Is this flammable / bad? Picking a doctor

[Deleted]

I love having a family doctor. I got mine by a referral from the NP when I graduated and they kicked me out of Student Health. I think you're fine - you've got something lined up, and if you don't like it you can change it later.

[CloudBee]

That's not flamable at all. You took the right steps in finding a doctor when you didn't have anyone referring you to someone they like.

[livinitup]

Then why don't you interview this place besides just getting the physical? Sit down and ask about their baby practice, if they will check LO at the hospital after birth, what the newborn schedule is, etc?

[anna7602]

I picked the only pedi in walking distance from my home who also had privileges at the hospital I was slated to deliver at. I ended up loving her.

No flames here.

[Brie]

Not flammable.

I picked a pedi based on a rec from a friend. No interview. If we hate them, we'll find a new one...trial and error has always worked for me.

[mrssandro]

Not flammable. If people flame you for this they are lame-o.

[onomatopoeia]

I agree with you that the physical would be an excellent chance to get to know the practice. I wouldn't bother with an interview (but I've always thought that was kind of a weird thing to do anyway). I think in a practice with multiple doctors if you don't like the pediatrician you get it's easy just request another. FWIW, in the practice I go to I usually see the NP anyway, unless it's a physical or I request my pedi specifically.

Many offices have websites where they have a intro of each doctor, and you can get an idea of who specializes in certain areas or has a certain approach to healthcare, does this office have anything like that?

[jenjen]

Aug 1, 2012 11:48:23 GMT -5 Brie said:

Not flammable.

I picked a pedi based on a rec from a friend. No interview. If we hate them, we'll find a new one...trial and error has always worked for me.

We did the same. I asked for referrals from new mom friends at work. She gave me two names from her ped's practice and I went with the one that had an opening. DS has been seen by some of the other drs there and honestly I love them all. We've had a great experience so far. They really went out of their way to get us in quickly and worked us into the ultrasound and lab departments and even scheduled our appt at an ENT for a concern we had with DS.

[anna7602]

Aug 1, 2012 11:53:44 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

I do want to know about vaccination policies (make sure they keep non-vac kids separate in the waiting room if they allow them) and will ask about that at my appointment. They already told me the first newborn appointment would be 5-7 days after birth.

Is this a normal thing? It's hard enough to find a practice that separates sick patients from well-visit patients, much less to then segment based on vaccinations. I would think that a practice is either open to alternate or no vaxxing or it isn't.

[thatgirl2478]

We didn't have a specific doctor for our daughter when she was born. We knew we'd be leaving as soon as I was cleared to drive, so it wasn't a major concern for us. HOWEVER it was apparently a HUGE deal to the dang hospital. We ended up using the on call pediatrician for her while in the hospital and then used our family DO for her follow up appointments.

You are already steps ahead of where we were - it's fine and not flammable.

When we moved we found a pedi that was recommended by many many local friends. We still haven't found a family dr.... we've been here 1.5 yrs.

[anna7602]

Aug 1, 2012 12:07:43 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

We didn't have a specific doctor for our daughter when she was born. We knew we'd be leaving as soon as I was cleared to drive, so it wasn't a major concern for us. HOWEVER it was apparently a HUGE deal to the dang hospital. We ended up using the on call pediatrician for her while in the hospital and then used our family DO for her follow up appointments.

I thought it was a huge deal to all hospitals? Not flaming, just wondering what it's like in other places. We had to do all this pre-check-in paperwork for the hospital when I was pregnant and they not only wanted a pedi picked, but also noted in several places that it was my responsibility to make sure the pedi had privileges at the hospital.

[Deleted]

Aug 1, 2012 12:10:35 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Aug 1, 2012 12:07:43 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

We didn't have a specific doctor for our daughter when she was born. We knew we'd be leaving as soon as I was cleared to drive, so it wasn't a major concern for us. HOWEVER it was apparently a HUGE deal to the dang hospital. We ended up using the on call pediatrician for her while in the hospital and then used our family DO for her follow up appointments.

I thought it was a huge deal to all hospitals? Not flaming, just wondering what it's like in other places. We had to do all this pre-check-in paperwork for the hospital when I was pregnant and they not only wanted a pedi picked, but also noted in several places that it was my responsibility to make sure the pedi had privileges at the hospital.

Ditto this. It was a HUGE deal at our hospital too. We had to have a pedi lined up before delivery. I was glad I interviewed ours and locked him down, as he books appts three weeks in advance! If your pedi doesn't have privileges at your hospital you'll get stuck with the on-call pedi who knows nothing about you or your preferences regarding your baby. I was very glad to have met my pedi before hand and that he knew I wanted to BF, etc...

[catbus]

Meh, you did more legwork than I did. When I found out I was pregnant I saw my regular doctor, who told me my options going forward were to either switch to an OB for the duration of the pregnancy, or go to a family practice physician. The OB practice is inconvenient for me to get to, but the family practice option would just mean seeing another doctor in the same clinic. So I chose that option, and went with the doctor I'd heard great things about from friends/acquaintances.
So at our first meeting with her, she explained that she would treat me for the pregnancy and going forward, if I so wished. Also, I could either choose a separate pediatrician or bring baby to her for visits after he was born. Baby and I can go to the same doctor, at the clinic a few minutes from home? Um, hell yes.
But I get how you feel, because I see some women agonize over picking a pediatrician. I feel like I took the lazy route, which I suppose I did... but really? I've never had a kid before and have no clue what to look for, specifically. If doc and I end up completely opposed on certain issues, I'll look for a new doctor at that point. Until then? Easy option, please.

[CloudBee]

Since reading your post, I pretty much narrowed down the pedi we're going to use. I emailed a friend, looked at the practice online, they are in-network, have late hours, and have a pedi urgent care clinic and lactation clinic in the building. I'm sold. I won't be going in to meet anyone in-person unless I have to register the baby in-person prior to birth. It sounds like I can do that over the phone, though.

[badtzmaru22]

Sounds fine to me. Also, just to comment on some of the other replies, our pedi didn't come see our baby at the hospital. Pedi is in our hometown, and I wanted to deliver at Big Fancy Hospital in the city and not Small Country Hospital in my hometown (which is actually really good, and now affiliated with Big Fancy Hospital) so the hospital on call pedi saw her. It was not an issue at all. They sent everything electronically to our pedi and it was NBD.

[egishere]

I never bothered to interview a dr. The pedi we went to did not have priveldges at the hospital I delivered at either. I will say though I have worked at a family practice in the past and we never saw babies-maybe for the occasional sick visit but that was it, no well care. I don't think they kept all the pedi vaccinations stocked so that is something you may want to ask them about.

[Ashley&Scott]

Even if you do an interview you could end up changing your mind. That's what happened to us. (we switched pedis when DS 2mo)

[CloudBee]

Aug 1, 2012 14:39:05 GMT -5 badtzmaru22 said:

Sounds fine to me. Also, just to comment on some of the other replies, our pedi didn't come see our baby at the hospital. Pedi is in our hometown, and I wanted to deliver at Big Fancy Hospital in the city and not Small Country Hospital in my hometown (which is actually really good, and now affiliated with Big Fancy Hospital) so the hospital on call pedi saw her. It was not an issue at all. They sent everything electronically to our pedi and it was NBD.

Thanks for this insight! I was curious how that would work for us.

[sewpinkgal]

We also used the on call pediatrician for J in the hospital and it was NBD. Even with the GI issues he had, they got the paperwork faxed over to our regular pediatrician and the continuity in care was seamless.

OP - just in case you do think you may want to use an actual pediatrician instead of a family doctor, in my area, most of the good pediatricians are only accepting new patients while mom is pregnant with the baby. Once they are born and signed up with another dr, they don't take transfers. Just thought I would throw that out there as something to keep in the back of your mind. GL!

[Redpoppy]

We used the on call pedi since ours didn't visit where we delivered. She is taking a sabbatical and we have to pick a new one. I'm going with whichever one I've liked the most in the practice that works on Fridays.

[Tea-rific]

We did interview a few peds (got recs from our OB and friends). I liked going to the office and meeting with the different docs, nurses, seeing the layout, hearing their philosphies on things (BF, shots, etc.). But it was probably not necessary.

We were happy that we had a ped picked out ahead of time. The saw Ben the day he was born and every day we were in the hospital. We also went back for a visit 24 hours after he was born (their policy). Our next appt was at 2 weeks.

[GailGoldie]

i can't imagine why that would be flammable.

We use a Family Practice- i LOVE that they know all of us- and it made it really easy when strep went through our entire house many times last year - since we were all treated by the same docs.

a pedi being at the hospital really is not important. They have pedis on staff that will see your baby and call your pedi if there is anything they need to discuss -- and all records get sent to your pedi/FP. That's what we did since our FP does not go to the hospital.

[jena]

I did interview my pedi and I think it's a good idea. For me, it's more about how they talk to you as well as their thoughts on breastfeeding, circ, vaccinations, etc. I wanted to make sure that they talked to me like a regular thinking person, I feel like some doctors talk down to their patients and it makes me want to stab them in the eye.

I didn't think it was a good idea to feel like stabbing my doctor in they eye while hopped up on post-partum hormones.