but it doesn’t mean they are all bad.
Also, going forward, be sure to do research on your own before agreeing to any medication or surgery, etc. We should be able to trust our physicians to give us all the answers, but the reality is that people that are well informed about their options do better than those that rely solely on their physicians for information. Doctors are only human and make mistakes and suffer from greed and hubris, just like the rest of us, so don’t blindly trust them, do your research.
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