Originally Posted by desertrose
My first instinct tells me you maybe seeing a Dr. through a HMO insurance plan. . . . At HMO's you can only present with one issue in 15 min. visits unless you book your appoint as an extended appointment 30 minutes you are restricted to just 15 min. Then if you are required to get a referral to an allergist you may do so.
HMOs are not all bad. I'm a Kaiser patient - they are one of the largest HMOs in the business. They have excellent care most of the time. It's my understanding that the doctors get paid "X" number of dollars per year - 1,000 patients or 10,000 patients, they only get "X" number of dollars. When I go in for an appointment there is no time limit on how long I see the doctor or how many things I can discuss. He listens carefully, takes good notes, and has my records available (Kaiser is totally digital with all records - tests, x-rays, CTscans, etc.) immediately. If I have something I want an answer to quickly, I email him with my query and I always get an answer back by the next day at the latest.
In the years I've been with Kaiser I've had two doctors who didn't listen. I requested and was immediately reassigned to other physicians. I now refer to the doctor who diagnosed me with acid reflux (it was lung cancer) as "that idiot doctor". My present doctor said he hopes I don't refer to him that way. I told him that as long as he never misdiagnoses me that badly he's got nothing to worry about. He's a nice guy and listens to me when I come in, however long it takes. Frankly, he emails me and bugs me more about my cholesterol and diabetes than I really appreciate, but he's doing his job and I really, really should follow his directions.