…And if you’re having any “red flag” symptom - like chest pain - your doctor is not going to give a shit about your skin tags and toenail fungus that day.
There’s only time to manage 1 major issue or 1 to 2 not-so-major issues per appointment, not all 12 on your list.
The system is rigged to handle primarily acute problems (reactive care), not for complex human beings with many needs.
Proof: Your PCP gets the same amount of time to see a patient as an urgent care doctor. But your expectations from your PCP are a little different compared to a random urgent care doc. Am I right?
Seems like a setup for failure to me.
Pro Tip: Don’t save the chest pains for last… after they spent your appointment time helping you with your insomnia… and skin tags. They may not tell you to your face, but they hate when that happens (it happens a lot). Doctors will also never leave you hanging with red flag symptoms. The next patient will have to wait.
Pro Pro Tip: If you really are having chest pain, just call 911. A full chest pain workup can only be properly done in the ED. Not the urgent care. Not the office. Not virtually. Not over text or portal messaging. They’ll send you on an ambulance anyway.
Pro Pro Pro Tip: Need more 1:1 time with your physician? Look for a local direct primary care doctor through Google or this directory, who may offer longer appointments and better availability. Direct care doctors are their own CEO and don’t answer to anyone else, except you. The key is to look for offices that don’t take insurance (and thus no copay), but your insurance can still be used for prescriptions, labs, and other things as usual. Doctors not bound by insurance bullshit typically have more time to spend with you.
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Secret #4
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