Children's hospital-

[quesyrah]

How important is it to you that your child's pediatrician has privileges at a children's hospital?

After another round of fuckery from our medical group, I'm done and researching new doctors.

Both children's hospitals are an hour away and I'm having trouble finding new pedi with privileges at one of them.

It probably wouldn't even be something I thought about had DD not gotten really sick last winter and ended up in children's. Initially they sent us to the regular hospital ER but the next day the pedi sent us to children's to be admitted. WORLD of difference in care at a children's hospital.

When I'm looking at doctors they show which hospitals they have privileges at but I'm wondering, IF we had an issue if we could go to children's anyway as long as they're in-network with our insurance? I guess that's something I need to call and ask.

I'm rambling here but I am in RAGE mode right now

[penguingrrl]

That's not a factor for me. In my area none of the peds have privileges at the major Childrens Hospitals. They can communicate with the docs there if/when needed.

[NandaB]

I don't know, but when W had rsv and was sent to Northridge hospital an hour away from us ourpedi obviously wasn't there, but he did call and talk to the on call Dr.

[quesyrah]

Mar 1, 2016 14:48:55 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

That's not a factor for me. In my area none of the peds have privileges at the major Childrens Hospitals. They can communicate with the docs there if/when needed.

I wonder if this is the case here? I just realized we never saw our own ped while she was there.

[NandaB]

Also, chla makes a big deal about how they take everyone, regardless of ins. status.

[lala]

Wasn't even on my radar - they have privileges at the closest regular hospital but that's it. We have 2 great children's hospitals 20 & 40 minutes away in Philly. I would go there if we needed a hospital.

[dizzycooks]

Not a consideration, but there are two children's hospitals within 15 miles of my house and we've been to both.

As long as it's in network you should be fine whether your pedi goes there or not.

[penguingrrl]

Mar 1, 2016 14:50:38 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

Mar 1, 2016 14:48:55 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

That's not a factor for me. In my area none of the peds have privileges at the major Childrens Hospitals. They can communicate with the docs there if/when needed.

I wonder if this is the case here? I just realized we never saw our own ped while she was there.

That may be. I think that in big research hospitals it's usually most staff physicians treating and they coordinate home stuff with your general ped. I could of course be mistaken, but that was always my impression.

[thecheshirekat]

This didn't even occur to me. We have two excellent hospitals about two miles from my house in either direction, so I wouldn't even have thought about going to a children's hospital specifically unless shit really hit the fan.

[Deleted]

Not on my radar either since our closest hospital is excellent and I feel like a pedi there would be just fine and could communicate with ours.

[abs]

Not important to me at all. We have a wonderful children's hospital here but it's over an hour away. I didn't consider it as a factor.

[quesyrah]

Thank you guys! I'm really glad that I posted. I couldn't think clearly through my rage this morning.

I talked to both my insurance and the new pedi I want to switch to and I think we'll be fine. Insurance says both hospitals are in-network so no issues if that's where I want to take them if necessary. And the pedi said that he would just coordinate care with hospital staff when necessary because if we're at the hospital we would be getting specialized care and having him see us wouldn't be necessary (duh).

[quesyrah]

Mar 1, 2016 14:51:38 GMT -5 NandaB said:

Also, chla makes a big deal about how they take everyone, regardless of ins. status.

Good to know!

[fancynewbeesly]

Completely not a factor to me.

[dangerousduo]

I live in suburban Chicago area- the hospital that we took J to when he needed the ER is affiliated with the Children's hospital downtown. This means that the Pediatricians in the hospital are employees of the Children's hospital- not the local hospital (also the neonatalogists in the NICU). When a child is admitted to the local hospital they are cared for by the hospital's pedi's- or as they call them here "hospitalists" even though your pedi might be at the hospital seeing newborns they do no care for the older children in the hospital. I found all this out because of billing errors which was a HUGE nightmare to figure out.

[cabbagecabbage]

That's not a factor in my decision at all. I hated the pediatrician I diligently researched before birth and so I switched. I drive to another town to see a pediatrician not affiliated with our network hospital and I love the new doctor. I'm lucky that my DD is a healthy kid so the need has not come up but I chose my pediatrician for the long haul and any hospital or emergency care, God forbid, I would care only that she was receiving excellent care. I would not care if it was "her" doctor.

I've always been able to take DD anywhere for care. I check if it's in network but I know which of my local hospitals are.

[lattelady5]

Mar 1, 2016 15:12:15 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

Well, our nearest children's hospital is 3 hours away, so this is pretty much a non-issue for me.

This.

We have a university hospital about 2 hours away but other than that it's more rural hospitals for about 3 hours.