On 02/10/2019 10:27 AM, Frank wrote:
Many years ago when we started with the old doctor he was complaining
about not seeing me but having to write referrals for me. Where I
worked, we had a medical facility and staff on site that gave us
complete physical exams every year. I was young and did not need to see
my doctor.

That was my relationship with the last doctor who has retired. Mostly I
went to him for DOT physicals but he was handy for referrals.


Things have changed a lot over the years. The era of the lone gp
working out of his office with just a nurse is practically gone. With
all the big private insurance firms and government health care like
medicare, plus all the burden of government regulations, it takes a big
conglomerate to handle today's environment.

My current doctor works out of a hospital associated center. She
switched hospitals a couple of years ago but I didn't ask why. There are
two hospitals in town and I never understood the relationship. When she
was at Community sometimes she would send me to Providence for blood
work, sometimes not. Maybe they specialize in different things but I
never did enough doctoring to figure it out.