You did, huh/

I have joined a health -related site, for one of those rather rare conditions, syndromes, diseases, not usually diagnosed without extensive testing and labwork, and therefore the diagnosis pretty much belongs to the fully insured, educated well-off segment of our society. One of the oft-proclaimed mantras of the group is "Fire your doctor" if he or she does not live up to your expectations. One of the directors has fired his doctors for not fully answering his questions, or for the feeling he was slighted by insufficient examinations, or lack of referrals to a more experienced practitioner. Another board member did the same, thinking the doctor was not as informed as he should have been. That is the consensus of the group. Most of the aforementioned founding members of the group have relatives or spouses who are doctors or are hospital affiliated, and evidently have the financial ability to travel far and wide in search of the best medical care. And so they advise others to do the same. I fully agree that is the best policy. I have done the same many times, but in a slightly different manner. Instead of letting the doctor know in no uncertain terms he or she is fired, I have slunk out of the office mumbling to myself that I will never go back to that doctor. For example, I will never return to the dentist who sent a new member of the staff to respond to an ongoing problem relating to work he himself had done, I will never go back to the radiologist who shredded a critically important X-ray, or to a primary care doctor I'd seen for 4 years who, during my last 2 consecutive visits, asked if I'd ever seen her before, and then ignoring what would develop into life or death issues, asked me what I did for entertainment. I don't want to go back to the doctor who stood at least 6 feet away from me, once for a rash and once for a sore throat. I can't go back to the doctor who lost his license for improperly dispensing prescriptions, nor to the doctor, nearing retirement,who had none of the latest information. I wil never again go to the doctor who was chatting with an acquaintance in a room while I waited across the hall, and when she realized she'd forgotten my appointment, told the nurse I must have left the room. No, I don't plan to go back, but I can't say I fired them. First, none of them would ever know as they certainly don't think they work for me, and second, they would not in the least care if they ever knew I'd fired them. There are more than enough patients to go around. I hate a lot of things about most of the doctors I still do occasionally see. I think 7 to 10 warning signs on the walls are off-putting, even if they don't particularly apply. "Stand behind the line until you're called," reads one. And of course, no cell phones, bring in your Rx bottles, the penalty if you don't have your co-pay, another penalty if your check bounces, a charge if you forget to ask for your refill, and another charge if you don't give sufficient notice for a cancellation. And if you want test results, call, go to the proper extension, leave a message for a callback, (3 dfferent times, I never got called back). And this in a cardiologist's office. And this is one of the doctors I do still go to, I guess the best of the worst. But probably the biggest reason no to fire your doctor is that they almost all seem to work together. And now that even more of the hospitals are consolidating, what chance do we have of being choosy? Why would any doctor who owns a vacation home, works only 3 days a week, and drives to golf courses in a Mercedes care if a peon fires him? And if anyone has just cause to bring a lawsuit, that's what malpractice is for, and the resulting increases are built into payment received. So for those who believe firing your doctor is a viable option, a reality check is in order.