Is Your Dr. Worth the Drive?

Good doctors are hard to come by so I would probably suck it up and make the commute. Hopefully it is nothing you will have to do too often so it might not feel so bad when you do have to do it.

My obgyn was an hour away but he was worth the drive when I was a high risk pregnancy. He worked out of one of the best women's hospitals in Texas and I know if my preemie baby was born in any of the suburbian hospitals closer to our house, my baby would have died.

The level of care he gave me while on bedrest before the baby came was amazing. My obgyn had my loyalty when he said "I know you over an hour away, but I want to deliver this baby, so make sure whatever hospital you end up in to deliver, calls me and I'll drive out".

I guess in the end you chose the doctor you know will take the best care of your family.

Yes, I would stick with all of my doctors and follow them if they were still in my city or within a reasonable commute. I love my doctors! However, I have relocated from one state to another before which gave me no choice but to find another doctor. I just asked co-workers, neighbors or friends for recommendations and check out the doctors that were highly favored and go from there. I also really rely on the recommendations from my current doctors for other doctors. My OBGYN recommended our pediatrician to us and we have been very happy with him too. There have been some doctors I haven't cared for. A couple of endocrinologists I didn't seem to click with, but fortunately my internist can take care of my needs in that regard. I found an eye doctor I really like, but she is out of network, so it is a real pain insurance reimbursement-wise to go to her, so I continue to look around on that.
HTH,
A.

Our Pedi is worth it. I took my daughter Tuesday for her 5 year check up and her Pedi is 30 mins away from us. I just took the morning off work. The thing I love about her is she doesn't rush us. She sits and talks to us and gives advice on my daughters health. She has been my daughters dr from birth. The practice she was in has 3 locations. When I 1st started taking my daughter she was just 15 mins away. She now just works out of the practice that is 30 mins away and we are not leaving her.

A good doctor can be worth the drive, but someone who knows your family history is definitely worth the drive.

My chiro has moved all over the Sacto area, and I've always followed him... just had to adjust how/when I made my appointments.

We drive an hour and a half to our MD and four hours to the kids Endocrinologist. Exhausting but well worth it!

My kid's pediatrician is about a 25 minute drive for us. We have been going to them for 9 years and unless I moved FAR I don't see myself switching. They have been with us through a traumatic car accident, various surgeries, glasses, pulled muscles, allergies...they know my family! My Dr. and the nurses are totally worth the drive. (I feel the same way about my kid's dentist, who is a 30 minute drive)
L.

My boys have been seeing the same doctor since they each were born. We drive 45 minutes to see him. He is worth it though.

My doctor is further then their doctor. I still see her. It is expensive for me to go to the doctor(no insurance) So you better believe if I can afford it, I go to her.

I actually am suppose to go see someone closer tomorrow for my Ulcer. I am canceling though and making an Appt. To see my normal doctor. I just do not feel right going to someone else. When she knows me at Valley.

My sister and her family moved to Alaska last summer. The first thing she did was go see her Doctor down here. He is a family doctor, so he is the one she saw while Pregnant , then he delivered the baby. They still see him, everytime they are down here...For regular check ups.

They do have a Urgent care Doctor up there. They just have never found anyone quite like Dr. Moore. So she sticks with him. Outta state:)

It is worth it, if the care you get is amazing.

I WAS TOTALLY THINKING THIS THIS MORNING!!

We've used to same pediatrician for over 8 years. We used to live on 'that side of town'... now, it's a 30-40 minute drive, depending on the time of day/traffic. It's a huge pain in the @ss!! BUT... there's a reason I still go there, you know?

I'm sure there are lots of wonderful pediatricians offices closer to me, but 'if it's not broken, don't fix it'... We have a history with this office, they know us all and have known us all since my oldest was born, I wouldn't change that for the world!! We have a great relationship with them!

Trust me, it's hard for me to say because there is literally a pediatricians office with outstanding reviews close enough to WALK to... but I choose to stick with what's working and driving 30-40 minutes to get my kids to the doctors they know, trust, and love :)

Yes, I live in RI, and my son and I see our doctors in MA. It's an hour drive there and an hour back. The quality of care though, can't be beat. I love my doctor, I have had her for 11 years. I used to work in MA, so then it was fine. My OBGYN delivered my son, and I can't part with her, either. My sons pediatrician is old school, and very detailed. I can call all of them and usually be seen the same day if needed. If I need antibiotics, my Primary care doctor will usually prescribe them for me without needed to go there ( unless I would need a urine or blood test with it) . Now, when I move to NH, that might be a different story, but for now, I am keeping them!

Yes. Our pedi moved offices and while technically only five miles or so farther away, it can be challenging on a work day, but we stuck with him and are so glad we have.
A good physician with a long-standing family knowledge/history is hard to come by. And like you, we love their office staff and nurses!
I'd give it a try for a few months (how often do kids really need to go to the doctor when it doesn't interrupt your day) and if too much of a hassle, then look at switching.
Best.

We drive 125 miles one way to see our pediatric dentist, he is so worth it. I will never change dentists until he tells me the kids are just too darn old...LOL.

If the doc was totally wonderful I would say go for the new practice. BUT since he's not SO wonderful here's my thoughts.

You could get a terrible office manager who does the billing wrong and is always bugging you about non paid bills from the insurance.

You could get a different nurse sometimes. They do take days off for various reasons.

If the doc hates this practice are you going to move again>

What if the doc moves to, or the office decides to, stop using the insurance you have. Will you have to find a new doc anyway?

You do interact with the nurse more than the doc, what if she decides to quit.

If the doc is just okay I think I might try a different doc at the same practice. If they are horrible you can always decide to follow the other doc/nurse later.

Yes, an excellent doctor is worth a long drive. Or a long flight. When I first moved here to Bend, there were no endocrinologists in town. I'd make an appt with my old doctor whenever I was in California to see family.

It took me a long time to find a family doctor I liked here. We spent several years seeing a well-recommended doctor who had poor communication skills. It costs us time and money to follow up with him when he failed to explain things or left the exam room abruptly because he was impatient. Now that we have a family doctor we love, I'd drive an hour to see him because I know that when I leave his office, I'll have a correct diagnosis and all the information I need to proceed.

My son had health problems as a baby and we had to drive 2 hours to the Children's Hospital. Then we moved to about 45 minutes away and a bigger community where many of these specialties would be available more local.

I had a MDT for my son's reevaluation in Sped and I was telling them about all the doctors he sees in Omaha. There was this snarky doctor who said to me, "You know we have doctors in Lincoln too" I don't know who she thought she was, but A. I'd only lived in Lincoln for a month and hadn't even chosen the best grocery store. B. I love my son's Drs and if they are only 45 min. away and have been seeing him for 4 years I was NEVER planning to switch.

I didn't want to switch to a more local route b/c of the history. They'd seen him through SO much and I trusted them. The parity they gave me in decisions and the trust that I had was WELL worth the drive. That story was 2 years ago and we still see the same Drs. He even has an appt today!!! :-)

To get the healthcare provider I wanted, I was willing to drive an hour... and that included while in labor. However, I live in a somewhat remote area and the medical care around here is questionable. I'm thinking that there are a lot of good options in and around Beverly Hills. I'm not sure I'd make such a commute for the nurse, no matter how great she is.

kids ped is 30 min, ortho is 20, my dentist 50 min. So, yes.