Keeping Doctors on Track

Beth Gallagher said:
Since the thread is about doctors, I recall reading that there is a shortage of physicians in the USA. As long as the foreign-educated doctors are qualified and certified to practice medicine in the US, I assume that they are a valued addition to the country. I wouldn't think that they are taking jobs away from Americans due to the existing shortage of physicians, but honestly I have no idea.

Patients should do their due diligence when selecting a doctor. When I am choosing a doctor I always go online to the various "physician review" websites and look for any history of complaints or reprimands by the state medical board, as well as the doctor's education and any board certifications.
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Lots of Americans got good medical care in India with medical tourism. The prices were lower but the care was more than adequate.
 
Mary Stetler said:
I heard about this years ago. I will check.
Lately I have heard about China's forced organ harvesting. Yikes!

OK, This is info from the CDC

Medical Tourism: Travel to Another Country for Medical Care | Travelers' Health | CDC

Medical Tourism: Travel to Another Country for Medical Care
wwwnc.cdc.gov
But you can find providers on your trip on search engines.
Research before you go!
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Mary, this link does not give any specifics.
SO’s quadruple bypass and six months of physical therapy cost him $125. That is less than his sofa tiger’s annual check up and rabies shot.
 
Marie Miller said:
Mary, this link does not give any specifics.
SO’s quadruple bypass and six months of physical therapy cost him $125. That is less than his sofa tiger’s annual check up and rabies shot.
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It gave some specifics and warnings. It definitely did not advertise FOR them. I thought you were doubting that there was such a thing.
You can look up medical tourism providers. They can set things up and maybe give your prices.
You obviously have great medical providers in your area. Years ago I had to do a LOT of research to find the guy to do my hip replacement. Lots of doctors and lots of complaints. I did not get a referral I GOT A DOCTOR. I had good insurance back then.
I almost think the people going out of the country could not stand in line for kidneys, livers....Poorer people might sell a kidney.
Around here it is getting harder to find a good doctor that you can or would like to work with. A lot retired around covid.
 
Ken Anderson said:
Someone said in another thread got me thinking about my doctor's visits, and how I try to orchestrate things so that the doctor actually focuses on the problem that I'm having, rather than something else.

For example, I regularly check my blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation, and so on, and the Apple Watch monitors some of these and some other things, as well, so I know that I don't generally have high blood pressure, and I know that a pulse rate of 40 is not something that I need to do worry about. The founder of the Heart Hospital in McAllen, Texas, was our medical director when I had an ambulance company, and I spoke to him about my low pulse rates.

However, I might go to a doctor because my left ankle hurts. That's what hurts first when I am on the elliptical machine: it's my left ankle that keeps me from running, and I think it might be behind a few falls I have had. However, when I see my doctor about my ankle, if my blood pressure is on the high side of normal when they check it before the doctor comes in, the whole session is likely to be about whether I should take blood pressure medication. I think it's easier for them to focus on that kind of stuff than on real problems.

Whenever I get a new doctor - and the clinic I do go to changes doctors often - my first couple of appointments will focus on my low pulse rate, as if it's something I should fix, when I view being able to regain my normal low pulse rate as a positive sign, since it came about only after I began exercising regularly.

Likewise, I don't buy into the idea that a cholesterol level on the high side of what they consider normal is something I need to worry about, and, to the extent it is, it is something to be controlled by diet, not statin drugs

So, for the week prior to an annual doctor's appointment, I "study" for my test by being very careful about what I eat, I get plenty of sleep the night before, and I try to go into meditation mode while they're taking my blood pressure so that the whole thing isn't derailed over things that I don't consider to be important. It isn't that I think I know more about this stuff than the doctors do, but that I recognize that they're not spending more than fifteen minutes with me, generally, and one blood pressure reading, often with the cuff misplaced, is not representative of my blood pressure, and I don't want to suffer the ill effects of a statin drug just because I ate some of the wrong stuff in the days before the blood test.

Do you find you need to orchestrate things to keep your doctor on track?
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OK, On track. I may have mentioned before, I don't do doctors. If my ankle hurts, I assume they will do BP and recommend all the tests I am behind on. I say, some other time. For now, Look At My Ankle.
I take my own blood pressure regularly (my family has generally low BP) and I eat OK but have not for most of my life. I assume I will succumb to kidney failure from past eating and drinking habits. I don't need to have them point that out. My eyes are still good. I had the start of a cataract but it went away.
 
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