01-17-2008, 07:24 PM
the medical system here is a mess. Other than the clinics, urgent care, and ER, there is no such things as the drop-in appointment to a doctor's office where you've never been seen.
If a doctor sees you once, then they've opened the door to accepting you as a patient, and very few are accepting. If they are, your first visit is the "new patient" visit, which is a long appointment, and thus you may wait a month or more for that appointment.
They all say, if this is urgent, go to the ER.
The Bay Clinic is known for seeing people without all this preamble, but I think it's first come first served unless you are officially their patient -- meaning you have to be there before the doors open to get seen reasonably soon. (HMSA Quest used to and perhaps still does assign the Bay Clinic as the default PCP.)
It's a tough situation on the island right now. Too many doctors have moved away and closed their practices.
Any insurance worth anything will cover either Urgent Care or the ER, or both. It has to cover something for when you must be seen that day, on a weekend, or on holidays. Even if you have a PCP they may not be able to get you in for a few days.
I'm glad to hear she's doing better! Is she a visitor? If she lives here, her mom needs to get her a regular doctor ASAP, if that's possible. For people who are visiting Hawai`i, I know it may sound very tourist, but I've come to believe in the value of getting trip insurance to cover medical emergencies while away from home if you go somewhere your insurance isn't accepted. One doctor's visit cost out of pocket will be more than the insurance.
If a doctor sees you once, then they've opened the door to accepting you as a patient, and very few are accepting. If they are, your first visit is the "new patient" visit, which is a long appointment, and thus you may wait a month or more for that appointment.
They all say, if this is urgent, go to the ER.
The Bay Clinic is known for seeing people without all this preamble, but I think it's first come first served unless you are officially their patient -- meaning you have to be there before the doors open to get seen reasonably soon. (HMSA Quest used to and perhaps still does assign the Bay Clinic as the default PCP.)
It's a tough situation on the island right now. Too many doctors have moved away and closed their practices.
Any insurance worth anything will cover either Urgent Care or the ER, or both. It has to cover something for when you must be seen that day, on a weekend, or on holidays. Even if you have a PCP they may not be able to get you in for a few days.
I'm glad to hear she's doing better! Is she a visitor? If she lives here, her mom needs to get her a regular doctor ASAP, if that's possible. For people who are visiting Hawai`i, I know it may sound very tourist, but I've come to believe in the value of getting trip insurance to cover medical emergencies while away from home if you go somewhere your insurance isn't accepted. One doctor's visit cost out of pocket will be more than the insurance.