Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with gp

Health checkup for dummies

Anonymous — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:10:41 -0800

Do I need health insurance to visit a G.P.? I'm 18. In all my years, I've only been to the doctor with the family, usually for injections. Now I need to see a G.P. in private and have no idea what paper-pushing is involved. I know my family has health insurance for me, but I would rather avoid having to go through all that rigmarole. Will the doctor's computer systems explode if I put it on the plastic or pay in cash and say I don't have health insurance? If I pay upfront like this, can I forget about it as soon as I walk out the door or do I need to push some papers around? I'm in South Australia if it matters. To be clear, I have absolutely no idea how the health system works. On the plus side, I've had good health for the past 17 years so I didn't need to!

What's up with my GP's bedside manner?

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:37:40 -0800

I'm confused by my GP's bedside manner. I went to see Dr. B today about my sciatic pain after my physio recommended it. She assessed me and referred me for an xray, which is fine. After that, when I asked about relieving the pain of muscle spasms in my leg, she said "I have something that would work perfectly..." and "I'd be happy to give you a note so you can stay home from work..." She seemed to be either thinking aloud, or waiting for me to respond. In the end I walked away with neither. What's going on? I generally rely on my doctor to prescribe what's best for me, not to look to me for direction. I wasn't sure how to reply to her questions, without looking like a malingerer or a drug seeker. When I tried to suggest that I was pretty miserable, she said something like, "Well, of course this is a horrible thing to go through..." What is she expecting me to say here, beyond explaining how bad my pain is? Do doctors restrict the prescription of muscle relaxants to people who break down in tears in their offices? What am I missing?

Oh, doctor!*

miss lynnster — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:49:42 -0800

Need to find a *great* GP doctor (and also an OB/GYN if you have one) in Los Angeles. Preferably someone nice who is knowledgeable and interested in finding causes and solutions instead of just masking symptoms. I have had a great dentist and a great dermatologist here for years, but I've never found the right doctors for general stuff or to oversee the health of my ladyparts. I've always commuted to my family doctor in San Diego and I need to quit doing that. It's ridiculous. Soooo, recommendations?

I live near Sherman Oaks, but I'd be willing to drive over the hill. I have Blue Shield PPO.

*Just showin' a little of my San Diego heritage, there. :)

Using a large teaching clinic as my primary care provider: good idea?

grouse — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:34:30 -0800

Using a large teaching clinic as my primary care provider in Seattle: good idea? I need to find a new physician for annual checkups and unexpected needs. I work for a med school, and it is quite tempting to make an appointment with their General Internal Medicine Clinic for a checkup. I will likely be seen by a resident if I do so. I am trying to decide whether this is a good idea.

Pros:

The location is highly convenient to where I work and convenient to where I live. This is a special concern since I do not have a car right now. This means any appointments will have a minimal impact on my other life, which means I am more likely to make those appointments.
The clinic can refer to specialists within the university healthcare system, some of whom only accept referrals from within the system.
I will be seen by physicians more familiar with the latest research.

Cons:

Residents have less experience
Residents are only here temporarily, so I might have less continuity of care.
This clinic seems to be in high demand, and I think I will have longer waits for appointments here than at a non-university provider.

Any other thoughts on this? Another option is that I could ask to be seen by an attending, at least for annual physicals which I can wait for (and I imagine there will be a long wait, if it is possible at all). Would this go over well? If not, would it be a better idea to go with a more experienced resident, or one that will be in the program longer and able to provide more continuity? Should I just go pot-luck with the first available appointment?

I would also appreciate specific recommendations for an internist or GP convenient to Fremont or the University of Washington.

GP for Chico

Pontifex — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:47:31 -0800

Recommend a General Practitioner in Chico California. I've done a bit of reading on Metafilter concerning finding a good practitioner. From the reading it seems asking about a specific location is the last step people take to "check around" about doctors in their area. I feel comfortable going out and doing the leg work of "interviewing" doctors, but I wouldn't be doing the due diligence for myself if I didn't post about it here.

So my question is twofold: Can anyone recommend a good doctor in the Chico Area (South of Redding north of Sacramento - for the curious) that I can use as a GP? And, related to that, if you were looking for a brand new doctor what characteristics would be most important for you?

The second questions required some explanation. During my reading I've found that the majority of the respondents recommended finding a doctor that was "right for you", but I have no idea what would be right for me. I haven't been to a doctor in at least 5-7 years due mainly to having shitty college health insurance and not having anything "seriously wrong" with me. Now I have some pretty nice insurance I want to exploit as much as humanly possible. But, I need some advice on what makes a good doctor. E.g. Good bed side manner, likes to throw around numbers, not a schmuck, etc. Hearing about what other people think is important for their own doctors would help me identify which traits I would like most.

Thanks in advance.

Primary care doctor / GP in Chicago area?

korpios — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:12:40 -0800

I'm fairly new to the Chicago area; now that my medical coverage has kicked in, I'm looking for a good general practitioner / primary care physician. I live in Oak Park, but that's not really a restriction; I'm certainly willing to travel a bit for an excellent doctor. So, Chicagoland submodule of HealthFilter: your suggestions?

Setting Up a Company

Tommy Gnosis — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 09:35:06 -0800

Is there an online service that can help me set up a new company (either as a GP or LLC) and get Federal and State Tax ID's quickly? [more inside] I was just awarded a consulting contract, and need to set up a company fairly quickly (in 2 weeks' time). Is anyone aware of a service for helping expedite this? It will be a sole proprietership, so I don't need anything fancy, just the right paper work, tax ID's and subsequently a bank account. Thanks!