Pediatrician

[Rose C]

My 18 months old granddaughter is currently staying in Volcano. She has been having a fever of 103 for the last three days. Can someone recommend a doctor that would take a patient on short notice? Last year someone recommended a general practitioner/pediatrician in Hilo but I don't remember her name. Her husband was also a doctor in Hilo.

Your help is so much appreciated. My daughter's insurance does not cover urgent care but she will go there tomorrow if she can't come up with a doctor that will see the little one.


Rose C

[Punamom]

You could try Dr.Melanie Arakaki or one of the Bay Clinics Hilo,Keaau or Pahoa. I have not been there in years since I got Kaiser but they should be cheaper than the 100 bucks for urgent care.

Its not unusual for viruses to give you fevers for a week around here, seems the germs grow just as big and bad as the coqui. There is almost always something going around (tourists from many continents).
But its worth a trip to the doc to rule out any big and bad bacteria.

Hope she feels better soon! Don't forget the icepops while your in town!

[Rose C]

Thank you so much, Punamom, for your reply. Granddaughter was feeling much better today, eating and playing as usual with just a bit of a raised temperature. Still, mom couldn't find anyone who would see the baby and was ready to go to emergency room when things turned for the better. Thanks again.

Rose C

[missydog1]

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.

[gtill]

Punamom, I'e always been with Kaiser on oahu, am moving to puna shortly.

The clinic is one of the reasons! Is it's service decent?

Thanks for any reply!