Finding a new Doctor SUCKS...but there is a happy ending!

About eight months ago, I received an email notifying me that my primary care physician was leaving her current group practice and going into “concierge” medicine I was DEVASTATED! This is becoming an all too familiar occurrence with overworked medical doctors that are looking to reduce the number of patients they are required to see, as well as seeking to prevent doctor burnout.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, CONCIERGE MEDICINE typically is an arrangement in which the patient pays a monthly or annual fixed fee for the Doctor/Patient relationship, same-day appointments and 24/7 physician availability. It’s usually for the more affluent patients…not someone on Medicare like me. I loved Dr. Allen. She was kind, empathetic and patient, and always took my health-related issues as seriously as if I were a member of her own family. And since she was a friend of my wife’s I didn’t have to go through the process of coming out to her. That gets tiresome and you never know how some physicians are going to react when they realize you are GAY!  Several of my friends lost their physicians to CM in the past few years, but I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN TO ME…until it did!

Baby Boomers like me grew up in a world that was overwhelmingly hostile to our sexual orientations and gender identities. It was dangerous, even illegal, in most places to be a part of the same- sex loving community.

Yet as we came out to family, friends, and employers, we paved the way to a far more tolerant and accepting society. We survived the social panic and political hysteria of the early years of the AIDS epidemic. After decades of struggle, we’ve even lived to see the right to same-sex marriage become the law of the land.

Now, as we grow older, we face isolation and potentially debilitating health issues that come with aging. But even worse, there is a growing movement in our society that would like nothing better than to turn back the clock and force LGBTQ elders back into the closet. 

So, I have been without a Primary Care Physician for eight months. THEN… my friend Marion told me about a clinic that was specifically for the senior population. Hmmmm…I was intrigued. Because the other things I dislike besides worrying about discrimination is sitting in a waiting room with kids running and jumping around touching everything ( honest, I do like kids but worry about germs ) , and young people playing having loud conversations on their phone even though the sign says TURN CELL PHONES DOWN, ( OMG…I sound like an old curmudgeon ), parking and having to walk a mile to the elevator, then to get to the doctor’s office walking a mile in the opposite direction after you get off the elevator. I ESPECIALLY dislike the doc being so rushed when they get in to see you that before you’re halfway done with telling them what’s wrong with you, they are halfway out the door to see the next patient! So, when Marion told me about OAK STREET HEALTH, saying I was intrigued is putting it mildly. Yet, I was hesitant…still the” Gay” thing, you know.

Well, after Marion had her appointment, she called to tell me how much she LOVED Oak Street Health and trust me…Marion is NOT easy to please! And she said, “I’m even out to my doctor” and that shocked the crap out of me. She also told me she suggested that the clinic’s Outreach Executive call me, because I really needed to see a doctor (Marion is more than a friend…. she’s like a big sister AND a mother hen).

So, a young woman named Staci Grissom from OSH called me and the very first question I had was “are the doctors LGBTQ friendly” and without missing a beat, she emphatically stated “Yes” and proceeded to tell me all about their culture of diversity and inclusion, and I was LOVING it…so I made my appointment.

 I was so anxious the morning of my first visit, I threw up on my comfortable new shoes, and almost canceled! But I’m glad I didn’t! From the moment I walked in the door, and saw everyone wearing these tee shirts that said, “Pride lives at Oak Street Health” and “Hello my name is____ and My pronouns are___” I began to relax!  It’s the little things that are sometimes the biggest things! After the receptionist took my information, I was escorted back to the office of the Patient Relations Manager, Patricia, for a short but pleasant discussion regarding Medicare and an explanation of how the clinic works. Next, I had barely sat down in this spacious waiting lounge when my doctor came to get me. I have NEVER had a doctor come out to the waiting area to get me before, but she said the medical assistant was busy and she didn’t want me waiting too long. WHAT” S THIS????, I’m thinking. The intrigue deepened.

My doctor is Dr Sarah Laibstain, and she makes ALMOST every primary care doctor I had before seem like they were still in med school. I’m serious!! She listened as I talked…she watched me as I talked, and she took notes and repeated back to me what she heard me say to clarify that she got it right. She asked about my medical history, (Full disclosure: as a retired nurse I had copies of all my test results, vaccines, medications, etc in a folder with me). She asked about my home life, my disabilities and even my pets. She explained how the clinic works, the process if there is an emergency and what hospital I would prefer to go to. My head was spinning! She even asked what my healthcare goals are.

So, my friends, I said all of that to say this: Oak Street Health is how senior healthcare SHOULD be done. I am going to arrange for the Outreach Exec to come talk to a group of seniors once this brutal Texas heat cools down. But in the meantime, don’t just take my word for it…go online and check them out.

Now that I have my new Primary Health Physician, I’m feeling more chill and ready to keep on facing life!