full timers and doctors

bthomforde · February 4

I am a type 2 diabetic, well controlled by meds.

My doctor understood the full time lifestyle retired so I needed another doctor, the clinic recommended a replacement.

I saw her once, she was cold and un-caring, I asked her why she did not reply to my questions before the first exam, she said I should have tried again as she gets busy.

This doctor does not answer questions (on MyChart) and will not refill my meds without another office visit. I have an appointment scheduled for May. We are full timers currently in Florida and the doctor is in Minnesota, I am not going to Minnesota in the winter.

I have asked her if I can go to a lab (LabCorp, Quest etc.) and get a blood test but she does not reply.

What do other full timers do in a case like this?

sandsys · February 4

9 minutes ago, bthomforde said:

What do other full timers do in a case like this?

Change doctors. Find one that cares about people, not just cases. Twenty some years ago, I found one that women living in a senior's complex liked. Fortunately, the doctor was young so she's still my primary.

Linda

vermilye · February 4

I agree with Linda, but talk to who ever you choose to be sure they understand your lifestyle, and they make clear the rules for your state. For example, in NY you must see your doctor to get a refill of scripts after 6 months. My doctor is willing to do phone/video visits when I'm traveling for that length of time, and calls in the scripts to a near by pharmacy.

2gypsies · February 5

Sounds like you need to change doctors.

We established doctors where we typically wintered so we were always there or close by for a yearly checkup and/or any immediate medical procedure. In between visits we were able to call for questions or if it was an immediate medical issue we chose another doctor wherever we were. We have regular Medicare and a supplement. Medicare Advantage wouldn't work as well in most cases. We found that using hospital physicians was the best bet at getting a good doctor instead of just picking one off Google. We did explain our lifestyle. No issues with prescriptions as we used WalMart and they're all over.

Kirk W · February 5

20 hours ago, bthomforde said:

What do other full timers do in a case like this?

Unfortunately, difficulty in choosing a doctor has become the norm for pretty much everyone today and particularly so for seniors. Because most doctors with established practices are so busy that they can be selective about who they accept. Another consideration is the type of healthcare plan that you have. Many doctors who do accept new patients will not accept new Medicare patients and some who do so don't accept Advantage plans. As a diabetic patient, if you know others I suggest that you get recommendations from them. If you share the location of your domicile there may be someone on the forums who can suggest some possible choices.

Edited February 5 by Kirk W
add a thought

TXiceman · February 7

We have used Walk-in Clinics with good success. I look online and pick ones that have 4- or 5-star ratings. Twice I have had to use the local emergency room and was pleased.

Ken

sandsys · February 7

15 hours ago, TXiceman said:

We have used Walk-in Clinics with good success. I look online and pick ones that have 4- or 5-star ratings. Twice I have had to use the local emergency room and was pleased.

Ken

You use walk-in clinics to get diabetic supplies? I have used those clinics for short term conditions but not for ongoing ones that require monitoring. I'm lucky in that just having my A1c checked is all that's required for monitoring and I use Ozympic for control which only requires one injection a week and each pen lasts 4 weeks. My doctor prescribes them for a whole year and I just get a refill every month. The OP needs to find a doctor like mine.

Linda

Second Chance · February 8

Laura and I had both been with our PCPs (and a specialist that Laura saw) in the Augusta, GA/North Augusta, SC, area for quite a while before we went full-time. The three of them were willing to work with us when we hit the road and we only had to go back through the area annually to be seen in person in order to keep our prescriptions current, etc.

As our travel routes changed and we started spending more and more time in Maryland near kids and grandkids, it became less convenient (shall we say a PITA!) to make the dog leg back through Georgia to see the providers we loved (my late wife and I had been with my PCP since I left active duty... that was a long time). Since we're spending most of our time on Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, these days, I did the research and we settled on a new PCP (an internist this time since we're aging - and young enough he won't retire any time soon). His practice is part of the University of Maryland Medical System so there are a lot of connected resources. Laura had been seeing a retina specialist in the area for a couple of years, so it made sense to stick with him (former Johns Hopkins guy). Our new PCP is flexible and will support us should we decide to travel for several months at a time again sometime in the future.

Finally, we are fortunate in that we have Medicare and Tricare For Life - neither of which restrict us to a particular part of the country.

Rob

bthomforde · February 8

20 hours ago, sandsys said:

You use walk-in clinics to get diabetic supplies? I have used those clinics for short term conditions but not for ongoing ones that require monitoring. I'm lucky in that just having my A1c checked is all that's required for monitoring and I use Ozympic for control which only requires one injection a week and each pen lasts 4 weeks. My doctor prescribes them for a whole year and I just get a refill every month. The OP needs to find a doctor like mine.

Linda

what state is your doctor in? that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Kirk W · February 8

30 minutes ago, bthomforde said:

what state is your doctor in?

Linda is in Minnesota and no longer traveling.

bthomforde · February 8

4 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

Linda is in Minnesota and no longer traveling.

my current (soon to be former) doctor is in Minnesota

sandsys · February 8

2 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Linda is in Minnesota and no longer traveling.

Yes, but, I had that same doctor while traveling even while domiciled in South Dakota. I've been with her for at least 20 years. We just came back to Minnesota each summer long enough to do medical appointments. Since you are also in Minnesota, it might help to know she's part of the Park Nicollet system.

Linda Sand

Kirk W · February 8

4 hours ago, sandsys said:

I had that same doctor while traveling

He is looking for a referral. Perhaps you should PM him to share the information.

bthomforde · February 21

*update*

I was able to find a doctor in Florida to not only renew my meds but also work with me and with our fill time RVing lifestyle.

2gypsies · February 21

59 minutes ago, bthomforde said:

*update*

I was able to find a doctor in Florida to not only renew my meds but also work with me and with our fill time RVing lifestyle.

Glad you got the issue resolved!

sandsys · February 22

19 hours ago, bthomforde said:

*update*

I was able to find a doctor in Florida to not only renew my meds but also work with me and with our fill time RVing lifestyle.

Yay! Persistance pays. Thanks for letting us know.

Linda

pollies · April 20

Many full-timers facing similar issues opt for telemedicine services or find local doctors while traveling. In the meantime, reaching out to a reliable online pharmacy like Canadian Pharmacy B2B can ensure you have access to your medications. They offer convenience and peace of mind, especially when you're on the move.

Edited April 26 by pollies

Dutch_12078 · April 20

In 13 years of fulltiming, we never had a problem finding doctors that took our Medicare Advantage plans except for one that didn't take Medicare in any form. We've seen our NY PCP for the past 20 years, and she's been very helpful in finding specialists wherever we happened to be when the need arose.We get our prescriptions from Walgreens, and haven't found anyplace yet where one wasn't relatively near by.

bthomforde · April 20

18 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said:

In 13 years of fulltiming, we never had a problem finding doctors that took our Medicare Advantage plans except for one that didn't take Medicare in any form. We've seen our NY PCP for the past 20 years, and she's been very helpful in finding specialists wherever we happened to be when the need arose.We get our prescriptions from Walgreens, and haven't found anyplace yet where one wasn't relatively near by.

I wasn't having issue with a doctor taking my medicare or a walgreens to fill the meds, I had a problem with a doctor that doesn't return phone calls or text messages and doesn't understand or care about the full time lifestyle.

I have since found a doctor that understands full timers and actually cares about patient's health.

Dutch_12078 · April 22

On 4/20/2024 at 7:00 PM, bthomforde said:

I wasn't having issue with a doctor taking my medicare or a walgreens to fill the meds, I had a problem with a doctor that doesn't return phone calls or text messages and doesn't understand or care about the full time lifestyle.

I have since found a doctor that understands full timers and actually cares about patient's health.

I was commenting more in general regarding the earlier Medicare Advantage comments. I'm glad you got your situation worked out.

ms60ocb · June 26

I have Medicare with a good Supplement policy but..... 2024 Medicare has not not kind. Between licensing and sales tax issues, I'm lucky to be retired with the extra loops, I have to jump through. I have doctors in Texas, Wisconsin and Illinois (my primary is Illinois). I like smaller medical facilities but most only have licensing to operate in one or two states. I'm not looking for new doctors but new suppliers. Example is CPAP supplies, years ago I had problem with a CPAP machine and a national suppliers local office was passing the buck so I changed to local firm with only minor problems. Now this small supplier only ships within Texas. My daughter lives there and she forward to me just extra time and $$. The doctor can't give a new prescription to a national supplier because presently I'm not in Texas.

For the future I'm Questioning all Doctors and Suppliers what states there able to work with. What is the next restriction is going to throw at us old people that has wheels. I thought Tele-medicine was Great.

Clay