How to Choose a Doctor (in the U.S.)

[@amanatee27]

Hank! Because you like to learn, not to be snarky or nit picking: in the Operating Room, it's more likely for the Surgical Tech or Assistant to hand a scalpel, not the nurse, who is more likely to be circulating. Also, PCP can simply be primary care provider, not specifically physician, because often Nurse Practitioners (or Physician's Assistants in a similar ish way) can serve as a PCP (and there is debate that physicians are overqualified for PCP and better suited for specialties). Finally, I would more strongly encourage word of mouth over online reviews when choosing not just a PCP, but a surgeon as well!! Thank you for keeping How to Adult alive!

[@learnhowtoadult]

We do love to learn! Thank you for your input, amanatee27!

[@amyromano513]

Agree! I would have liked to see more about nurse practitioners and other PCPs here. Nurses are not just for handing scalpels, especially masters and doctorate prepared nurses who are filling the massive gap in PCP access these days. Also, nurse-midwives (like Gyn doctors) can serve as primary care providers for people with uteruses. Great explainer otherwise, though!

[@JamieLeeBones]

I love this channel so much! Seriously thank you so much for helping people, like me, with what seems like a simple task, but in reality can be anxiety inducing. No one gives classes on the types of thing you guys cover during high school, college or beyond, so it's really helpful.

[@lightningxsparks]

Can someone make a loop video of the corgi cameo? That cameo filled my heart with joy

[@pixie7349]

I'm so glad this was made, I'm a nurse (got my LPN when I was 18). I'm 24 now, have been a nurse for 6 years and have no primary care provider.

[@thelonelydirector]

I love it when my dog makes a cameo! :)

[@thatjillgirl]

Also for females, the thing about your gyno often being able to work as a PCP is true in reverse as well: Your PCP can often serve as your gyno, at least for basic women's health things. Many of them prescribe birth control, provide pelvic exams and pap smears, even insert IUDs! If you need something more complicated or pregnancy care specifically, a OBGYN is more what you want, but otherwise, a typical family medicine doctor can often meet the basic needs.

[@midnightsmagic]

The two most painful pelvic exams I've had were from my non-gyno PCPs. Never again. :/

[@karenmonson9893]

No, no, no!!! Alot of pcp's are not qualified or caring enough to deal with women's healthcare issues. Especially menopause. Luckily my HMO let you choose an OB/GYN without a referral as long as they were on the provider list. Unless you know your pcp real well and trust them implicitly I'd recommend this and your insurance will have the final say on that too. For the record, I hate mine!

[@karenmonson9893]

Add: I hate my insurance!

[@thatjillgirl]

@@karenmonson9893 Not "caring" enough? Not true at all. There are just as many caring physicians in family medicine as there are in gynecology. The first two doctors who provided for my women's health needs were family medicine doctors, and they were wonderful! If you don't trust your PCP.....maybe get a new PCP. Not everyone's women's health needs are complicated, and if you already have a PCP but not an OBGYN, it can be perfectly fine to start with your PCP and see if they are able to meet your needs.

[@karenmonson9893]

​@@thatjillgirlThis may work for you but it didn't for me. It was very uncomfortable luckily I could go to an OB/GYN and I was willing to do the extra drive time. I never regretted my decision and I had a really good doctor. Twards the end because of changing work locations it was close to a two hour drive but well worth it.

[@boringturtle]

I've been trying to get a primary care physican for 3 years. Every 3 months I call every covered physician in 30 miles. Never once have they been accepting new patients. One time they told me that the doctor actually lived in Florida, halfway across the country. I even had one where I was informed that the listed doctor was actually a surgeon, not a general practitioner. Good times.

[@nurfarzaana9420]

This came out at the right time. I will be turning 20 next year and hope to get a primary doctor before I turn 20! THANK YOU!

[@hakeemabdul1680]

I didn't expect to see Hank Green here while researching this... Neat-o!

[@michaelsquirrel7888]

I just got insurance and was going to do this soon. Perfect timing!

[@ELIOTKEMPER]

Thanks for putting this out there! I've been putting this off for about a month up until now.

[@pokechatter]

Yay for useful knowledge right around when my health care is most complicated.

[@NinjaFalllow]

I've been told pharmacists are good people to ask when it comes to finding who's a good doctor and who's not.

[@thatjillgirl]

To an extent. They can't tell you who's in your network, and they may value different things from you. Usually the pharmacist just knows which doctors write shady prescriptions, take a long time to return calls, etc., which is can be valuable information, but not necessarily your priority deciding factors.

[@wendydavidson1589]

Definitely thought this was a Healthcare Triage video when this first popped up in my subscriptions

[@CulturePhilter]

Doctors in US can sue for a bad review!?!? I didn't think it was possible for me to have a lower opinion of US healthcare system. I was wrong. So glad I live in UK with the NHS.

[@Sooner-im9qf]

I gave you a thumbs up just for showing the Corgi! Cute little dog!

[@shadebug]

For people in the U.K. just go here and enter your location for all your local GPs along with reviews, hours, availability, services, etc. www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/LocationSearch/4

[@justsumguy2u]

Nowadays it's hard to choose a doctor, because you oftentimes don't have a choice on who you see. The mindset of the medical community today is that all health care providers are the same, and that you should be glad to take whoever they give you. That might be whatever doctor is on duty that day, a nurse practitioner, a physician's assistant, or an APRN. And this is at the doctor's office of your choice!

[@Undeaddog42]

Tips for Trans viewers. Checkout your local LGBTQ+ Facebook page for good recommendations. Finding someone with trans experience or at least will correctly use your correct pronouns can be challenging and local Facebook pages can be a good resource of people who have actual experience with the local doctors.

[@Undeaddog42]

Also sometimes local colleges or queer community centers will have web pages with local doctors.

[@BlueFish1120]

This is great! Thank you so much!

[@janiewilcox8818]

Thanks, Hank, for your always helpful information!

[@qwrites7716]

I've found Zocdoc to be a really useful website for finding care providers, but I bet its usefulness depends on where you live. (More densely populated areas will have more reviews.)

[@SinHurr]

1) Do you have insurance n: Die/ go in horrible, crippling debt y: 2) Is the doctor in network? n: don't go see them y: Fuck it, see them.

[@SeventeenSeventySix]

Optima Health forces a PCP on you, but you can change as long as you the are within thier network.

[@clairekuhlman1078]

You guys are killing me! You post videos about topics like a week after I had to figure it out by myself!

[@CrossoverGenius]

I'm sure Hank said things and I'll have to rewatch later to be sure (I actually do need to find a doctor so this is useful) but the entire time I was so distracted by that mask and waiting for Hank to just take it off that I didn't hear much

[@alexiskrohn6944]

OMG thank you for saying "People with Uteruses." Small speech things that probably only some of us notice, but are hugely thankful for

[@Lyonsvideos1]

I'm trying to find a new PCP, since I moved, however its very difficult because don't know many people here OC so Step 1 doesn't work. I've called the ins for the Network doctors and done the review search but can't really tell if the PCP will work for me or not, any other suggestions? thank you

[@EncomHumanRecources]

Face mask aged like fine wine

[@Regular_Jo]

6 months later... still aging...

[@astrowuff]

I go to a doctor once every 10 years or so.

[@siddhantgoyal8709]

QQ: How to stop being jealous of your rich friends? Context: I really like my friend, and he has always been there for me. I study abroad, so i do not have any family here. When I was admitted in a hospital after a suicide attempt here, he spent most of the day in the hospital taking care of me, despite being the class president. We call each other brothers, and we are extremely close. He is really into gadgets and stuff, so he would share with me his desire to buy stuff like an iPhone, and even a bike. Because of all the things he has done for me, I sort of felt obligated to give him almost all my money. We are Indians, and in our culture, we do not work while we are studying, we just use the money our parents give us. So, my parents give me my entire year's expense at once, instead of giving them to me monthly. Anyways, the money I gave to him was really essential for my mental health. I was going to use that money to have a comfortable lifestyle, using the air conditioner without worrying about the electricity bill, eating the food that I actually enjoy eating, seeing a psychiatrist, going out to just get a break, etc.. I gave him my entire year's money, and he is paying my/our rent and utilities (we are roommates), but he does tell me to not use the air conditioner much, so I have had days when I sweat while sleeping. He also pays for a canteen to send 2 meals to our house daily, but I do not like the food, I just have to make do with it, because I cannot get the food I like. He also gives me money for laundry and mobile load, and whenever I need to buy toiletries. On rare occasions, he does get me pizza and coke. Now, while I have this lifestyle, I see him go out with people often, and he doesn't like telling me where he goes, so I stopped asking him too. When I see him go out with friends to have fun, I really want to feel happy for him, but I just can't help it, and instead think about how I should have been able to do this too. I know he does not mean to upset me. He just somehow lacks empathy, and is sort of short-tempered, due to which he sometimes comes across as being arrogant. I just feel that he must have faced situations to make him this way. I know that even if he has a psychopathology, it is my choice to stay his friend and/or give him money, so if it is impacting me negatively, I should call it quits. The problem is, I just know how nice he is, and I am just not ready to lose him. Maybe if you would have made the "how to say NO" video sooner, I might have saved myself from this XD

[@scribblescribble]

Oh, my. Where to begin? You've expressed a multitude of concerns, and your friend isn't present to offer his side of the situation, so I'll work with what you've outlined. I'm sorry you're having such severe mental health issues. You seem to be under a lot of pressure, whether from the isolation of studying abroad, the financial strain, or the stress of living with such a controlling roommate. The most concerning part is the penultimate paragraph, where you attempt to justify his taking advantage of you financially. A true friend would not take from you an entire yearly stipend and then decide how you will live and eat just because he holds all the money. You deserve better. You also have options. Seeing a psychiatrist can quickly get expensive, but does your university offer any type of counseling on campus? Would your parents be willing to work with you on disbursing your funds on a monthly basis for next year to prevent the possibility of the situation recurring? And please forgive my cultural ignorance with this next part, but is it completely out of the question to work a part-time job as long as it doesn't negatively affect your grades? It would provide a bit of money for comfort items without terms attached, and it would give you a reason to leave the house beyond classes and errands. You may even make new friends among coworkers and gain confidence from interacting with customers. My perspective is that your greatest obstacle is depression; a suicide attempt and allowing your friend to run your life are symptoms of the larger issue. However, I'm not going to tell you to abandon your friendship. That's something only you can decide, since you are the one who will have to face the consequences either way. The only person who can live your life is you. I wish you luck, and hope things improve soon.

[@siddhantgoyal8709]

Thank you so much for replying. I would have considered getting a part time job, and ignoring being judged by my classmates for it, but most entry level jobs in this country would require me to be fluent in their local language, which I am not. The university does have a guidance counsellor, but she has not been able to tell me much more than to stop giving him money, and that if he is a true friend, he would understand me not being able to give him money. Regardless of all my issues, just seeing your reply helped me a lot emotionally, so thank you so much for that. I think I am going to be able to survive. I only added the context, because I can't help but to think of myself as a horrible and selfish person for feeling jealous of seeing my friend go out and enjoy, and I just expected others to think this way too, so I just wanted to minimise the chances of being told about what a horrible person I am. I have nothing against people with that opinion, it is just that I already see myself as this selfish horrible person, and more people reminding me of that wouldn't do my mental status much good. So, the truth is, I mainly just want to stop feeling envious of him going out and enjoying, probably because I want to feel less horrible and selfish for having those feelings.

[@midnightsmagic]

In my case, it goes like this: 1. Call clinic #1. They have no PCPs accepting new patients. 2. Repeat for clinics 2 and 3. 3. Run out of local clinics. Never see a doctor.

[@zavankan4796]

How is that possible? What area do you live?

[@midnightsmagic]

3 years ago when I made this comment, I lived in rural Oregon. Rural areas often have severe doctor shortages, and my town had a very high number of retirees, who typically have more healthcare needs than younger folks.

[@mariesoullier]

But... the envelope was already open...

[@miriamtxrres]

Ugh! This is so much work. I’ll just avoid this and hope I don’t die.

[@2HelpfulGuys]

This channel is amazing, but I'm always secretly worried that it won't last forever. (I mean, nothing does, but can this channel be the exception?)

[@elsa9532]

this was the first time I've heard the term 'complexly network' and it felt icky

[@DavidWangazsr]

Wait… has has Hank gotten a PCP? I remember the DH&J episode where Hank confessed that he just went to a walk-in clinic for his care.

[@fromscratchauntybindy9743]

Yay! Abby cameo 😁

[@patsonical]

Will there be episodes for other countries (e.g. UK)?

[@typicallytheo]

Wearing masks before they went mainstream

[@deez_noots]

How to choose a doctor in the US: Step 1: Don't. Step 2: Get handed a list by your insurance company where the closest doctor they cover is an hour and a half away. Step 3: ??? Step 4: Die of cancer or infection because it wasn't caught in an earlier stage.

[@Superbouncybubble]

System’s broke yo

[@elsa9532]

loved the humour in this video :)

[@sk8rdman]

inb4doctorwhojokes I'm probably already too late, but something something time travel joke.

[@lucrizzaro]

As a trans guy, really appreciate the language on "people with uteruses". :D thanks for being inclusive.

[@Benioff1]

Oi vey...

[@smileyk4129]

😂😂😂 really? Inclusive? "People"

[@krabbypatty3644]

thank you! you are truly a fucking hero my beautiful friend!

[@alexjordan8838]

Hank!!!

[@lancewestveer8677]

Well this was of no help

[@MrSpaztastic23]

The one that gives you xanax without telling you he cant they all fucking can we all need a break doctors...

[@alexjordan8838]

Am I first?

[@angelhammond9373]

if I can gave you more then dislike i will be more happy