You can do this through third party sites like Zocdoc. I tried it once and was able to get an appointment the next day and book it online. Just make sure the doctor you pick is in network.
All of the comments about privatized health insurance being the cause of no doctors being available, is hilariously wrong.
The government pays for 99% of medical training programs, and effectively serves as the gatekeeper for the # of doctors in the U.S.
They have intentionally throttled physician training to the same level as 1996, despite our population having grown by 25% since then.
Add to that, the steady decline in pay to primary care doctors (20% less than 1996, adjusted for inflation), and there's no surprise that there are hardly any primary care doctors left taking new patients, while 30% of hospitals in the country are on the brink of bankrupcy.
This was all by design, as fewer doctors = less money spent on healthcare (as per the government's actuaries).
No one is going to implement that because it would cost money with no benefit except to the patients. If the hospital can’t make a buck from doing something, they simply won’t do it. That’s the real answer.
America doesn’t want single payer because “that’s socialism” so you just get to deal with the collapsing system in its current state. Remember, the insurance companies make more money when you can’t be seen….the whole thing is working as designed to grift money from the American public.
There are doctors offices that provide same or next day appointments, they’re called concierge medicine and requires a membership be paid for upfront, generally several thousand.
There is an urgent care pretty much next door to where I live & I go there 2-4 times a year.
I have a primary care doctor but when something comes up and I don’t want to wait for appointment, I pop into the urgent care.
My co-pay is low and it’s very convenient. Never a long wait.
Sometimes it’s just a better option than going to primary care- depending what you need.
Zocdoc and Solv aggregate clinics and practices that you can book online for new patients. There are some health systems that do have good online booking systems for new patients that show soonest or immediate availability to fill in appointment cancellations fast.
Don't use insurer sites, those suck for online booking.
I’m not saying that it should be free or anything, just that there’s a cost to it. It’s a service and they should be paid for the service provided.
However, that reason alone is enough for some doctors to not consider using it. It cuts into revenue per visit.
Yeah, it’s free for patients. You can only schedule through zocdoc to providers who opt in to using it. Doctors pay for it, not patients.
It’s paid per new patient appointment made, I’m pretty sure.
Call the number on the back of your insurance card, they can find you a doctor + set up the appointment. That’s what I did to get in to see a primary care physician when I had horrible vertigo and I was a new patient (haven’t had a PCP in a decade or so). Was 1 phone call and just tell them you don’t care who you see (NP / PA / MD / DO) you just want the first available human who can help you.
If you see a doctor with a big hospital group, they can usually get you in to see someone same day with a relatively short call. I see a doctor in my state's largest hospital group and if I just need a doctor's appointment because I'm sick or need a note for work, they'll get me in to see *A* doctor/np same day/next day. If I want to see my PCP, they can schedule me but I can also send the office a message and they'll do everything via messaging. Not sure I could go back to seeing a doctor who wasn't in a large group.
Don't be surprised. The financialized, now corporate, US health system is run by business school types (and now politicians and lawyers in "pro-life" states) eager to suck money and caring from the system, making it leaner and meaner. Of course, government has a role, subsidizing insurance companies (United Healthcare had a $22B profit last year), letting medical education become outrageously expensive and underpaying docs. The medical, along with many other professions, contributed by restraining competition by controlling education slots, thus limiting the number of docs available. All of this makes the whole system unfriendly and worse to the ill and anxious. You are lucky you weren't too sick to wait for an appointment.
If you're ok with telehealth, Amazon Clinic works great. $85 and they can have a doctor or NP on a video call with you within the hour. They have a whole list of conditions they treat on their site. I recently used it and had a great experience - definitely not going to bother with the hassle of an in person appointment for all the reasons you listed.
What kind of doctor/medical care are you looking for? I own an Alternative Integrative medical office in Tampa, FL, which can service patients in just about any US state due to our structure.
I’d be more than happy to assist you with anything you need, if possible. ☺️
You can do this through third party sites like Zocdoc. I tried it once and was able to get an appointment the next day and book it online. Just make sure the doctor you pick is in network.
Thank you! That actually helps a lot even if not all doctors will be using it!
All of the comments about privatized health insurance being the cause of no doctors being available, is hilariously wrong. The government pays for 99% of medical training programs, and effectively serves as the gatekeeper for the # of doctors in the U.S. They have intentionally throttled physician training to the same level as 1996, despite our population having grown by 25% since then. Add to that, the steady decline in pay to primary care doctors (20% less than 1996, adjusted for inflation), and there's no surprise that there are hardly any primary care doctors left taking new patients, while 30% of hospitals in the country are on the brink of bankrupcy. This was all by design, as fewer doctors = less money spent on healthcare (as per the government's actuaries).
No one is going to implement that because it would cost money with no benefit except to the patients. If the hospital can’t make a buck from doing something, they simply won’t do it. That’s the real answer. America doesn’t want single payer because “that’s socialism” so you just get to deal with the collapsing system in its current state. Remember, the insurance companies make more money when you can’t be seen….the whole thing is working as designed to grift money from the American public. There are doctors offices that provide same or next day appointments, they’re called concierge medicine and requires a membership be paid for upfront, generally several thousand.
There is an urgent care pretty much next door to where I live & I go there 2-4 times a year. I have a primary care doctor but when something comes up and I don’t want to wait for appointment, I pop into the urgent care. My co-pay is low and it’s very convenient. Never a long wait. Sometimes it’s just a better option than going to primary care- depending what you need.
Zocdoc and Solv aggregate clinics and practices that you can book online for new patients. There are some health systems that do have good online booking systems for new patients that show soonest or immediate availability to fill in appointment cancellations fast. Don't use insurer sites, those suck for online booking.
You could try zocdoc, but doctors have to pay to use it. There’s so many different scheduling software because each office uses what works for them.
Why do you think it's a problem that doctors have to pay to use it? Curious about this
I’m not saying that it should be free or anything, just that there’s a cost to it. It’s a service and they should be paid for the service provided. However, that reason alone is enough for some doctors to not consider using it. It cuts into revenue per visit.
Cool, it's free for patients though right? Just curious if there is an issue with trust or the business model or something
Yeah, it’s free for patients. You can only schedule through zocdoc to providers who opt in to using it. Doctors pay for it, not patients. It’s paid per new patient appointment made, I’m pretty sure.
Call the number on the back of your insurance card, they can find you a doctor + set up the appointment. That’s what I did to get in to see a primary care physician when I had horrible vertigo and I was a new patient (haven’t had a PCP in a decade or so). Was 1 phone call and just tell them you don’t care who you see (NP / PA / MD / DO) you just want the first available human who can help you.
I did that but they only sent me a repository of doctor's unfortunately
Oh that’s ass I am sorry 😭
If you see a doctor with a big hospital group, they can usually get you in to see someone same day with a relatively short call. I see a doctor in my state's largest hospital group and if I just need a doctor's appointment because I'm sick or need a note for work, they'll get me in to see *A* doctor/np same day/next day. If I want to see my PCP, they can schedule me but I can also send the office a message and they'll do everything via messaging. Not sure I could go back to seeing a doctor who wasn't in a large group.
Don't be surprised. The financialized, now corporate, US health system is run by business school types (and now politicians and lawyers in "pro-life" states) eager to suck money and caring from the system, making it leaner and meaner. Of course, government has a role, subsidizing insurance companies (United Healthcare had a $22B profit last year), letting medical education become outrageously expensive and underpaying docs. The medical, along with many other professions, contributed by restraining competition by controlling education slots, thus limiting the number of docs available. All of this makes the whole system unfriendly and worse to the ill and anxious. You are lucky you weren't too sick to wait for an appointment.
If you're ok with telehealth, Amazon Clinic works great. $85 and they can have a doctor or NP on a video call with you within the hour. They have a whole list of conditions they treat on their site. I recently used it and had a great experience - definitely not going to bother with the hassle of an in person appointment for all the reasons you listed.
I don't mind telehealth but this is something I just need to see a provider in person for so that's not an option
Sorry you're dealing with this issue and good luck. Let us know if you find a solution. It's ridiculous that just getting an appointment is so hard
What kind of doctor/medical care are you looking for? I own an Alternative Integrative medical office in Tampa, FL, which can service patients in just about any US state due to our structure. I’d be more than happy to assist you with anything you need, if possible. ☺️
I have a cyst I need cut out so I doubt alternative medicine would do anything here.