Who Knew?

Changing physicians is no easy feat. Mr. Fixit is scheduled in a few weeks for a six months check-up, and he finally made the decision to leave the practice of Dr. Doofus, his cardiologist. I was not looking forward to the process because I simply didn't want to face the prospect of walking into Doofus's office and requesting Mr. Fixit's medical records. Cowardly, aren't I? They put a bit of pressure on us to stay when we had the problem last year when Mr. Fixit had to be admitted to a hospital, and Doofus forgot he was there. I didn't want another confrontation.

Things to be taken into consideration is the insurance accepted by any prospective doctor. We can't go to anyone; he must be in "network" or we pay through the nose. Next is location. While we have two large hospital systems and three smaller systems within 25 miles, we still have to take into consideration the travel time and the facility itself. For instance the three smaller systems do not perform the surgery for the placement of  heart stents.

Most doctors in this area are part of group practices owned by the hospital systems. Since we don't have a large group of friends who might recommend someone, he simply went to the website and picked a name at random. Luckily, the doctor  in "network" is still accepting patients. And they will contact Dr. Doofus to request the medical records. I don't have to do anything.

Another thing to be consider is the timing of the change. You have to be cognizant of the date when your prescriptions expire so that you are not left with no meds in the interim.

Now we are just waiting for the initial paperwork to arrive by mail. Thank goodness, the process is almost over. It's a good thing because Mr. Fixit was driving me nuts about it. He becomes obsessive sometimes about things and doesn't understand why we must wait for others to respond. He wants what he wants NOW! While I am trying to listen to  details on the phone, he is listening to only my side of the conversation, and he starts instructing me as to what to say and then I can't hear what is being explained to me. Aargh!
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Yesterday I had to see the doctor for the results of blood work that was necessary for a new medication that he prescribed two months ago. When he asked me if I were feeling better, I truthfully said I'd noticed no difference. I explained that my insomnia might be the culprit. He suggested a sleep aid. I demurred. He suggested strongly  that I try it. I agreed. (I figured I would get the medication once and then not have it refilled. It's not necessary for my health.) We went to the pharmacy about 6:00 pm to see if it was ready and were told that no prescription had been called in. Even though I don't care whether it was or not, it does make me wonder if I have another Dr. Doofus in the making. Dang!