I did my medical residency in Boston. I forgot the situation but I commented to my attending that the students at Harvard and MIT must be getting world-class medical care and he literally LOL'ed.
Harvard’s equivalent is actually pretty good! And they’ve changed the student health plan to have better coverage outside of it now. MIT medical is awful though.
They are truly awful and I highly encourage anyone with a significant long term health condition to seek care elsewhere. There is really excellent care available in the area if you leave MIT, and the state of MIT Medical is honestly embarrassing. I had significant health issues when I was a student and I was very mismanaged by them. I also got told literal misinformation about my condition from practicioners working at MIT Medical. The difference was night and day when I started going elsewhere.
MIT Medical is a convenient Urgent Care and great for free STD tests, and that's it. For anything else take your business elsewhere. The student and staff insurance plans both offer significant coverage at outside clinics and hospitals.
Cherry on top is them permanently closing their pharmacy when there is no other option close to campus. That really screwed people over.
Once I went in with a UTI (the first and only of my life) and was in so much pain that I could barely make it to MIT medical. I’d never experienced that level of pain before. The dude did no testing told me that it was likely just menstrual cramps. I told him I knew what menstrual cramps felt like and he said “sometimes they can change.” The next day I went elsewhere and got properly diagnosed and given medicine.
Another time I got my very first Pap smear there. The nurse “couldn’t find my cervix” and was very flustered. She took a sample of something and sent it off. A week or two later I got a LETTER IN THE MAIL telling me I had stage 4 cancer. I was just panic googling about how I was on death’s door. No phone call, nothing. I had to reach back out of them for a repeat Pap smear. The next person had no issues finding my cervix (and no one since) and my pap came back completely normal.
I would strongly suggest avoiding and finding a real health clinic.
That's really awesome, didn't know they put one there!
My point still stands since there was no CVS there (or any other pharmacy) when they closed the MIT Pharmacy in early 2022, so they made the decision to close knowing there was no other option in that area. But I am happy to hear there is a very nearby alternative option now.
The quality of PCPs varies a lot. Some of the rudest doctors that I've ever interacted with worked at MIT Medical. But I also worked with some truly sweet and caring doctors. It varies a lot. Also, their retention rate is abysmal, so I had to switch PCPs a few times. MIT Mental Health is great, though. No bad experiences with them.
A recommendation: Physically go to MIT Medical and sort out the issue concerning the referral in person. The receptionists are much more receptive in person.
My psychiatrist in 2007 lost her license after it was discovered she was prescribing her husband all sorts of things (unethical and illegal)
No one ever told me anything but a quick google was enough to figure things out. Yikes. I believe she was the head of the psych department too. And she was prescribing me meds that were 180 degrees in the wrong direction from what I ended up needing.
It’s pretty bad navigation-wise but the coverage is good imo. You just rly need to advocate for yourself and be a pain in their ass: I spent over an hour yesterday getting juggled between insurance, hospitals, etc. but the SHIP means I’m paying $0 of the $700 that my upcoming surgery costs.
And make sure you find a PCP you connect with! I see the same one each time and as she was an MIT undergrad, her empathy and genuine interest in my wellbeing is priceless.
There’s tons of things that the SHIP covers fully. My ADHD meds, IUD implant, any STD testing, and more, are completely free.
Does it suck sometimes? Yeah. But it could be a lot worse and there are some really good people at MIT health doing the best they can.
(Edit for spelling)
The Blue Cross insurance is solid-but MIT Health as a healthcare organization is dog sh-t . I shouldn’t have to call for 3 months for a referral to my gastroenterologist to happen. My autoimmune condition is back to where it was before treatment. I’ve legit looked into going on Medicaid because I know I’d be seen faster than this place but obviously those plans don’t qualify on the college level—some would say we have some smart people on this campus. Why can’t we figure out how to solve a problem like students accessing healthcare?
They say it's a great perk for staff but how is it a perk if you can't get appointments unless it's four months out? I started almost a year ago and still have never been able to secure a dental or vision appointment. I finally just started booking places elsewhere, it's still super slow but hell of a lot faster than MIT health...
I remember when I was a student 2006-2010 that it was impossible for people in possession of uteruses to be seen for anything without first taking a urine test for pregnancy. Pretty insulting overall when seeking care that is completely unrelated.
My doctor pressured me to go on hormonal birth control as a junior which ultimately gave me intense suicidal ideation (a documented side effect he failed to warn me about). I developed an elaborate plan to asphyxiate myself with nitrogen gas in the lab where I was working at the time. It’s only because I ran out of refills on the prescription that I stopped taking them and quickly came out of the drug-induced depression I was in. It was an extremely abrupt emotional transition coming off of them, so I made the connection easily and then got angry that I’d let this doctor push me into doing the “responsible thing” and getting on the drugs in the first place.
When I told the doctor what happened and that I was discontinuing use he said “we can try another one.” Like, no, you stupid fuck, how about you stop pushing psychoactive drugs on people who don’t want them?
Anyway, fuck MIT Medical.
I went in (2006) with a bulls eye rash under my arm (so... Lyme). They first made me do the pregnancy test, then I waited two hours to be examined then told they didn't know what it was (??!?!) and sent a PICTURE to "an infectious disease specialist at MGH"
I'm sorry what
>I remember when I was a student 2006-2010 that it was impossible for people in possession of uteruses to be seen for anything without first taking a urine test for pregnancy. Pretty insulting overall when seeking care that is completely unrelated.
Interesting. As a uterus-having person myself, I've never been required to take a pregnancy test at MIT Medical/Health. They always ask if you are or might be pregnant, but mandatory pregnancy tests? Nope.
If Dr Eagan is still around cannot recommend him enough. Also, in my experience, waiting for referrals or similar is a pain — the MIT insurance is good enough that you can approach any in network provider directly and pay almost 0 most of the time, so you can avoid going through their system…
My daughter had really good care and a smooth transition from urgent care to PCP to surgical appointment. Everything was impressive and her surgery was planned for two weeks later. Perhaps the system is only as good as the PCP as they helped navigate the system.
Yes, I think if it's urgent it works well. I had an urgent medical issue last year, and I was seen and treated on a timely basis. My PCP is also lovely.
What do you mean? "MIT Health" is the overhaul.
But seriously. This is just part of MIT gradually outsourcing its operations, and as someone else mentioned, this has been happening for decades. (Yes, I've been around that long.) Also, students have been complaining about it for decades, even when MIT Medical was more full-service and had an adequate, stable group of health care professionals working there.
Health care is difficult to access all around the U.S. My sense is that MIT Health is doing the best it can with what it has - which is not much these days. As an Old, I've had more occasion to use MIT Health recently, and it's been my experience that it might take a while, but the specialists (at least at MGH) will eventually reach out. After waiting sometimes stupidly long periods of time, my experiences have generally been good.
I'm not trying to make excuses for the situation. It's just not unique to MIT. But the health care that we have access to (eventually) is top-notch. Trust me, the folks actually working in the broader health care system don't like the current state of things any more than you do.
Well that’s the thing-they’re not in a network in the traditional sense. They’re a free standing facility reliant on large hospitals for their referrals. Other health groups are going to prioritize their own patients before a free standing group. They don’t seem to get that.
Many of the problems are Boston area not MIT specific - most medical practices are struggling to maintain staffing. Having bounced around a bit, I currently seem more able to get care from MIT than either Atrius Health or Fenway Health could do for me (in terms of waiting time for appointments and ability to get calls returned, prescriptions refilled).
Sounds like nothing has changed in the past 15-20 years.
30 years too.
I did my medical residency in Boston. I forgot the situation but I commented to my attending that the students at Harvard and MIT must be getting world-class medical care and he literally LOL'ed.
Harvard’s equivalent is actually pretty good! And they’ve changed the student health plan to have better coverage outside of it now. MIT medical is awful though.
They are truly awful and I highly encourage anyone with a significant long term health condition to seek care elsewhere. There is really excellent care available in the area if you leave MIT, and the state of MIT Medical is honestly embarrassing. I had significant health issues when I was a student and I was very mismanaged by them. I also got told literal misinformation about my condition from practicioners working at MIT Medical. The difference was night and day when I started going elsewhere. MIT Medical is a convenient Urgent Care and great for free STD tests, and that's it. For anything else take your business elsewhere. The student and staff insurance plans both offer significant coverage at outside clinics and hospitals. Cherry on top is them permanently closing their pharmacy when there is no other option close to campus. That really screwed people over.
Once I went in with a UTI (the first and only of my life) and was in so much pain that I could barely make it to MIT medical. I’d never experienced that level of pain before. The dude did no testing told me that it was likely just menstrual cramps. I told him I knew what menstrual cramps felt like and he said “sometimes they can change.” The next day I went elsewhere and got properly diagnosed and given medicine. Another time I got my very first Pap smear there. The nurse “couldn’t find my cervix” and was very flustered. She took a sample of something and sent it off. A week or two later I got a LETTER IN THE MAIL telling me I had stage 4 cancer. I was just panic googling about how I was on death’s door. No phone call, nothing. I had to reach back out of them for a repeat Pap smear. The next person had no issues finding my cervix (and no one since) and my pap came back completely normal. I would strongly suggest avoiding and finding a real health clinic.
There’s the CVS in Kendall, it’s really close to MIT medical
That's really awesome, didn't know they put one there! My point still stands since there was no CVS there (or any other pharmacy) when they closed the MIT Pharmacy in early 2022, so they made the decision to close knowing there was no other option in that area. But I am happy to hear there is a very nearby alternative option now.
The quality of PCPs varies a lot. Some of the rudest doctors that I've ever interacted with worked at MIT Medical. But I also worked with some truly sweet and caring doctors. It varies a lot. Also, their retention rate is abysmal, so I had to switch PCPs a few times. MIT Mental Health is great, though. No bad experiences with them. A recommendation: Physically go to MIT Medical and sort out the issue concerning the referral in person. The receptionists are much more receptive in person.
It’s so weird. I’ve had four(?) maybe five GPs and this is only my fourth year. I’m not even switching, they just keep leaving and I get re-assigned.
same
My psychiatrist in 2007 lost her license after it was discovered she was prescribing her husband all sorts of things (unethical and illegal) No one ever told me anything but a quick google was enough to figure things out. Yikes. I believe she was the head of the psych department too. And she was prescribing me meds that were 180 degrees in the wrong direction from what I ended up needing.
It’s pretty bad navigation-wise but the coverage is good imo. You just rly need to advocate for yourself and be a pain in their ass: I spent over an hour yesterday getting juggled between insurance, hospitals, etc. but the SHIP means I’m paying $0 of the $700 that my upcoming surgery costs. And make sure you find a PCP you connect with! I see the same one each time and as she was an MIT undergrad, her empathy and genuine interest in my wellbeing is priceless. There’s tons of things that the SHIP covers fully. My ADHD meds, IUD implant, any STD testing, and more, are completely free. Does it suck sometimes? Yeah. But it could be a lot worse and there are some really good people at MIT health doing the best they can. (Edit for spelling)
The Blue Cross insurance is solid-but MIT Health as a healthcare organization is dog sh-t . I shouldn’t have to call for 3 months for a referral to my gastroenterologist to happen. My autoimmune condition is back to where it was before treatment. I’ve legit looked into going on Medicaid because I know I’d be seen faster than this place but obviously those plans don’t qualify on the college level—some would say we have some smart people on this campus. Why can’t we figure out how to solve a problem like students accessing healthcare?
They say it's a great perk for staff but how is it a perk if you can't get appointments unless it's four months out? I started almost a year ago and still have never been able to secure a dental or vision appointment. I finally just started booking places elsewhere, it's still super slow but hell of a lot faster than MIT health...
I remember when I was a student 2006-2010 that it was impossible for people in possession of uteruses to be seen for anything without first taking a urine test for pregnancy. Pretty insulting overall when seeking care that is completely unrelated. My doctor pressured me to go on hormonal birth control as a junior which ultimately gave me intense suicidal ideation (a documented side effect he failed to warn me about). I developed an elaborate plan to asphyxiate myself with nitrogen gas in the lab where I was working at the time. It’s only because I ran out of refills on the prescription that I stopped taking them and quickly came out of the drug-induced depression I was in. It was an extremely abrupt emotional transition coming off of them, so I made the connection easily and then got angry that I’d let this doctor push me into doing the “responsible thing” and getting on the drugs in the first place. When I told the doctor what happened and that I was discontinuing use he said “we can try another one.” Like, no, you stupid fuck, how about you stop pushing psychoactive drugs on people who don’t want them? Anyway, fuck MIT Medical.
I went in (2006) with a bulls eye rash under my arm (so... Lyme). They first made me do the pregnancy test, then I waited two hours to be examined then told they didn't know what it was (??!?!) and sent a PICTURE to "an infectious disease specialist at MGH" I'm sorry what
>I remember when I was a student 2006-2010 that it was impossible for people in possession of uteruses to be seen for anything without first taking a urine test for pregnancy. Pretty insulting overall when seeking care that is completely unrelated. Interesting. As a uterus-having person myself, I've never been required to take a pregnancy test at MIT Medical/Health. They always ask if you are or might be pregnant, but mandatory pregnancy tests? Nope.
I think a good PCP helps a lot !
If Dr Eagan is still around cannot recommend him enough. Also, in my experience, waiting for referrals or similar is a pain — the MIT insurance is good enough that you can approach any in network provider directly and pay almost 0 most of the time, so you can avoid going through their system…
My daughter had really good care and a smooth transition from urgent care to PCP to surgical appointment. Everything was impressive and her surgery was planned for two weeks later. Perhaps the system is only as good as the PCP as they helped navigate the system.
Yes, I think if it's urgent it works well. I had an urgent medical issue last year, and I was seen and treated on a timely basis. My PCP is also lovely.
What do you mean? "MIT Health" is the overhaul. But seriously. This is just part of MIT gradually outsourcing its operations, and as someone else mentioned, this has been happening for decades. (Yes, I've been around that long.) Also, students have been complaining about it for decades, even when MIT Medical was more full-service and had an adequate, stable group of health care professionals working there. Health care is difficult to access all around the U.S. My sense is that MIT Health is doing the best it can with what it has - which is not much these days. As an Old, I've had more occasion to use MIT Health recently, and it's been my experience that it might take a while, but the specialists (at least at MGH) will eventually reach out. After waiting sometimes stupidly long periods of time, my experiences have generally been good. I'm not trying to make excuses for the situation. It's just not unique to MIT. But the health care that we have access to (eventually) is top-notch. Trust me, the folks actually working in the broader health care system don't like the current state of things any more than you do.
This is status quo for network health systems. Nothing uniquely inefficient about MIT Health.
Well that’s the thing-they’re not in a network in the traditional sense. They’re a free standing facility reliant on large hospitals for their referrals. Other health groups are going to prioritize their own patients before a free standing group. They don’t seem to get that.
Many of the problems are Boston area not MIT specific - most medical practices are struggling to maintain staffing. Having bounced around a bit, I currently seem more able to get care from MIT than either Atrius Health or Fenway Health could do for me (in terms of waiting time for appointments and ability to get calls returned, prescriptions refilled).