Changing Doctors

I'd switch if you see him once a year. I love my Dr's, but not if an office visit is $220. Don't be embarrased about seeing a Psych, either. :)

I would switch if you can't afford the out of network Dr. Most psychiatrists will talk with you on the phone for a few minutes for free to help determine if they will be a good fit for you before you actually spend money on a visit.

Talk to your doctor first and let him know your delimna. Perhaps since you have been a faithful client he will do the right thing by you.

I tend to change doctor's because I enjoy the new interaction and new perspectives on my health.

I hope this helps but I believe I would talk to my health care provider first.

Even my new doctor (who is out of network) works with me and my insurance. He doesn't bill me just them and accepts what they offer. It's really nice.

You might ask him what he would be reimbursed for from your insurance company if you had met your deductible. He might be willing to offer you a cash price to keep you as a patient.

well....I would switch and see someone in plan if you are going to be on this insurance plan for the forseeable future. Otherwise it may be a hassle to go through the history with someone new. But again, if you can't afford it you can't afford it. So I would suck it up and be inconvenienced by finding someone new and in plan.

What's keeping you from switching? Is it just that you've been with him for 10 years?

I'm not that loyal to doctors, so I would switch. We almost had to do that last summer when new insurance contracts were signed.

I have not been to a psychiatrist before, but I'm going to guess that it's much harder to think about finding a new one and developing a new relationship. Still, if you only see him once a year, would it really be that hard?

Again, I don't know. I haven't been in your shoes, so it's really not fair for me to try and say that I know what I would do. I just know that if it were a ped or my ob, I wouldn't hesitate to switch to a doctor in my plan.

When my insurance changed I switched from one social worker/counselor to another one even tho I'd been seeing her twice a week for several months. I adjusted just fine. Yes, it takes a bit of time and effort to get to working with a new one. But....you only see him once/year. You have to get to know him again every year. I'd make the switch. You want to be with a doctor that you can afford in case you need more involvement.

Because you have to TRUST and be totally honest with a psychiatrist, I would switch. You need the right meds and to know you are cared about.

I'd switch. Budget is everything. Doctors don't have loyalty, you shouldn't either. I had a dentist that I had gone to for most of my life. I watched him expand his practice and remodel his office to make it more upscale. When I got a boyfriend, I brought him over to go there too. When we moved up north, nearly three hours away, we still drove down every six months to get our teeth taken care of there.

When my husband lost his job, and we lost our insurance, I asked my dentist if there was anything they could do to help us out, discounted service till we got back on our feet, interest free payment plans... something, anything! But no. They had nothing for me. No help at all. And to throw salt in the wound, after telling them my story, they couldn't even be bothered to put a note in my chart about our situation because after we missed our appointment because we couldn't afford to go, they called us, sent postcards and emails about making another appointment. I called them back after getting a message on my answering service in tears and explained our situation again, that it hadn't changed, and could they do anything to help. Negative.

So now that at least my husband and daughter have dental insurance (kid is covered under the healthy families program and my husband is covered through work... they don't cover spouse or family unfortunately so I'm out in the cold still...) we go to a local place that we were assigned.

Long story short. Do not stay loyal to any business because to them, you're just a customer. It's just business. Screw em. Your doctor is NOT your friend and doesn't care about you. Just making a living.