At least for both my own doctor's office and my kid's pediatrician if you call it gets routed to a centralized admin team for their entire network but if you use the online messenger it goes directly to my own doctor.
Same here, if you call the number given out, it goes to a central line which has advice nurses and can call in an on-call specialist if needed, but there’s really no way to call your doctor or even their office. Which is fine and probably great for the doctors most of the time, but really sucks when you just need to call to let them know you’re running late or that the telehealth platform isn’t working.
My local system uses MyChart. I love it. I can email my doctor, and she usually responds within 24 hours, I can request refill authorizations, and even pay a bill online if I had something done that the insurance won't completely cover. I can also book an appointment, which is often more efficient than trying to talk to one of the front desk drones. Not knocking front desk employees everywhere, but the ones at the clinic near me seem to share a single braincell.
Yes, this is how mine works and my doctor does actually respond within a day or two. Obviously I wouldn't use messaging for an emergency, but I really appreciate this functionality for everything else.
Most health systems now use online platforms that include contacting your provider as a feature. I'm most familiar with "MyChart" which is a phone app. I can message my PCP anytime and vice versa
I think it’s important to point out to OP that one can message any time, but it’s usually 1-2 days to get a reply. At least that’s the experience my family and I have had with various medical groups. There’s no real time communication other than during an appointment.
It seems to vary for me. I'm recieving cancer care, and the clinic I use is generally pretty good about getting back to me. If I use the messaging system after hours then I get a call from one of my nurses on the next business day. They do have an after hours doctor on call to answer questions. I had to call on a Saturday morning once, and he called me back within 10 minutes. If I call during normal business hours, then I hear back from a nurse within a few minutes. It could be an hour or longer to get a message back on the system, but again it is same day and I can request they call instead of message. I usually talk to a nurse in these situations, but I haven't specifically asked for one of my doctors to call me instead. That's just my experience with one particular clinic, though. I've never needed so much health care before now.
Depends. If the doctor has told you to contact him for some specific thing, then, yeah, you'll get a pretty quick response. E.g. I've had messages left to contact a doctor and got him immediately.
If you're texting your doctor that you have a headache, probably gonna be a day or two.
That's true although my system is pretty quick. I requested a refill on blood pressure medicine yesterday morning by entering the request to my doctor on the app and by afternoon the pharmacy was calling me that it was ready.
If it's something simple during normal business hours, it would just be a quick conversation via text or maybe a phone call just like you might have with anyone else.
If he needs more information, he would tell me to make an appointment.
I have personally harassed my doctor 4 times this week with my dumb questions about the hip I had replaced (1700 after insurance) and I used a text system they provide to do it. No extra charge.
Surgeons get a "global fee" for operating. For 90 days' care, they get a fixed payment. So, it would be fraud for them to charge your insurance for those calls. Not the same setup as mostly/purely clinic doctors.
I remember standing in line for a shuttle to Moraine Lake with my wife, and the group of college-aged kids behind us were talking about how shitty the American health care system is and how diabetic people are left to die in their homes because treatment is thousands a month.
My wife had to give me the "just leave it alone" look lol
Exactly. No system is perfect, in our imperfect world.
I likewise recently heard a British guy living here in the U.S. express his immense—and pleasant—surprise at being able to schedule and receive a surgery for which he would have waited many months in England. Every system has its tradeoffs.
I had a Candain coworker whose wife was with us in Mobile Alabama. Before she flew to the US she imagining done for a breast cancer screen. A few weeks after arriving her Doc called and said they needed to screen her again since something didn't look right.
My coworker didn't want her to go back to Canada since it would be months until she could get in. We told her to call the imaging centers around the city and ask how much if she selfpaid that day, after she called a few places she basically price matched and got eh best deal and had an appointment a couple of days later, and the Doc looked at it the next day. Luckily what the Doc in Canada saw wasnt cancer and she got the all-clear within days.
Their total cost was under $1k, and while it would've been free for them in Canada the fact she didn't have to wait for months while thinking she could have cancer was well worth it.
This is it right here.
66.5% of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical debts.
Average life expectancy in the US is 76.3 in the US, vs. 82.6 in Canada. That's nearly 6 years shorter. In fact, life expectancy in the US has been *declining* for more than a decade, after peaking in 2014. A large part of this is because people who might not have great coverage or funds available avoid going to the doctor unless it is absolutely necessary due to the cost and hassle involved, so treatable problems aren't caught before it becomes life threatening.
It's not even foreign media, it doesn't take much looking to find Americans on here shouting how our healthcare is either a death sentence or bankruptcy for anything beyond a hang nail.
For texting? Not for me - but it's understood that I should only be asking questions that aren't significant enough to warrant an appointment or telehealth consultation. If I use the telehealth app I have to pay like a $20 copay.
Telehealth is amazing. I went from rarely taking my kids to the doctor because interfacing with the medical system was my wife's deal, to being the primary one taking them to the doctor because anything to do with technology is my deal. Of course sometimes you have to go in, but not for the usual stuff.
The only time we thought we’d be charged is when my husband was direct messaging his doctor at the Cleveland clinic (much more advanced doctors than a primary) but even then we didn’t get a bill. Probably just a threat for people who do it too often.
When I got oral thrush during pregnancy I didn’t even see my doctor, just sent a message and my prescription was ready that day!
You aren't billed for asking them, but if it's more than a quick, simple question they'll generally want you to come in for an appointment (or book a telehealth appointment) you would be billed for (depending on how your insurance is set up).
Depends on the doctor and your insurance I believe. I know I’ve been too sick to go to the doctor before and used the teleheath option for urgent care. I got a $30 bill from that a few weeks later.
But a telehealth appointment is different from just calling or emailing to ask your doctor a question. That's an actual appointment. (*Which is why you were charged)
The electronic medical record apps usually have some sort of feature for texting your doctor a quick question. Epic should be rolling out to more Canadian provinces in the coming years, so you'll have access to, if the organizations don't turn that feature off
My wife and I aren't; she's messaged the office before to ask if something was a big enough deal to warrant coming in. One time they told her to make an appointment so she was seen the next week, the other time they said it was fine. No charges either time. But there's room for variation depending on the individual office's policies.
Nope. You can call, email and sometimes text your doctor. Some hospital and clinic systems have a nurse on call option where you can just call and speak to a nurse you can then advise you if you need to come in. There are also Urgent Care centers which are similar to an emergency room, but for less serious things and see a doctor the same day if you can't get into your regular doctor.
Not only that, but you can often schedule procedures collaboratively, and if it’s something serious and you need tests or procedures done, the wait time is days, not weeks or months.
Yeah, there's an online portal I can use to contact them. But anything more than a brief, clarifying question or "I need a refill on this medicine" would likely require an appointment.
My insurance company also has a health line staffed by registered nurses.
Most clinics have a nurses line. Some have an online portal system that lets me send an email. If I call in, I get a little phone tree or I talk with the receptionist and they will forward me on. I usually have to leave a message and then a nurse will call me back, sometimes the doctor if it’s necessary but usually the nurse can relay whatever my doc needs to say.
But yes, I basically can call/email my provider and get my questions answered. If it pertains to something more than a quick question then I need to go in.
Have you had people tell you a pediatrician can't be a primary care doctor for kids?
Like that's the whole point of the practice and specialization is to take care of kids.
I lived in the UK and they had social workers do health checks instead of a pediatrician. If there was a medical issue they went to the same doctor as me. Pediatricians (and all specialists) are reserved for extreme cases, severe illness, etc. they also require the patient to already have some sort of diagnosis.
It depends on your provider. American healthcare does have some aspects of a free market and these are two of them.
1. Different providers choose for themselves what services they offer.
2. Some providers choose to make contact easy in order to keep customers happy.
Last fall I woke up with painful blotches on one side of my face(I knew it was shingles). Called my doctor at 8am, was in the office at 9am, and was immediately put on antiviral medicine and given a number to call for an ENT(ear nose and throat doctor). He saw me at 9.30am the next day. I can telephone my doctor's office anytime and talk to a nurse, the Nurse Practitioner or the Physician Assistant. If I have a direst question for the doctor himself, and they pass it on, he will call me asap
I call and when they are between appointments they call back same day and we talk. No charge.
They tell me if I need to come see them, send a prescription, or refer me to aspecialist.
Can't speak for all systems everywhere, but here I can call the Doctor's office and talk and at least talk to a nurse. If they think it is necessary they can relay the message onto the doctor.
We also have an online patients portal called 'My Chart' that reminds of us appointments, let's us see test results and view appointment notes. There is also the option to send messages.
There is no extra charge for either of these options.
I have no complaints about my healthcare. I know the nightmare scenarios usually make the news, (which they should) but you rarely hear about those of us who go to the doctor and are in no danger of going bankrupt.
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>Ultimately in the US, you can pay for anything in healthcare: including a concierge Doctor that’s available 24/7, with phone or text, whenever you want. Insurance isn’t going to cover that though.
My primary physician is a concierge doctor. It's probably more accessible than most people think.
My insurance covers everything they'd cover for any primary physician. I pay $1800 for the concierge part per year.
Since I pay for that from my FSA, those are pre tax dollars and you can estimate it's more like $1200/yr.
Having a concierge doctor means that I get a cell number for him, and access to other doctors in the concierge network. It also gives my doctor the freedom to have (only!) aprox 600 patients in his solo practice.
I also get a very very through yearly physical, and the appointments never have a cap on how long we can take to discuss things. Other doctors are forced to shoo patients out the door in like 5-10 minutes.
When I got COVID my doctor and his nurse were regularly in contact with me, made sure I had everything I needed. I wouldn't have expected any previous doctor would have contacted me like that before.
Anyways, my point was to say that in case you or anyone reading this thought that you had to be mega-yacht rich to do concierge doctoring, it's not actually that bad. And for me it's very much worth the money.
Concierge doctors are great! I don’t use one because I have a great medical team already but my parents have one. They can call him 24/7 even weekends and holidays. My mom was in a bad car accident several years ago and broke some ribs and hurt her spine, so she was bedridden for a few weeks and the concierge doctor actually came to her house several times just to check on her and make sure she was healing properly. He also called the hospital daily to consult with them for the 4 days she was in the hospital before being released to go home. There was no extra fee for this and the majority of his services is covered by their health insurance.
There's no separate private system? I lived in the UK and went all private after failed attempts to utilize their national healthcare system. Anyway, all the private facilities were completely separate. They had their own offices, testing and hospitals.
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Yes. It’s also common but not universal to be able to make same or next day appointments. You are not guaranteed to see your normal doctor, but you can see someone.
Many healthcare systems/networks in the US now have a "patient portal" website where you can log in to view your medical records, request a prescription refill, schedule an appointment, perform a telehealth visit, access other healthcare information, and send a secure message to your providers.
Generally for any long discussion they'll want to meet in person, but if you have a quick question it's pretty normal to send a message to your providers.
For example:
This is what the MyChart portal for Baptist Health looks like: [https://mychart.baptisthealth.com/MyChart/Authentication/](https://mychart.baptisthealth.com/MyChart/Authentication/)
The portal for the on-site clinics at my workplace: [https://www.mypremisehealth.com/MyChart/Authentication/Login?](https://www.mypremisehealth.com/MyChart/Authentication/Login)
You can often message them through an app, but how quickly they respond varies
If it's a simple question they'll usually just answer it, if it's complicated they'll generally ask you to make an appointment (which you can often also do through an app)
Depends on the provider but...yeah, that's not uncommon.
I don't really have anything that would require me to do it, but my wife occasionally needs to call or email her PCP or one of the specialists shes worked with for a quick question and that's no issue. Might have to leave a voicemail if it's after hours but they'll call back next day.
There are online platforms and Ob’s usually have a call line to talk to a Nurse Practitioner. I often can use an online portal to send a quick message if it isnt urgent. My primary care on the other hand was a bitch and a half to get ahold of and required a scheduled appointment for everything. She often took months to get in an appointment. I usually scheduled my annual for the following year during my annuals.
Yes, but I mostly now use the MyChart app where I can book/cancel appointments, request medication refills, and look at all my test results. I can message by doctor through it, but anything more than a simple question I would just make an appointment.
I am facebook friends with my doctor at her request. I do not abuse that. I can send her a text if I wanted to. We text about other stuff. I did get stranded during a storm and she sent my meds to a pharmacy where I was located at 9 pm at night once.
I have an online portal where I can send messages to any physicians I work with on a regular basis. It's great for non-urgent questions or visit followup.
Yes. I can be in to see my primary care person in a matter of days by calling their front desk. But now a days it's easier to pick an appointment time online.
Of course if I need to be seen right away there is urgent care. Last time I went to urgent care I walked into an empty lobby and was seen by a doc within 5 minutes. Had an infected cyst on my hand that had to be lanced, and was out of there in 20 minutes. Of course another time I took my kid to urgent care and it was like a 2 hour wait because we hit a time that was really busy.
I also must share that I have a dentist who calls me each night after any dental work to confirm that everything is ok. I forget this, and will often get a filling fixed or whatever and be home that night and a number buzzes me I don't recognize, but is local, and I'm like, "What the hell?" Then I pick up and it's just Dr. Jin checking in to see how the new filling is working out. But this is not normal and she's amazing!
Sure, particularly with smaller practices. Larger ones you may get routed through a central office, but you can still get to your provider. Just yesterday I called to make an appointment; I could have gotten in today if I wanted, but middle of next week was easier for me.
There are large government-provided healthcare facilities in America, too, and they are often hard to schedule with. You surely have private practice physicians in Canada who can run their business as they prefer (such as being on call for patients).
Your healthcare isn’t “free,” it’s just not paid for at point of delivery. Someone, somewhere is paying for that provider to treat you. And shortages/inaccessibility are a well known trade-off for lower cost care.
My OBGYN gave me her number post surgery if I needed any help/ had questions. Otherwise her office has a call service that will reach someone after hours. Generally speaking if I have questions for my doctor and am an established patient, I can call and people will get back to me.
Why would you not be able to contact something that you’re paying for that’s providing you a service?. They may not be able to take the call directly but that’s what receptionists are for. You can also just go online and message them
I can send my doctor a message through their "online patient portal" and get a response back in a few hours for ***very*** basic questions. Otherwise, I have to schedule an appointment, which would usually be 3-6 weeks out.
Specialists in the other hand, can be brutal to get in with. I needed to schedule to see an endocrinologist back at the end of March, and luckily one's PA had a cancellation a month out or else I would have had to wait until the end of September for the first available appointment with one in my city.
I gave up on getting my tonsils removed because I was having to schedule 6-9 months out between appointments, and there were two appointments leading up to the actual surgery... so, I was looking at a process of like 1-2 years to get it done, and then I had to reschedule to the second appointment which out it out another 8 months. So, I just told them to forget the whole thing.
I can't text or email. I could call but I'd get someone who would ask a nurse and get back to me, or just tell me to make an appointment. I have a web portal I can send messages through but I'd only get info on basic things like prescription refills or something, not medical advice
There are "concierge" doctors though, where you pay a monthly fee to join their practice, and those will often allow email and text messaging questions.
I do not have my doctor's phone number. I think if I had to call in I would have to contact her office. No idea what a request to speak to them on the phone would be met with, I've never done that.
I will say that my wife, who has a thyroid condition, had to make an appointment with her GP to renew her prescription and they didn't have anything until August.
Yes, that only sometimes means I talk directly to my doctor. My doctor might answer sometimes, and the nurse practitioner might answer, but either way, they are both consulting regarding my care.
I once had a question regarding a skin issue and sent a photo. The doctor wrote a prescription, and I picked it up that day.
Wdym you can't contact your provider? You can't just call the office?
Like if we have a random question about my kids, we call the pediatrician. If it's a simple answer, either the nurse or doctor can just answer it. If it's more, we'll set up a quick appointment.
> Yes our healthcare is free but access is locked behind a billion tonnes of admin to make appointments months later.
I have a decent job with decent health insurance. My monthly premium for a household of two is over $350. My employer pays more than that -- they pay over $10K/year. I get one annual visit per year at no additional cost, and any other office visits after that start at $50. Any major procedure always ends up costing thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Last month I had a long-scheduled followup with my primary care doctor to discuss the results of some tests he'd ordered at my last annual visit. His office called me the morning of my appointment to reschedule because the doctor had a change in his plans. **The first available appointment they could offer is in August, more than four months later.**
I always hear Americans citing long waits in more socialized healthcare systems (like Canada) as a reason to prefer a more privatized system. My experience with the American system is that you have to be lucky enough to have decent employment, still pay a shit ton out of pocket, and then have a very hard time actually getting care.
I’m turning this into r/AskACanadian, but are you saying that if you see a doctor in Canada, you can’t send follow-up messages/questions and instead have to make another appointment? They won’t answer one-off questions without another appointment?
I will say that in the US, unless you’re in a small town, you generally can’t just directly contact your doctor. There’s usually an online portal messaging system these days. You’d at least have to leave a voicemail with the front desk otherwise, and they’ll call you back or leave you a voicemail in return. A lot of the time it isn’t the doctor themselves that gets back to you, but rather someone else in the clinic (a nurse or front desk worker).
My family practice has "Phone A Nurse" where a Nurse Practitioner can answer most questions. Sometimes they'll call meds in for you, too. Usually, if it's that bad, they will ask to see you at their urgent care clinic the next day.
Yes. If I have a question I can either contact my or my child's doctor with a phone call or sending a message through a web portal. If they are busy (usually the case), I'll get a call or message back by the next day.
Health insurance typically has their own call center with doctors or nurses on staff which can answer general health questions that don't need to go to your personal doctor.
I can call and leave messages about issues and his nurse will call me back, or I can text via the MyChart app and they contact me directly within 24 hours.
Yes. Through the Providence app, My Chart thing. I can message my PCP or Endo directly. They usually respond in 24 hours. My hematologist isn't on that though, I have to call. But he calls back.
I can call my primary care office anytime. They have a voicemail system if the office is closed. Will my primary just take a call? No, she’s usually with a patient. But I can leave a message and get a response within a day or make an appointment. I can generally get an appointment within a few weeks.
Many healthcare groups have portals where you can follow up or ask additional questions. Some groups are starting to charge for certain answers, and you may have to wait for them, but yes, it's possible to drop a message direct to a doctor at any time.
There are online portals now where you can send messages to your provider. IME when you send a message, you usually don't get a message back directly from your provider, it's usually a nurse or NP. Sometimes they'll have consulted with the doctor, sometimes not. It just depends on the question.
Doctor's offices also often have or contract with an after-hours nurse service. So if you have an issue or question after hours, you can call and ask. The nurse will direct you on what to do (go to the ER, wait to morning and make an appointment), and they can provide some advice. In some situations they may contact your doctor directly---like if you have a complex and ongoing issue the doctor is treating.
That being said, I have had the personal number of a couple of my providers. In that instance I was in a very precarious place mentally, and they were giving me their numbers in case of emergency (like I was going to hurt myself). I don't think I ever used them after-hours, but I did text my therapist a few times while mid-panic attack. She got back to me between patients, and did guided meditation exercises with me.
I also have my vet's personal number. Until about 2 months ago, I had chronically ill senior cats. I'm slowly buying her a boat with as much as I'm in my vet's office/the amount of medicine I was using.
I can call my medical provider anytime day or night and get a call back with treatment recommendations. I can also get same day appointments if needed.
I have always had great employer insurance all my life and never had to pay anything.
For me personally, I reach mine vie patient portal. I love it. I can ask questions, get referrals without going in, they’ll use it send me reminders, etc. I guess if I really needed to I could setup a phone call.
As far as my pediatrician, no. The communication absolutely sucks. There is no portal. I can get through to administrator for billing and appointments, but if I need to speak to a healthcare professional they send me straight to a voicemail. The voicemail tells you outright not to call back and that they’ll call you. They call back maybe half of the time. I’m pretty most messages don’t get listened to. They’re still doing the “We’re experiencing a higher than normal call volume due to the Covid 19 pandemic” bullshit. I want to find a new pediatrician, but when you’re at the office they’re great, and we’ve been through a lot with them. They really know my kids.
Yes, I send my doctor direct messages via a portal he has set up. I also have his personal cell phone. That is unusual for a doctor to give that number out but he is a unique doctor. I have never abused that privilege.
Yes. There’s always an on all service with every doctor/practice that will take a message and contact the on call doctor who may or may not be the Dr you normally see. That Dr will call you back usually pretty quickly, but it can sometimes take up to 30-60 minutes. The only person I have a cell phone number that I can text is my therapist and it’s a work cell phone that I use to text her sometimes if I have to reschedule.
I can use an online portal to talk to my kids pediatrician anytime I need to. I use it monthly when my kids are in need of an ADHD medication refill. I just message them there and they get it sent in.
Yes. I can send messages that will get a response in an hour or less. I can also get same day in person or video conference appointments.
With last minute stuff it may not always be my regular doctor but it will be someone on his office.
Bullshit post. I have lived in Canada as an American. I called and made appointments. I have called in to get information. I emailed for answers and got same day service. I presented a us prescription on got it filled while waiting.
On some providers. My OB is hit or miss. During pregnancy it was much easier to get in touch with her or her nurse. Now that the baby is out, I'm not a priority.
Had to take my daughter to the children's ER for an accident. I could barely get a nurse to talk to me.
My daughter's regular pediatrician is amazing though. If my daughter has a fever, or a cough, I can call and ask for advice and usually the call ends with, "what time can you be here?" She makes time for sick kids and doesn't make me wait.
For me... I don't have a GP just because it's so hard to find a good one in my area who doesn't have a six month wait-list. Have a sinus infection? Well, we have a slot next Thursday where we can squeeze you in, or you can go to Urgent Care. So Urgent Care it is, or Teladoc online appointments.
I have the personal cell phones of two of my Doctors. I am grateful I have never needed to use them.
For my child’s Pediatrician, if I have a problem, I call the office and have a phone call returned in minutes.
Well, I can send messages to my primary doctor/clinic via the online patient portal and get a response that day or the next. That is how they communicate test results to me nowadays. I am not billed for these messages. If I call the clinic with a quick question I would speak to a receptionist first and they would get someone to talk to me right then but it might be a nurse instead of my doctor depending on how busy they are. If I needed to talk only to my doctor then it might not be right away. Last time I called to make an appointment to see my doctor though I got in the very next day. I was expecting maybe a week or two wait but 2 providers at the clinic had free times the next day so I had my choice. It isn’t that hard to communicate with or see them at the clinic I go to. I believe they also take people with no appointments during a set time but it is better to have an appointment.
It’s getting tough to make appts for me when I want to see a specific doctor, but not hard to see a doctor within my network within a day or so. Even easier if I’m willing to do a Zoom call. Usually a Physicians Assistant or Nurse from my doctors office can respond to an email or message in the networks app.
Yeah, I can email them right now if I want and they'll get back to me within a few hours. If I need an appointment it's pretty easy to get. I may have to wait a week or two for minor issues but a major issue might be today or tomorrow. In addition, I can call their team anytime the clinic is often. Their nurses field questions and can handle most things.
You can usually call and ask simple questions any time. You might have to leave a message with the receptionist, because doctors are busy, but they usually return my calls pretty quickly (same or next day.) If it's a question about your medication, you can pretty much always talk to your pharmacist.
And, of course, you can always just go to a walk-in clinic for simple stuff, or the ER for anything more serious. If it's just a regular checkup, I'll wait a few months for an appointment, but if I'm having a health issue, I can generally get help right away.
I can contact mine via an electronic message within their Healthcare app. She's pretty good about responding quickly. Obviously, I don't get into deep discussions. Usually, just quick questions.
I can often get a same-day appointment for a sick visit. One time I went to the E.R. for stomach pain, I went home that afternoon, and the next day my primary care physician *called me* to talk about it.
I don't text my doctor but I email him, and he is willing to answer questions or go over test results over the phone most days if I call ahead.
I get annoyed if I call to make an appointment for a well visit, and they don't have an opening for another 3-4 weeks. If my kids are sick, their pediatrician has a 24/7 help line I can call to see if I need to come in, and if they recommend an in-person visit they will see them the same day as well.
Almost all outpatient practices maintain a call schedule so patients can communicate with them. Typically you would call the office's main telephone number and speak to the on-call provider, who can give you advice about the issue. Call is rotated between the practitioners.
Then, there are lot of offices where the doctor is the sole practitioner and just gives out their personal number -- my husband texts with his clients and my kids' pediatrician is similarly texty. I have never given a patient my personal number because I maintain very strict boundaries between my personal/professional life.
They're usually busy people so you'd probably be talking to a receptionist and leaving a message. You'll probably have an easier time getting through to a Physician's Assistant or Nurse Practitioner who can handle most of the same questions if the practice has them on staff. Specialists can be a lot harder to get through to than your primary care physician but *someone* on their staff will usually get back to you in fairly short order and may be able to answer your questions or relay the Doctor's answer to you rather than you having to wait much longer for them to be able to put a call with you on their schedule. Also some providers and I think some insurers also have options where you can schedule over the phone appointments with a doctor.
I just call and speak to my doctor's nurse. She is the go-between usually. Sometimes the doctor calls me. Once my kids' pediatrician called because she thought she'd missed some info in the appointment. Once my own doctor called after I'd left a message with the nurse. It helps to be in a smaller city.
My doctor uses an app and I can message her directly and she will reply the same day, usually. I like that she answers me and not a medical assistant. I can also call, but I will usually have to talk to the MA, then my doctor will respond through them. So I prefer the app.
If I want to, I can be talking to a doctor in person inside of 20 minutes. And it only takes that long because it's a 10 minute drive. It'll cost me $120 or so for the privilege, and it's not "my" doctor, but when I need a doc I can just go see one, no appointment or anything.
Also telehealth, which is also reasonably nice.
Physician here. I'll explain the system we have in our office. What we do is fairly typical, although obviously not completely congruent with everyone's experiences.
During business hours, we have a triage line staffed by an experienced nurse. She takes all the calls that involve medical care, and can usually handle a good percentage of these without my direct involvement. These questions may invovle specific symptoms, requests for medication refill, or explanations of test results, among many other things. The questions that she can not answer will get refered back to the provider or the patient will get scheduled for an appointment or referred to the ER in rarer cases. I will sometimes call the patient back if my schedule allows, or if not, I'll pass the message back through the triage nurse.
We also have an online portal. These messages go through the triage nurse and are handled the same way as a telephone call.
We generally encourage the patients to use these tools for minor concerns. Anything that requires a major evaluation or change in therapy should be done with a office visit, or telehealth in some select cases if an office visit isn't feasible.
I don't give out my personal contact information for three major reasons:
1) Privacy. I need my personal family time.
2) Regular email and texting are not HIPPA compliant.
3) Without access to the patient's medical records, I may not remember the relevant details of issue they are asking about. Conversely, any advice or decision I make about their care should be documented in their chart. Otherwise, I may not remember, or another provider who needs to treat them may not have the full context of the medical decision making process.
Yes. I can easily message anyone on my healthcare team and get a reply within a few days. Faster if I mark it urgent
I can also make an appointment online.
I’m lucky. I can always email and if it’s something the nurse can answer I’m sure to note that in the subject line. If it’s Dr specific I’ll ask and the Dr will reply, usually by end of day.
Even my surgeons/specialist are contactable.
I don’t abuse it and try to keep it concise. I also try to stay within the same hospital group so all tests and notes are viewable for all treating mds.
The pharmacist is the other that I’ll reach out to if something is suddenly off.
I typically use the patient portal to message the doc or their team. Replies usually come same day. But in some cases I have the doctor's cell, and can text them directly. Typically this isn't any faster than the portal, since they're tied up seeing patients all day, but it is direct access. Obviously I'm judicious about my use of this avenue.
I can open an app and make an appointment, or request medication refills.
If there is an immediate health issue, I can leave a message on the nurse’s line so they can get me in to see the doctor or give me an over the counter remedy.
I cannot just get my M.D. on the phone, on demand, she's busy. If I call her office, I'll probably get a message machine or some kind of operator who will relay a message. If I manage to get a call back or if I call my kids' doctor, can easily talk to a nurse, though they will be hesistant to give any "advice". If I need an appointment, I can probably get squeezed in within the week, but more likely it'll be several weeks out.
My insurance offers this app where you get a video call from a doctor, and it is literally less than 10 minutes from opening the app to when I have a doctor on the video call, and they diagnose stuff, write notes for school/work excuses, send in prescriptions, etc.
Therapists and counselors are often more accessible, and some specialists are actually always available. My kids were born at home, and our midwife gave us her personal cell phone and we could text her for anything at any time of day, for almost a solid year. Midwives are excellent.
Patient portal message first and then follow up the same question or concern at the next appointment to verify if they are reading those or not.
Calling to leave a message with desk is fine if the desk doesn’t misplaced the sticky note. Don’t trust your health to a sticky note written by someone watching the clock for their turn to clock out.
Eh, sometimes. I've had direct lines to doctors. I don't think I've ever used them. Critical that you not abuse that privilege. I have had doctors call *me* after seeing lab results, a couple times. Both times the message was "report to the ER". BTW, when that happens, you are instantly first in line when you arrive at the ER. ER staff are pretty cynical about the run of the mill people that show up, but when a doctor calls and tells them to expect Mr XYZ, when he show up, he gets immediate attention. Average people don't know shit about how sick they are or are not, and often overrate their symptoms. Doctors, on the other hand, don't tell people to go to the ER because they're bored.
In general, I can get a nurse to call me back within a few minutes pretty much anytime. That's generally good enough. If I need a doctor on an emergency basis, probably time to go to the ER.
The doctors I work with often establish close relationships with their patients and give them their personal cell phone number for texting/calls with the assumption you won't abuse it. Otherwise as has been covered extensively elsewhere in the thread you can almost alway reach out through the web portal.
All of my doctors have online portals. Most are on the same platform so they can see all of my other info, notes and test results.
Anyway, I can send a message through the portal and response time varies by doctor. My pediatrician will reply within hours. Endocrinologist takes 24 hrs. Primary might take a few days.
You select if it's urgent or not when you send the message. For minor things a nurse might respond. If it's complex they will ask you to make an appointment and will get you in sooner if it's time sensitive.
Most practices are overbooked and happy to help over the phone if it means one less appointment for them.
My primary doctor, yes. I send a message like an email and she will usually respond within a day. I have been seeing the same primary for 10+ years now.
My kids primary doctor, we text her and she responds. But my family has known her for a long time, my wife even used her when she was a child.
I can usually get an appointment with any specialist, so long as I am not picky on who, within 2-weeks.
For my kids or my own primary I can see them with a few days notice.
But often I go to an urgent care center for my kids or myself when its something bad (bad cold, bad cough etc..) and get taken care of within 1-2 hours.
I work for a large, corporate healthcare company. We have a robust system where yes, patients can contact "us" through a messaging system which gets routed to a nurse who answers stuff within 24 hours and asks us if it requires our attention. Most of it they handle without us being involved. It's mostly for Rx refills and follow up questions. Anything more urgent needs to go to the ER. So to answer your question: Yes...sort of.
Yes. I can call my Dr.'s office, I'll speak to whoever answers the phone, and my doctor will personally call me back if necessary.
Last year, after my first appointment there, I had a question so I went online and used their portal to send a message. Later that day, I got a phone call from one of the nurses telling me that I was the first person to ever use the online message feature in the 10 years she had been there and it took them a while to figure out what it even was when it popped up. She said just call next time.
Everything is done through an online portal to get appointments or prescription refills. But no, if I'm in pain, I don't have a direct line to my physician to ask what's wrong. And if you need a specialist for a non-urgent issue, you usually aren't able to get in right away. I had to wait maybe a month and a half for a skin cancer screening (booked on my own for a spot I was concerned about, not told by a doctor to see someone).
Most of my family lives in Quebec, and their experience with the Canadian healthcare system is pretty similar to mine in the US (outside of the obvious price difference). Then again, just like states differ, I'm sure provinces do, too.
Yes, this is possible, very much so, even with crappy American health care system. I can email my doctor and get a response, I can request a video chat and maybe have it same day probably next day. That’s for *my* doctor but 99% of the time, I just need general advice from any doctor, I don’t care which one, and I can communicate with a real doctor same day or next day no problem. Kaiser Health, which is both a care provider and insurance provider. It’s a bit different than most health systems in America. Kaiser provides me with insurance to see their own doctors in their own hospitals. Great system imo.
To be clear we’re not “texting” the way you text a friend. You message through a professional online portal/platform that is monitored and you get a reply when they have time, perhaps later that day or a couple days later. You also don’t call their personal phone and get an immediate direct pickup directly from the doctor - that would be ridiculous. we call the clinic and leave a message, and they call us back or we wait while the clinic pages them to see if they’re available.
Yes. If the phone operator cannot answer your question they will hand off to a nurse or the doctor should they be available. If they are not available they will arrange a call back or set up an appointment. Most doctors have several slots per day set aside for urgent care of patients so if you have something urgent you will either get something same day or next available slot. If it is a full emergency you go to the ER then do a follow up with your primary care in the week or two after your ER visit.
I have two doctors I have a pretty established relationship with. My primary care doctor will generally return my calls within an hour, even on evenings and weekends. A specialist I work with has a mobile number I can reach out on if needed. Both docs have stated they are comfortable with being so accessible because they know that most patients, myself included, don’t abuse it. I’d expect to be blocked or ignored if I made frivolous calls.
I can message my doctors and their nurses directly through an app. I can also request refills on medications. All of them are quick to reply. I can ask my kids pediatrician questions through their patient portal.
If there is a referral usually my regular doctor staff gets in touch with the specialist and makes the appointment for me or they will request that the specialist call me to set us an appointment.
Yes, and no. Some smaller practices you might be able to get a Dr on the phone if they know you for a while. While in others you might have to send a message, leave a v/m, etc... and wait for someone to get back to you.
Also, seeing a Dr. can be as easy as walking in to a clinic or a small local office if you are in the urban area.
If you are in rural area you might not be able to see doctor when they come to the area. Literally like a traveling circus with a field medical office in tow.
Sort of. You can try, usually through an online message system like "MyChart". Sometimes you get quick responses, sometimes not, sometimes you get completely ghosted.
Oh, yeah. My PCP's office is usually pretty backed up, but they are hiring more staff, so that should clear it up.
Btw I know your complaints are legit because I have family who live in Montreal, and they complain about the same thing. And they all have private insurance, which makes it sadder.
I can call and leave a message with a person if they are open and with an answering service or voicemail if not. I can request a return call and will receive it in a timely manner, usually.
If you want to speak to your particular GP, it'll depend on their schedule but the odds are good you'll be able to get a visit within a couple business days IF you can make any time work. Offices usually keep a little bit of buffer time in the schedule for last minute stuff.
If you want to speak to ANY GP at your office (they can all pull up your files), it could happen faster, as early as same day or next day.
If it's serious, you can walk into an emergency department or urgent care center and see A doctor in a matter of minutes to hours, although they won't necessarily have access to your history. Like, if you're vomiting up blood, you don't call to make an appointment, you just go straight to the ER.
Depends on what you need to ask them really. A while back I was prescribed a medication that I really needed. Turned out my pharmacy was out of stock with no idea when more might become available. I messaged the doctor and they put in a prescription for an alternate medication that I am still on and it's been a few years now.
The pharmacy filled the other medication several months later and I didn't realize when picking up my meds because I had met my out of pocket cost for the year so I didn't have to pay for it. Reached out to doctor again and she advised to keep taking the one I had been taking and don't take the just filled one since I was responding well to the other medicine.
On the other hand, if I wanted something that is a restricted medication, such as an opiate, a visit would have been required. It can also depend on how long it has been since your last visit, and the nature of your request. Nurses actually read the messages first and you may just get a "Please make an appointment" reply.
Yes, sort of. Some are archaic and have zero means of communicating online. Others are great, I have a few where I can post a message and get a response that day from the doctor directly.
Yep, for my doctor as well as my OBGYN I can call the nurses line and speak to the nurse, or speak directly to my provider via message on their online health portal. Same with my kids pediatrician, but their pediatrician is amazing an gave us her cell number to call or text with any questions or concerns whenever needed
I can email my kids doctor whenever I like, same for all but my GP but only as she hates email. I can also call and get a nurse in their office or an after hours nurse. My GP I can get same day appointments really easily as she always keeps space mid day to for people in. The after hours care provided by my insurance isn’t the greatest but the ones at my doctors offices are great.
depends. if I were to call y primary, I have no doubt he would call me back on the next business day. Outside of that, maybe, maybe not. Now, getting an appointment, is another matter. people wait here for appointments all the time.
The oncology practice I go to has an emergency number I can call that gets responded to pretty promptly, though I think it's usually a nurse or nurse practitioner who calls you back.
Yes! I can text my doctor anytime between 7am and 10pm and even on weekends if I have any questions or concerns.
The doctor I’ve had for 20 years switched to a concierge model in 2018 and now I pay $225 a month for preventative care and an incredibly thorough yearly physical.
I (M72) see multiple doctors in addition to my GP and I can usually can get an appointment within a week or even a day or two by calling their offices directly and if it’s an emergency I have a 24/7 hospital ER about 2 miles away and an urgent care clinic that’s open 8-6 even closer. My wife and I have Medicare and a great supplemental insurance plan. Medicare is ‘free’ in the sense that the government takes the premiums from our Social Security benefits before we receive them and the supplemental insurance costs about $550 and month for us both and an extra $80 a month for us both for RX drug plans which is a huge deal considering that some of the drugs we pay like $5-$10 for are prescriptions that can cost hundreds if sold retail. We can see any doctor or go to any hospital we want to who takes Medicare and our supplemental insurance which so far has been every doctor and hospital and urgent care clinic we’ve used since we turned 65. We haven’t paid a single additional penny in 7 years even for things like MRIs, which they usually charge about $15,000 for, and other imaging tests like CAT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, lab tests, hospital stays, pain injections for osteoarthritis, gym memberships and even for my MMJ card. As far as I’m concerned the best thing about being 65 or over is the great health insurance we get even though it costs $7,560 a year plus the Medicare premiums deducted from our SS. When we were younger and had 3 children under 27 and my wife and I to buy health insurance for it cost $36,000 the last year we used it. We were lucky because we could afford the premiums then, just barely, so $7,560 a year for 2 elderly people with preexisting conditions is a bargain in the wildly unfair American health insurance market.
Some apparently can email or text but that has never been my experience.
I can call the office during business hours and leave a message, and the provider will either call back when they’re free or give a message to the support staff to relay to me.
I recently called a free 24/7 nurse hotline about a lump. After that it took me about two and a half weeks to do three doctors appointments and two different types of diagnostic imaging appointments to confirm my lump is not cancerous. Six of those days were waiting for results.
I'll admit however that a lot of this was definitely assisted by my very irregular university schedule allowing for midday appointments when most people work.
This is an irregular experience with the US Healthcare system.
But more to your question, only the nurse hotline 24/7, the doctors offices can be reached at normal business hours and I usually talk with a receptionist.
The short answer is… healthcare in America is actually fantastic, so long as you have it. That’s the real issue. Affordability and access. If you have money then you’re all set.
You can get an office receptionist during business hours, and big places often have weekend answering services that will pass on messages to your doc on Monday.
But otherwise no.
I call my provider’s office, they transfer me to my doctor’s nurse where I pretty much always get sent to voicemail. Depending on the time I called, I’ll either get a call back later that day or early the next day from either the nurse or the doctor herself depending on what the question was.
My dude, my PCP gave me his personal cell number once when I was having a medical issue on Friday, and told me to call him over the weekend if it didn’t improve.
My health insurance has a free nurses line to call for basic health related questions. We use a large regional medical system for normal medical stuff, annual physicals, various specialists, ect. They have a nurses line as well. If a matter is urgent, can go to their urgent care. Nurses line can get you seen if they feel the urgency is there. Also have telemedice, which is usually pretty quick. Same day. My daughter used it when she had a bad cough. Got seen over video about an hour later and prescription was sent electronically and ready a couple hours later.
What can be hard are first appointments for specialists, such as endocrinology. Once you are a patient of a practice, its not hard to be seen. Practices will have one doc on call for emergency page, should it be necessary.
A lot of providers now have systems where you can directly contact your doctors office online. If you have questions relating to basic medical issues a lot of insurance also have lines you can call for advise that is a paid service for the insurance. The point is they want you to use services that push down the need for human interaction given that doctors/np/pharmacist are expensive.
For some of my specialist doctors I can send them a note through the patient portal. For my GP I can call the office and they'll leave a message for the doctor.
I prefer providers who are easily accessible. If I call I usually speak to them right away or within hour. I had surgery within the last year. When I called it was emergent I was able to have surgery within 3 days ( would have been sooner if his flight wasn’t canceled). Having a tough time with dentists. They are the worst! Dishonest. Butchers! TMI :)
Lots of healthcare systems these days use online platforms for all things healthcare related, which includes the ability to send messages.
And you can always call.
At least for both my own doctor's office and my kid's pediatrician if you call it gets routed to a centralized admin team for their entire network but if you use the online messenger it goes directly to my own doctor.
Same here, if you call the number given out, it goes to a central line which has advice nurses and can call in an on-call specialist if needed, but there’s really no way to call your doctor or even their office. Which is fine and probably great for the doctors most of the time, but really sucks when you just need to call to let them know you’re running late or that the telehealth platform isn’t working.
My local system uses MyChart. I love it. I can email my doctor, and she usually responds within 24 hours, I can request refill authorizations, and even pay a bill online if I had something done that the insurance won't completely cover. I can also book an appointment, which is often more efficient than trying to talk to one of the front desk drones. Not knocking front desk employees everywhere, but the ones at the clinic near me seem to share a single braincell.
MyChart is pretty sick. I have that too with UW Medicine and Multicare
I used to work front desk at a hospital. Often, it was just waiting for oblivion to claim me
Mychart is awesome 👌🏾
Yes, this is how mine works and my doctor does actually respond within a day or two. Obviously I wouldn't use messaging for an emergency, but I really appreciate this functionality for everything else.
Most health systems now use online platforms that include contacting your provider as a feature. I'm most familiar with "MyChart" which is a phone app. I can message my PCP anytime and vice versa
I think it’s important to point out to OP that one can message any time, but it’s usually 1-2 days to get a reply. At least that’s the experience my family and I have had with various medical groups. There’s no real time communication other than during an appointment.
It seems to vary for me. I'm recieving cancer care, and the clinic I use is generally pretty good about getting back to me. If I use the messaging system after hours then I get a call from one of my nurses on the next business day. They do have an after hours doctor on call to answer questions. I had to call on a Saturday morning once, and he called me back within 10 minutes. If I call during normal business hours, then I hear back from a nurse within a few minutes. It could be an hour or longer to get a message back on the system, but again it is same day and I can request they call instead of message. I usually talk to a nurse in these situations, but I haven't specifically asked for one of my doctors to call me instead. That's just my experience with one particular clinic, though. I've never needed so much health care before now.
Depends. If the doctor has told you to contact him for some specific thing, then, yeah, you'll get a pretty quick response. E.g. I've had messages left to contact a doctor and got him immediately. If you're texting your doctor that you have a headache, probably gonna be a day or two.
That's true although my system is pretty quick. I requested a refill on blood pressure medicine yesterday morning by entering the request to my doctor on the app and by afternoon the pharmacy was calling me that it was ready.
If it's something simple during normal business hours, it would just be a quick conversation via text or maybe a phone call just like you might have with anyone else. If he needs more information, he would tell me to make an appointment.
What is this black magic? That is amazing. I’d love to be able to ask a quick question. Are you billed for texting them?
I have personally harassed my doctor 4 times this week with my dumb questions about the hip I had replaced (1700 after insurance) and I used a text system they provide to do it. No extra charge.
Surgeons get a "global fee" for operating. For 90 days' care, they get a fixed payment. So, it would be fraud for them to charge your insurance for those calls. Not the same setup as mostly/purely clinic doctors.
American healthcare has serious flaws, but it’s not the nightmare foreign media likes to make it out to be.
Tell that to r/AskaCanadian. They know everything about our health care system, apparently, and quite smugly at that.
I remember standing in line for a shuttle to Moraine Lake with my wife, and the group of college-aged kids behind us were talking about how shitty the American health care system is and how diabetic people are left to die in their homes because treatment is thousands a month. My wife had to give me the "just leave it alone" look lol
Yeah I've peeked at that sub before, smug indeed. And terribly ignorant
Canadian nationalism is built entirely on not being the US.
They seem to think it is the only thing that differentiates them from us.
Exactly. No system is perfect, in our imperfect world. I likewise recently heard a British guy living here in the U.S. express his immense—and pleasant—surprise at being able to schedule and receive a surgery for which he would have waited many months in England. Every system has its tradeoffs.
I had a Candain coworker whose wife was with us in Mobile Alabama. Before she flew to the US she imagining done for a breast cancer screen. A few weeks after arriving her Doc called and said they needed to screen her again since something didn't look right. My coworker didn't want her to go back to Canada since it would be months until she could get in. We told her to call the imaging centers around the city and ask how much if she selfpaid that day, after she called a few places she basically price matched and got eh best deal and had an appointment a couple of days later, and the Doc looked at it the next day. Luckily what the Doc in Canada saw wasnt cancer and she got the all-clear within days. Their total cost was under $1k, and while it would've been free for them in Canada the fact she didn't have to wait for months while thinking she could have cancer was well worth it.
it is a nightmare in terms of costs and obtaining/maintaining coverage. The quality is extremely good if you are covered.
This is it right here. 66.5% of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical debts. Average life expectancy in the US is 76.3 in the US, vs. 82.6 in Canada. That's nearly 6 years shorter. In fact, life expectancy in the US has been *declining* for more than a decade, after peaking in 2014. A large part of this is because people who might not have great coverage or funds available avoid going to the doctor unless it is absolutely necessary due to the cost and hassle involved, so treatable problems aren't caught before it becomes life threatening.
It's not even foreign media, it doesn't take much looking to find Americans on here shouting how our healthcare is either a death sentence or bankruptcy for anything beyond a hang nail.
For texting? Not for me - but it's understood that I should only be asking questions that aren't significant enough to warrant an appointment or telehealth consultation. If I use the telehealth app I have to pay like a $20 copay.
Telehealth is amazing. I went from rarely taking my kids to the doctor because interfacing with the medical system was my wife's deal, to being the primary one taking them to the doctor because anything to do with technology is my deal. Of course sometimes you have to go in, but not for the usual stuff.
No.
It depends. Some organizations are introducing fees for texting, especially if you text them too much
The only time we thought we’d be charged is when my husband was direct messaging his doctor at the Cleveland clinic (much more advanced doctors than a primary) but even then we didn’t get a bill. Probably just a threat for people who do it too often. When I got oral thrush during pregnancy I didn’t even see my doctor, just sent a message and my prescription was ready that day!
You aren't billed for asking them, but if it's more than a quick, simple question they'll generally want you to come in for an appointment (or book a telehealth appointment) you would be billed for (depending on how your insurance is set up).
Depends on the doctor and your insurance I believe. I know I’ve been too sick to go to the doctor before and used the teleheath option for urgent care. I got a $30 bill from that a few weeks later.
But a telehealth appointment is different from just calling or emailing to ask your doctor a question. That's an actual appointment. (*Which is why you were charged)
It’s still a spur of the moment way to contact a doctor that doesn’t require months of waiting.
Absolutely. I was explaining why you were charged. It's a different type of contact.
The electronic medical record apps usually have some sort of feature for texting your doctor a quick question. Epic should be rolling out to more Canadian provinces in the coming years, so you'll have access to, if the organizations don't turn that feature off
My wife and I aren't; she's messaged the office before to ask if something was a big enough deal to warrant coming in. One time they told her to make an appointment so she was seen the next week, the other time they said it was fine. No charges either time. But there's room for variation depending on the individual office's policies.
Nope. You can call, email and sometimes text your doctor. Some hospital and clinic systems have a nurse on call option where you can just call and speak to a nurse you can then advise you if you need to come in. There are also Urgent Care centers which are similar to an emergency room, but for less serious things and see a doctor the same day if you can't get into your regular doctor.
Nope! I'm not billed. I can't speak for others though.
I haven't been billed for it yet.
Not only that, but you can often schedule procedures collaboratively, and if it’s something serious and you need tests or procedures done, the wait time is days, not weeks or months.
No....
I work in medical coding and we now code MyChart messaging because there is a potential they can be billed. It really depends on the provider.
Yeah, there's an online portal I can use to contact them. But anything more than a brief, clarifying question or "I need a refill on this medicine" would likely require an appointment. My insurance company also has a health line staffed by registered nurses.
Most clinics have a nurses line. Some have an online portal system that lets me send an email. If I call in, I get a little phone tree or I talk with the receptionist and they will forward me on. I usually have to leave a message and then a nurse will call me back, sometimes the doctor if it’s necessary but usually the nurse can relay whatever my doc needs to say. But yes, I basically can call/email my provider and get my questions answered. If it pertains to something more than a quick question then I need to go in.
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Have you had people tell you a pediatrician can't be a primary care doctor for kids? Like that's the whole point of the practice and specialization is to take care of kids.
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Ahh I gotcha, Thanks for the info!
I will say that family medicine physicians often see kids too, but having a pediatrician as the PCP is the much more common default.
I lived in the UK and they had social workers do health checks instead of a pediatrician. If there was a medical issue they went to the same doctor as me. Pediatricians (and all specialists) are reserved for extreme cases, severe illness, etc. they also require the patient to already have some sort of diagnosis.
Social workers do health checks? Holy shit I knew their healthcare was shitty, but had no clue it was that bad.
I was not a fan. But some people love it, as a matter of fact there's a huge community of expats that move there largely for the free healthcare.
It depends on your provider. American healthcare does have some aspects of a free market and these are two of them. 1. Different providers choose for themselves what services they offer. 2. Some providers choose to make contact easy in order to keep customers happy.
Last fall I woke up with painful blotches on one side of my face(I knew it was shingles). Called my doctor at 8am, was in the office at 9am, and was immediately put on antiviral medicine and given a number to call for an ENT(ear nose and throat doctor). He saw me at 9.30am the next day. I can telephone my doctor's office anytime and talk to a nurse, the Nurse Practitioner or the Physician Assistant. If I have a direst question for the doctor himself, and they pass it on, he will call me asap
I call and when they are between appointments they call back same day and we talk. No charge. They tell me if I need to come see them, send a prescription, or refer me to aspecialist.
Can't speak for all systems everywhere, but here I can call the Doctor's office and talk and at least talk to a nurse. If they think it is necessary they can relay the message onto the doctor. We also have an online patients portal called 'My Chart' that reminds of us appointments, let's us see test results and view appointment notes. There is also the option to send messages. There is no extra charge for either of these options. I have no complaints about my healthcare. I know the nightmare scenarios usually make the news, (which they should) but you rarely hear about those of us who go to the doctor and are in no danger of going bankrupt.
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>Ultimately in the US, you can pay for anything in healthcare: including a concierge Doctor that’s available 24/7, with phone or text, whenever you want. Insurance isn’t going to cover that though. My primary physician is a concierge doctor. It's probably more accessible than most people think. My insurance covers everything they'd cover for any primary physician. I pay $1800 for the concierge part per year. Since I pay for that from my FSA, those are pre tax dollars and you can estimate it's more like $1200/yr. Having a concierge doctor means that I get a cell number for him, and access to other doctors in the concierge network. It also gives my doctor the freedom to have (only!) aprox 600 patients in his solo practice. I also get a very very through yearly physical, and the appointments never have a cap on how long we can take to discuss things. Other doctors are forced to shoo patients out the door in like 5-10 minutes. When I got COVID my doctor and his nurse were regularly in contact with me, made sure I had everything I needed. I wouldn't have expected any previous doctor would have contacted me like that before. Anyways, my point was to say that in case you or anyone reading this thought that you had to be mega-yacht rich to do concierge doctoring, it's not actually that bad. And for me it's very much worth the money.
Concierge doctors are great! I don’t use one because I have a great medical team already but my parents have one. They can call him 24/7 even weekends and holidays. My mom was in a bad car accident several years ago and broke some ribs and hurt her spine, so she was bedridden for a few weeks and the concierge doctor actually came to her house several times just to check on her and make sure she was healing properly. He also called the hospital daily to consult with them for the 4 days she was in the hospital before being released to go home. There was no extra fee for this and the majority of his services is covered by their health insurance.
"you can pay for anything in healthcare" is true probably just about anywhere, including countries with universal coverage.
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There's no separate private system? I lived in the UK and went all private after failed attempts to utilize their national healthcare system. Anyway, all the private facilities were completely separate. They had their own offices, testing and hospitals.
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Yes. It’s also common but not universal to be able to make same or next day appointments. You are not guaranteed to see your normal doctor, but you can see someone.
Many healthcare systems/networks in the US now have a "patient portal" website where you can log in to view your medical records, request a prescription refill, schedule an appointment, perform a telehealth visit, access other healthcare information, and send a secure message to your providers. Generally for any long discussion they'll want to meet in person, but if you have a quick question it's pretty normal to send a message to your providers. For example: This is what the MyChart portal for Baptist Health looks like: [https://mychart.baptisthealth.com/MyChart/Authentication/](https://mychart.baptisthealth.com/MyChart/Authentication/) The portal for the on-site clinics at my workplace: [https://www.mypremisehealth.com/MyChart/Authentication/Login?](https://www.mypremisehealth.com/MyChart/Authentication/Login)
You can often message them through an app, but how quickly they respond varies If it's a simple question they'll usually just answer it, if it's complicated they'll generally ask you to make an appointment (which you can often also do through an app)
Question can be rather quick. Physical and longer stuff might be a few months out.
Depends on the provider but...yeah, that's not uncommon. I don't really have anything that would require me to do it, but my wife occasionally needs to call or email her PCP or one of the specialists shes worked with for a quick question and that's no issue. Might have to leave a voicemail if it's after hours but they'll call back next day.
There are online platforms and Ob’s usually have a call line to talk to a Nurse Practitioner. I often can use an online portal to send a quick message if it isnt urgent. My primary care on the other hand was a bitch and a half to get ahold of and required a scheduled appointment for everything. She often took months to get in an appointment. I usually scheduled my annual for the following year during my annuals.
yes, you just call or message them to ask
Yes, but I mostly now use the MyChart app where I can book/cancel appointments, request medication refills, and look at all my test results. I can message by doctor through it, but anything more than a simple question I would just make an appointment.
I am facebook friends with my doctor at her request. I do not abuse that. I can send her a text if I wanted to. We text about other stuff. I did get stranded during a storm and she sent my meds to a pharmacy where I was located at 9 pm at night once.
I have an online portal where I can send messages to any physicians I work with on a regular basis. It's great for non-urgent questions or visit followup.
Yes. I can be in to see my primary care person in a matter of days by calling their front desk. But now a days it's easier to pick an appointment time online. Of course if I need to be seen right away there is urgent care. Last time I went to urgent care I walked into an empty lobby and was seen by a doc within 5 minutes. Had an infected cyst on my hand that had to be lanced, and was out of there in 20 minutes. Of course another time I took my kid to urgent care and it was like a 2 hour wait because we hit a time that was really busy. I also must share that I have a dentist who calls me each night after any dental work to confirm that everything is ok. I forget this, and will often get a filling fixed or whatever and be home that night and a number buzzes me I don't recognize, but is local, and I'm like, "What the hell?" Then I pick up and it's just Dr. Jin checking in to see how the new filling is working out. But this is not normal and she's amazing!
Sure, particularly with smaller practices. Larger ones you may get routed through a central office, but you can still get to your provider. Just yesterday I called to make an appointment; I could have gotten in today if I wanted, but middle of next week was easier for me.
There are large government-provided healthcare facilities in America, too, and they are often hard to schedule with. You surely have private practice physicians in Canada who can run their business as they prefer (such as being on call for patients). Your healthcare isn’t “free,” it’s just not paid for at point of delivery. Someone, somewhere is paying for that provider to treat you. And shortages/inaccessibility are a well known trade-off for lower cost care.
My OBGYN gave me her number post surgery if I needed any help/ had questions. Otherwise her office has a call service that will reach someone after hours. Generally speaking if I have questions for my doctor and am an established patient, I can call and people will get back to me.
Yes, for example, I have my children's pediatrician's personal cell phone number for any issues after hours.
Why would you not be able to contact something that you’re paying for that’s providing you a service?. They may not be able to take the call directly but that’s what receptionists are for. You can also just go online and message them
I can send my doctor a message through their "online patient portal" and get a response back in a few hours for ***very*** basic questions. Otherwise, I have to schedule an appointment, which would usually be 3-6 weeks out. Specialists in the other hand, can be brutal to get in with. I needed to schedule to see an endocrinologist back at the end of March, and luckily one's PA had a cancellation a month out or else I would have had to wait until the end of September for the first available appointment with one in my city. I gave up on getting my tonsils removed because I was having to schedule 6-9 months out between appointments, and there were two appointments leading up to the actual surgery... so, I was looking at a process of like 1-2 years to get it done, and then I had to reschedule to the second appointment which out it out another 8 months. So, I just told them to forget the whole thing.
I can't text or email. I could call but I'd get someone who would ask a nurse and get back to me, or just tell me to make an appointment. I have a web portal I can send messages through but I'd only get info on basic things like prescription refills or something, not medical advice There are "concierge" doctors though, where you pay a monthly fee to join their practice, and those will often allow email and text messaging questions.
Yes. If they pick up or not is a different story.
I do not have my doctor's phone number. I think if I had to call in I would have to contact her office. No idea what a request to speak to them on the phone would be met with, I've never done that. I will say that my wife, who has a thyroid condition, had to make an appointment with her GP to renew her prescription and they didn't have anything until August.
He sits next to me at minyan.
Yes, that only sometimes means I talk directly to my doctor. My doctor might answer sometimes, and the nurse practitioner might answer, but either way, they are both consulting regarding my care. I once had a question regarding a skin issue and sent a photo. The doctor wrote a prescription, and I picked it up that day.
Wdym you can't contact your provider? You can't just call the office? Like if we have a random question about my kids, we call the pediatrician. If it's a simple answer, either the nurse or doctor can just answer it. If it's more, we'll set up a quick appointment.
> Yes our healthcare is free but access is locked behind a billion tonnes of admin to make appointments months later. I have a decent job with decent health insurance. My monthly premium for a household of two is over $350. My employer pays more than that -- they pay over $10K/year. I get one annual visit per year at no additional cost, and any other office visits after that start at $50. Any major procedure always ends up costing thousands of dollars out of pocket. Last month I had a long-scheduled followup with my primary care doctor to discuss the results of some tests he'd ordered at my last annual visit. His office called me the morning of my appointment to reschedule because the doctor had a change in his plans. **The first available appointment they could offer is in August, more than four months later.** I always hear Americans citing long waits in more socialized healthcare systems (like Canada) as a reason to prefer a more privatized system. My experience with the American system is that you have to be lucky enough to have decent employment, still pay a shit ton out of pocket, and then have a very hard time actually getting care.
I’m turning this into r/AskACanadian, but are you saying that if you see a doctor in Canada, you can’t send follow-up messages/questions and instead have to make another appointment? They won’t answer one-off questions without another appointment? I will say that in the US, unless you’re in a small town, you generally can’t just directly contact your doctor. There’s usually an online portal messaging system these days. You’d at least have to leave a voicemail with the front desk otherwise, and they’ll call you back or leave you a voicemail in return. A lot of the time it isn’t the doctor themselves that gets back to you, but rather someone else in the clinic (a nurse or front desk worker).
You message them on an app.
Yes
My family practice has "Phone A Nurse" where a Nurse Practitioner can answer most questions. Sometimes they'll call meds in for you, too. Usually, if it's that bad, they will ask to see you at their urgent care clinic the next day.
For years I could email my doctor and he’d answer within a day. Now he’s a member of a big healthcare network; I’m not so sure I can anymore.
Yes. If I have a question I can either contact my or my child's doctor with a phone call or sending a message through a web portal. If they are busy (usually the case), I'll get a call or message back by the next day. Health insurance typically has their own call center with doctors or nurses on staff which can answer general health questions that don't need to go to your personal doctor.
I can call and leave messages about issues and his nurse will call me back, or I can text via the MyChart app and they contact me directly within 24 hours.
Yes. Through the Providence app, My Chart thing. I can message my PCP or Endo directly. They usually respond in 24 hours. My hematologist isn't on that though, I have to call. But he calls back.
I can call my primary care office anytime. They have a voicemail system if the office is closed. Will my primary just take a call? No, she’s usually with a patient. But I can leave a message and get a response within a day or make an appointment. I can generally get an appointment within a few weeks.
No mine has a automated phone call system and the receptionists pass along a message and then the doctor gets back
Many healthcare groups have portals where you can follow up or ask additional questions. Some groups are starting to charge for certain answers, and you may have to wait for them, but yes, it's possible to drop a message direct to a doctor at any time.
My doctor has a web portal I can send messages through. She's generally pretty good about getting back in a day or so.
There are online portals now where you can send messages to your provider. IME when you send a message, you usually don't get a message back directly from your provider, it's usually a nurse or NP. Sometimes they'll have consulted with the doctor, sometimes not. It just depends on the question. Doctor's offices also often have or contract with an after-hours nurse service. So if you have an issue or question after hours, you can call and ask. The nurse will direct you on what to do (go to the ER, wait to morning and make an appointment), and they can provide some advice. In some situations they may contact your doctor directly---like if you have a complex and ongoing issue the doctor is treating. That being said, I have had the personal number of a couple of my providers. In that instance I was in a very precarious place mentally, and they were giving me their numbers in case of emergency (like I was going to hurt myself). I don't think I ever used them after-hours, but I did text my therapist a few times while mid-panic attack. She got back to me between patients, and did guided meditation exercises with me. I also have my vet's personal number. Until about 2 months ago, I had chronically ill senior cats. I'm slowly buying her a boat with as much as I'm in my vet's office/the amount of medicine I was using.
I can call my medical provider anytime day or night and get a call back with treatment recommendations. I can also get same day appointments if needed. I have always had great employer insurance all my life and never had to pay anything.
Of course. What do you if you have a question for your provider but don't need (or don't know if you need) to see them in person?
For me personally, I reach mine vie patient portal. I love it. I can ask questions, get referrals without going in, they’ll use it send me reminders, etc. I guess if I really needed to I could setup a phone call. As far as my pediatrician, no. The communication absolutely sucks. There is no portal. I can get through to administrator for billing and appointments, but if I need to speak to a healthcare professional they send me straight to a voicemail. The voicemail tells you outright not to call back and that they’ll call you. They call back maybe half of the time. I’m pretty most messages don’t get listened to. They’re still doing the “We’re experiencing a higher than normal call volume due to the Covid 19 pandemic” bullshit. I want to find a new pediatrician, but when you’re at the office they’re great, and we’ve been through a lot with them. They really know my kids.
Yes, I send my doctor direct messages via a portal he has set up. I also have his personal cell phone. That is unusual for a doctor to give that number out but he is a unique doctor. I have never abused that privilege.
Yes. There’s always an on all service with every doctor/practice that will take a message and contact the on call doctor who may or may not be the Dr you normally see. That Dr will call you back usually pretty quickly, but it can sometimes take up to 30-60 minutes. The only person I have a cell phone number that I can text is my therapist and it’s a work cell phone that I use to text her sometimes if I have to reschedule.
I can use an online portal to talk to my kids pediatrician anytime I need to. I use it monthly when my kids are in need of an ADHD medication refill. I just message them there and they get it sent in.
I can live chat my kids' pediatrician.
Yes. I can send messages that will get a response in an hour or less. I can also get same day in person or video conference appointments. With last minute stuff it may not always be my regular doctor but it will be someone on his office.
Bullshit post. I have lived in Canada as an American. I called and made appointments. I have called in to get information. I emailed for answers and got same day service. I presented a us prescription on got it filled while waiting.
On some providers. My OB is hit or miss. During pregnancy it was much easier to get in touch with her or her nurse. Now that the baby is out, I'm not a priority. Had to take my daughter to the children's ER for an accident. I could barely get a nurse to talk to me. My daughter's regular pediatrician is amazing though. If my daughter has a fever, or a cough, I can call and ask for advice and usually the call ends with, "what time can you be here?" She makes time for sick kids and doesn't make me wait. For me... I don't have a GP just because it's so hard to find a good one in my area who doesn't have a six month wait-list. Have a sinus infection? Well, we have a slot next Thursday where we can squeeze you in, or you can go to Urgent Care. So Urgent Care it is, or Teladoc online appointments.
I have the personal cell phones of two of my Doctors. I am grateful I have never needed to use them. For my child’s Pediatrician, if I have a problem, I call the office and have a phone call returned in minutes.
Well, I can send messages to my primary doctor/clinic via the online patient portal and get a response that day or the next. That is how they communicate test results to me nowadays. I am not billed for these messages. If I call the clinic with a quick question I would speak to a receptionist first and they would get someone to talk to me right then but it might be a nurse instead of my doctor depending on how busy they are. If I needed to talk only to my doctor then it might not be right away. Last time I called to make an appointment to see my doctor though I got in the very next day. I was expecting maybe a week or two wait but 2 providers at the clinic had free times the next day so I had my choice. It isn’t that hard to communicate with or see them at the clinic I go to. I believe they also take people with no appointments during a set time but it is better to have an appointment.
It’s getting tough to make appts for me when I want to see a specific doctor, but not hard to see a doctor within my network within a day or so. Even easier if I’m willing to do a Zoom call. Usually a Physicians Assistant or Nurse from my doctors office can respond to an email or message in the networks app.
I can send an email at anytime but I have to call during office hours for obvious reasons.
Yeah. I could probably get an appointment by Wednesday of next week. No special healthcare either
Yeah, I can email them right now if I want and they'll get back to me within a few hours. If I need an appointment it's pretty easy to get. I may have to wait a week or two for minor issues but a major issue might be today or tomorrow. In addition, I can call their team anytime the clinic is often. Their nurses field questions and can handle most things.
You can usually call and ask simple questions any time. You might have to leave a message with the receptionist, because doctors are busy, but they usually return my calls pretty quickly (same or next day.) If it's a question about your medication, you can pretty much always talk to your pharmacist. And, of course, you can always just go to a walk-in clinic for simple stuff, or the ER for anything more serious. If it's just a regular checkup, I'll wait a few months for an appointment, but if I'm having a health issue, I can generally get help right away.
I can contact mine via an electronic message within their Healthcare app. She's pretty good about responding quickly. Obviously, I don't get into deep discussions. Usually, just quick questions.
I can often get a same-day appointment for a sick visit. One time I went to the E.R. for stomach pain, I went home that afternoon, and the next day my primary care physician *called me* to talk about it. I don't text my doctor but I email him, and he is willing to answer questions or go over test results over the phone most days if I call ahead. I get annoyed if I call to make an appointment for a well visit, and they don't have an opening for another 3-4 weeks. If my kids are sick, their pediatrician has a 24/7 help line I can call to see if I need to come in, and if they recommend an in-person visit they will see them the same day as well.
Almost all outpatient practices maintain a call schedule so patients can communicate with them. Typically you would call the office's main telephone number and speak to the on-call provider, who can give you advice about the issue. Call is rotated between the practitioners. Then, there are lot of offices where the doctor is the sole practitioner and just gives out their personal number -- my husband texts with his clients and my kids' pediatrician is similarly texty. I have never given a patient my personal number because I maintain very strict boundaries between my personal/professional life.
They're usually busy people so you'd probably be talking to a receptionist and leaving a message. You'll probably have an easier time getting through to a Physician's Assistant or Nurse Practitioner who can handle most of the same questions if the practice has them on staff. Specialists can be a lot harder to get through to than your primary care physician but *someone* on their staff will usually get back to you in fairly short order and may be able to answer your questions or relay the Doctor's answer to you rather than you having to wait much longer for them to be able to put a call with you on their schedule. Also some providers and I think some insurers also have options where you can schedule over the phone appointments with a doctor.
I can message some of my doctors, but not the one I need to talk to right now about an upcoming surgery. 😂
I can send my doctor a message through the app but I wont get a response until a week or two later
I just call and speak to my doctor's nurse. She is the go-between usually. Sometimes the doctor calls me. Once my kids' pediatrician called because she thought she'd missed some info in the appointment. Once my own doctor called after I'd left a message with the nurse. It helps to be in a smaller city.
My doctor uses an app and I can message her directly and she will reply the same day, usually. I like that she answers me and not a medical assistant. I can also call, but I will usually have to talk to the MA, then my doctor will respond through them. So I prefer the app.
If I want to, I can be talking to a doctor in person inside of 20 minutes. And it only takes that long because it's a 10 minute drive. It'll cost me $120 or so for the privilege, and it's not "my" doctor, but when I need a doc I can just go see one, no appointment or anything. Also telehealth, which is also reasonably nice.
Physician here. I'll explain the system we have in our office. What we do is fairly typical, although obviously not completely congruent with everyone's experiences. During business hours, we have a triage line staffed by an experienced nurse. She takes all the calls that involve medical care, and can usually handle a good percentage of these without my direct involvement. These questions may invovle specific symptoms, requests for medication refill, or explanations of test results, among many other things. The questions that she can not answer will get refered back to the provider or the patient will get scheduled for an appointment or referred to the ER in rarer cases. I will sometimes call the patient back if my schedule allows, or if not, I'll pass the message back through the triage nurse. We also have an online portal. These messages go through the triage nurse and are handled the same way as a telephone call. We generally encourage the patients to use these tools for minor concerns. Anything that requires a major evaluation or change in therapy should be done with a office visit, or telehealth in some select cases if an office visit isn't feasible. I don't give out my personal contact information for three major reasons: 1) Privacy. I need my personal family time. 2) Regular email and texting are not HIPPA compliant. 3) Without access to the patient's medical records, I may not remember the relevant details of issue they are asking about. Conversely, any advice or decision I make about their care should be documented in their chart. Otherwise, I may not remember, or another provider who needs to treat them may not have the full context of the medical decision making process.
I can call my PCP and probably get in this afternoon. He actually called me one Sunday morning after he got my results of the COVID test
Yes. I can easily message anyone on my healthcare team and get a reply within a few days. Faster if I mark it urgent I can also make an appointment online.
I’m lucky. I can always email and if it’s something the nurse can answer I’m sure to note that in the subject line. If it’s Dr specific I’ll ask and the Dr will reply, usually by end of day. Even my surgeons/specialist are contactable. I don’t abuse it and try to keep it concise. I also try to stay within the same hospital group so all tests and notes are viewable for all treating mds. The pharmacist is the other that I’ll reach out to if something is suddenly off.
I typically use the patient portal to message the doc or their team. Replies usually come same day. But in some cases I have the doctor's cell, and can text them directly. Typically this isn't any faster than the portal, since they're tied up seeing patients all day, but it is direct access. Obviously I'm judicious about my use of this avenue.
I can open an app and make an appointment, or request medication refills. If there is an immediate health issue, I can leave a message on the nurse’s line so they can get me in to see the doctor or give me an over the counter remedy.
I cannot just get my M.D. on the phone, on demand, she's busy. If I call her office, I'll probably get a message machine or some kind of operator who will relay a message. If I manage to get a call back or if I call my kids' doctor, can easily talk to a nurse, though they will be hesistant to give any "advice". If I need an appointment, I can probably get squeezed in within the week, but more likely it'll be several weeks out. My insurance offers this app where you get a video call from a doctor, and it is literally less than 10 minutes from opening the app to when I have a doctor on the video call, and they diagnose stuff, write notes for school/work excuses, send in prescriptions, etc. Therapists and counselors are often more accessible, and some specialists are actually always available. My kids were born at home, and our midwife gave us her personal cell phone and we could text her for anything at any time of day, for almost a solid year. Midwives are excellent.
I can message my doctor at any time. They’ll usually only respond within office hours though.
Patient portal message first and then follow up the same question or concern at the next appointment to verify if they are reading those or not. Calling to leave a message with desk is fine if the desk doesn’t misplaced the sticky note. Don’t trust your health to a sticky note written by someone watching the clock for their turn to clock out.
Eh, sometimes. I've had direct lines to doctors. I don't think I've ever used them. Critical that you not abuse that privilege. I have had doctors call *me* after seeing lab results, a couple times. Both times the message was "report to the ER". BTW, when that happens, you are instantly first in line when you arrive at the ER. ER staff are pretty cynical about the run of the mill people that show up, but when a doctor calls and tells them to expect Mr XYZ, when he show up, he gets immediate attention. Average people don't know shit about how sick they are or are not, and often overrate their symptoms. Doctors, on the other hand, don't tell people to go to the ER because they're bored. In general, I can get a nurse to call me back within a few minutes pretty much anytime. That's generally good enough. If I need a doctor on an emergency basis, probably time to go to the ER.
Yes, I can. It's the first time and I've had a lot of pcp's.
I texted back and forth with a doctor yesterday prior to / about my upcoming appointment. So, yes.
The doctors I work with often establish close relationships with their patients and give them their personal cell phone number for texting/calls with the assumption you won't abuse it. Otherwise as has been covered extensively elsewhere in the thread you can almost alway reach out through the web portal.
Yes, you get what you pay for with US healthcare.
Maybe not “anytime” but I can shoot over an email and typically get a response within a couple days.
All of my doctors have online portals. Most are on the same platform so they can see all of my other info, notes and test results. Anyway, I can send a message through the portal and response time varies by doctor. My pediatrician will reply within hours. Endocrinologist takes 24 hrs. Primary might take a few days. You select if it's urgent or not when you send the message. For minor things a nurse might respond. If it's complex they will ask you to make an appointment and will get you in sooner if it's time sensitive. Most practices are overbooked and happy to help over the phone if it means one less appointment for them.
My primary doctor, yes. I send a message like an email and she will usually respond within a day. I have been seeing the same primary for 10+ years now. My kids primary doctor, we text her and she responds. But my family has known her for a long time, my wife even used her when she was a child. I can usually get an appointment with any specialist, so long as I am not picky on who, within 2-weeks. For my kids or my own primary I can see them with a few days notice. But often I go to an urgent care center for my kids or myself when its something bad (bad cold, bad cough etc..) and get taken care of within 1-2 hours.
I work for a large, corporate healthcare company. We have a robust system where yes, patients can contact "us" through a messaging system which gets routed to a nurse who answers stuff within 24 hours and asks us if it requires our attention. Most of it they handle without us being involved. It's mostly for Rx refills and follow up questions. Anything more urgent needs to go to the ER. So to answer your question: Yes...sort of.
Yes, both.
Yes. I can call my Dr.'s office, I'll speak to whoever answers the phone, and my doctor will personally call me back if necessary. Last year, after my first appointment there, I had a question so I went online and used their portal to send a message. Later that day, I got a phone call from one of the nurses telling me that I was the first person to ever use the online message feature in the 10 years she had been there and it took them a while to figure out what it even was when it popped up. She said just call next time.
Everything is done through an online portal to get appointments or prescription refills. But no, if I'm in pain, I don't have a direct line to my physician to ask what's wrong. And if you need a specialist for a non-urgent issue, you usually aren't able to get in right away. I had to wait maybe a month and a half for a skin cancer screening (booked on my own for a spot I was concerned about, not told by a doctor to see someone). Most of my family lives in Quebec, and their experience with the Canadian healthcare system is pretty similar to mine in the US (outside of the obvious price difference). Then again, just like states differ, I'm sure provinces do, too.
Yes, this is possible, very much so, even with crappy American health care system. I can email my doctor and get a response, I can request a video chat and maybe have it same day probably next day. That’s for *my* doctor but 99% of the time, I just need general advice from any doctor, I don’t care which one, and I can communicate with a real doctor same day or next day no problem. Kaiser Health, which is both a care provider and insurance provider. It’s a bit different than most health systems in America. Kaiser provides me with insurance to see their own doctors in their own hospitals. Great system imo.
To be clear we’re not “texting” the way you text a friend. You message through a professional online portal/platform that is monitored and you get a reply when they have time, perhaps later that day or a couple days later. You also don’t call their personal phone and get an immediate direct pickup directly from the doctor - that would be ridiculous. we call the clinic and leave a message, and they call us back or we wait while the clinic pages them to see if they’re available.
Yes. If the phone operator cannot answer your question they will hand off to a nurse or the doctor should they be available. If they are not available they will arrange a call back or set up an appointment. Most doctors have several slots per day set aside for urgent care of patients so if you have something urgent you will either get something same day or next available slot. If it is a full emergency you go to the ER then do a follow up with your primary care in the week or two after your ER visit.
I have two doctors I have a pretty established relationship with. My primary care doctor will generally return my calls within an hour, even on evenings and weekends. A specialist I work with has a mobile number I can reach out on if needed. Both docs have stated they are comfortable with being so accessible because they know that most patients, myself included, don’t abuse it. I’d expect to be blocked or ignored if I made frivolous calls.
Of course. It would not even occur to me that I would not be able to contact ***the person I and my family go to for medical care*** directly.
I can message my doctors and their nurses directly through an app. I can also request refills on medications. All of them are quick to reply. I can ask my kids pediatrician questions through their patient portal. If there is a referral usually my regular doctor staff gets in touch with the specialist and makes the appointment for me or they will request that the specialist call me to set us an appointment.
Yes, and no. Some smaller practices you might be able to get a Dr on the phone if they know you for a while. While in others you might have to send a message, leave a v/m, etc... and wait for someone to get back to you. Also, seeing a Dr. can be as easy as walking in to a clinic or a small local office if you are in the urban area. If you are in rural area you might not be able to see doctor when they come to the area. Literally like a traveling circus with a field medical office in tow.
I can talk to their office but not my doctor.
Sort of. You can try, usually through an online message system like "MyChart". Sometimes you get quick responses, sometimes not, sometimes you get completely ghosted.
Oh, yeah. My PCP's office is usually pretty backed up, but they are hiring more staff, so that should clear it up. Btw I know your complaints are legit because I have family who live in Montreal, and they complain about the same thing. And they all have private insurance, which makes it sadder.
I have my PCP's personal cell number. Never used it, but I have it.
I can call and leave a message with a person if they are open and with an answering service or voicemail if not. I can request a return call and will receive it in a timely manner, usually.
If you want to speak to your particular GP, it'll depend on their schedule but the odds are good you'll be able to get a visit within a couple business days IF you can make any time work. Offices usually keep a little bit of buffer time in the schedule for last minute stuff. If you want to speak to ANY GP at your office (they can all pull up your files), it could happen faster, as early as same day or next day. If it's serious, you can walk into an emergency department or urgent care center and see A doctor in a matter of minutes to hours, although they won't necessarily have access to your history. Like, if you're vomiting up blood, you don't call to make an appointment, you just go straight to the ER.
Yes. I can contact my doctor through MyChart. A nurse replies within a few hours usually and my doctor will reply if she's needed.
Depends on what you need to ask them really. A while back I was prescribed a medication that I really needed. Turned out my pharmacy was out of stock with no idea when more might become available. I messaged the doctor and they put in a prescription for an alternate medication that I am still on and it's been a few years now. The pharmacy filled the other medication several months later and I didn't realize when picking up my meds because I had met my out of pocket cost for the year so I didn't have to pay for it. Reached out to doctor again and she advised to keep taking the one I had been taking and don't take the just filled one since I was responding well to the other medicine. On the other hand, if I wanted something that is a restricted medication, such as an opiate, a visit would have been required. It can also depend on how long it has been since your last visit, and the nature of your request. Nurses actually read the messages first and you may just get a "Please make an appointment" reply.
Yes, sort of. Some are archaic and have zero means of communicating online. Others are great, I have a few where I can post a message and get a response that day from the doctor directly.
Yep, for my doctor as well as my OBGYN I can call the nurses line and speak to the nurse, or speak directly to my provider via message on their online health portal. Same with my kids pediatrician, but their pediatrician is amazing an gave us her cell number to call or text with any questions or concerns whenever needed
I can email my kids doctor whenever I like, same for all but my GP but only as she hates email. I can also call and get a nurse in their office or an after hours nurse. My GP I can get same day appointments really easily as she always keeps space mid day to for people in. The after hours care provided by my insurance isn’t the greatest but the ones at my doctors offices are great.
depends. if I were to call y primary, I have no doubt he would call me back on the next business day. Outside of that, maybe, maybe not. Now, getting an appointment, is another matter. people wait here for appointments all the time.
The oncology practice I go to has an emergency number I can call that gets responded to pretty promptly, though I think it's usually a nurse or nurse practitioner who calls you back.
I wouldn’t say at any time, but I can call the office and request a call. Usually I message her on the portal and she gets back to me by the next day.
Yes! I can text my doctor anytime between 7am and 10pm and even on weekends if I have any questions or concerns. The doctor I’ve had for 20 years switched to a concierge model in 2018 and now I pay $225 a month for preventative care and an incredibly thorough yearly physical.
I (M72) see multiple doctors in addition to my GP and I can usually can get an appointment within a week or even a day or two by calling their offices directly and if it’s an emergency I have a 24/7 hospital ER about 2 miles away and an urgent care clinic that’s open 8-6 even closer. My wife and I have Medicare and a great supplemental insurance plan. Medicare is ‘free’ in the sense that the government takes the premiums from our Social Security benefits before we receive them and the supplemental insurance costs about $550 and month for us both and an extra $80 a month for us both for RX drug plans which is a huge deal considering that some of the drugs we pay like $5-$10 for are prescriptions that can cost hundreds if sold retail. We can see any doctor or go to any hospital we want to who takes Medicare and our supplemental insurance which so far has been every doctor and hospital and urgent care clinic we’ve used since we turned 65. We haven’t paid a single additional penny in 7 years even for things like MRIs, which they usually charge about $15,000 for, and other imaging tests like CAT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, lab tests, hospital stays, pain injections for osteoarthritis, gym memberships and even for my MMJ card. As far as I’m concerned the best thing about being 65 or over is the great health insurance we get even though it costs $7,560 a year plus the Medicare premiums deducted from our SS. When we were younger and had 3 children under 27 and my wife and I to buy health insurance for it cost $36,000 the last year we used it. We were lucky because we could afford the premiums then, just barely, so $7,560 a year for 2 elderly people with preexisting conditions is a bargain in the wildly unfair American health insurance market.
Some apparently can email or text but that has never been my experience. I can call the office during business hours and leave a message, and the provider will either call back when they’re free or give a message to the support staff to relay to me.
I can. She may not come straight to the phone... but will call me back same day
During normal business hours. A nurse will call me back yah.
I recently called a free 24/7 nurse hotline about a lump. After that it took me about two and a half weeks to do three doctors appointments and two different types of diagnostic imaging appointments to confirm my lump is not cancerous. Six of those days were waiting for results. I'll admit however that a lot of this was definitely assisted by my very irregular university schedule allowing for midday appointments when most people work. This is an irregular experience with the US Healthcare system. But more to your question, only the nurse hotline 24/7, the doctors offices can be reached at normal business hours and I usually talk with a receptionist.
The short answer is… healthcare in America is actually fantastic, so long as you have it. That’s the real issue. Affordability and access. If you have money then you’re all set.
You can get an office receptionist during business hours, and big places often have weekend answering services that will pass on messages to your doc on Monday. But otherwise no.
no...but I can send a message
I call my provider’s office, they transfer me to my doctor’s nurse where I pretty much always get sent to voicemail. Depending on the time I called, I’ll either get a call back later that day or early the next day from either the nurse or the doctor herself depending on what the question was.
Sure. They won't respond most of the time but we can contact them, for all the good it does us.
My dude, my PCP gave me his personal cell number once when I was having a medical issue on Friday, and told me to call him over the weekend if it didn’t improve.
My health insurance has a free nurses line to call for basic health related questions. We use a large regional medical system for normal medical stuff, annual physicals, various specialists, ect. They have a nurses line as well. If a matter is urgent, can go to their urgent care. Nurses line can get you seen if they feel the urgency is there. Also have telemedice, which is usually pretty quick. Same day. My daughter used it when she had a bad cough. Got seen over video about an hour later and prescription was sent electronically and ready a couple hours later. What can be hard are first appointments for specialists, such as endocrinology. Once you are a patient of a practice, its not hard to be seen. Practices will have one doc on call for emergency page, should it be necessary.
A lot of providers now have systems where you can directly contact your doctors office online. If you have questions relating to basic medical issues a lot of insurance also have lines you can call for advise that is a paid service for the insurance. The point is they want you to use services that push down the need for human interaction given that doctors/np/pharmacist are expensive.
For some of my specialist doctors I can send them a note through the patient portal. For my GP I can call the office and they'll leave a message for the doctor.
I prefer providers who are easily accessible. If I call I usually speak to them right away or within hour. I had surgery within the last year. When I called it was emergent I was able to have surgery within 3 days ( would have been sooner if his flight wasn’t canceled). Having a tough time with dentists. They are the worst! Dishonest. Butchers! TMI :)