Looking for a primary care doc in the NYC area
July 24, 2017 5:42 AM Subscribe
I’d like to find a doctor who has the time to deal with complex, chronic, issues. It would be great if the doctor had the time to think about my health problems and make reasonable suggestions for the constellation of issues I’m dealing with.
Ideally, I’d find a doctor south of 34th St (Manhattan) and north of Prospect Park, but I’d travel further for the right doctor. Bonus points if they have experience with pain management, although that’s not essential since I can see a specialist for that kind of thing.
I’m on a PPO with good out of network coverage, so I’m not too worried about insurance issues.
If you recommend a doctor, please say why!
P.S. I’ve tried OneMedical, which comes highly recommended in my social circles. They’ve been great for routine problems, things like a bad stomach flu or allergies. It’s also nice that you can send messages online and appointments usually aren’t more than five or ten minutes late. But my doctor seems overscheduled and doesn’t have time to read my chart before appointments, which means that an appointment about any long-term issue is spent recounting my medical history, leaving no time for any non-superficial advice. There have also been a number of errors as a result of being too rushed, some more serious than others.
Ideally, I’d find a doctor south of 34th St (Manhattan) and north of Prospect Park, but I’d travel further for the right doctor. Bonus points if they have experience with pain management, although that’s not essential since I can see a specialist for that kind of thing.
I’m on a PPO with good out of network coverage, so I’m not too worried about insurance issues.
If you recommend a doctor, please say why!
P.S. I’ve tried OneMedical, which comes highly recommended in my social circles. They’ve been great for routine problems, things like a bad stomach flu or allergies. It’s also nice that you can send messages online and appointments usually aren’t more than five or ten minutes late. But my doctor seems overscheduled and doesn’t have time to read my chart before appointments, which means that an appointment about any long-term issue is spent recounting my medical history, leaving no time for any non-superficial advice. There have also been a number of errors as a result of being too rushed, some more serious than others.
Note that naturopaths cannot prescribe or do labs in New York. OP is looking for a New York group that can deal with full primary care, actual medicine, and coordination.
OP - do you have one or two specialists in town you do work with well? I'd ask both them and their office staff if there are PCPs they know communicate well.
I'm in CT, so no specific recs, sorry.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:03 AM on July 24, 2017 [3 favorites]
OP - do you have one or two specialists in town you do work with well? I'd ask both them and their office staff if there are PCPs they know communicate well.
I'm in CT, so no specific recs, sorry.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:03 AM on July 24, 2017 [3 favorites]
Talk to the nurse about how to present your history as concisely and effectively as possible. Bring notes so you don't forget anything. If your symptoms persist and your treatment is not working, ask your doctor to refer you to someone who will have the time to look into the issues.
Be persistent. I had some unusual symptoms; my doctor sent me to a specialist, no results, then sent me to another specialist and I was tested for a long list of things. All negative - yay! but no treatment. Eventually, my doctor sent me to an out of state specialist and a treatment was finally found that was partially successful.
I would love to find a medical researcher who could help, but this doesn't seem to exist in a clinical setting. I still have poorly diagnosed health issues. The doctor who was most effective moved away. At this point, I get some symptoms treated, and live with the rest because persistence is tiring.
posted by theora55 at 11:24 AM on July 24, 2017
Be persistent. I had some unusual symptoms; my doctor sent me to a specialist, no results, then sent me to another specialist and I was tested for a long list of things. All negative - yay! but no treatment. Eventually, my doctor sent me to an out of state specialist and a treatment was finally found that was partially successful.
I would love to find a medical researcher who could help, but this doesn't seem to exist in a clinical setting. I still have poorly diagnosed health issues. The doctor who was most effective moved away. At this point, I get some symptoms treated, and live with the rest because persistence is tiring.
posted by theora55 at 11:24 AM on July 24, 2017
I liked Larisa Litvenova http://litvinovamedical.com/ when I lived in Brooklyn.
She made time for questions, wasn't a jerk, took a very holistic approach. Her office was well managed and my appointments always started on time.
posted by amandabee at 3:27 PM on July 24, 2017
She made time for questions, wasn't a jerk, took a very holistic approach. Her office was well managed and my appointments always started on time.
posted by amandabee at 3:27 PM on July 24, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by k8t at 6:36 AM on July 24, 2017