Is There Good Orthopedic Care Without Being a Private Patient?

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    Is There Good Orthopedic Care Without Being a Private Patient?

    I have complications post surgery due to improper rehab the first few months post surgery (the physio programme was doing more harm and caused complications on the other parts of my body). I was advised by an orthopedic surgeon whom I went for 2nd opinion, that to get proper orthopedic care, I should go as a private patient and pay full fare (which cost between $500 - $1000 per visit), and do the rehab at the surgeon's clinic (which will be an additional charge). He said this is the only way the doctor could communicate with the therapists. This will be very expensive as I have had visits to the orthopedic surgeons and physio centres for more than 100 times last year and still not recovering.

    Since the surgeon performed the surgery released me before I recover, I have to go to other surgeons for 2nd opinions and advices. Some surgeons made diagnosis without taking a look at the x-rays or reports I brought in. After I insisted that they take a look, then they realized they made a mistake in the diagnosis. Two of them told me they do not have time as they have many patients. This seem to be a pattern as I got very little time from most doctors I visited, and the advices I got from them were similar, something high-level and basic (for example, “continue with physio” without further details, or "have another surgery"), which were not helpful in providing more details to help with the direction for rehab modification, and these "high level" advices I already know, and have been doing, from the first surgeon I visited.

    Interestingly, all these surgeons I visited were referred by others as good doctors and that was why I went to them in the first place. I was told by one of the therapists that my insurance company pays little to the doctors and physio centres, and this is why they are not that interested in taking care of patients from the plan (other than performing surgery). I am exhausting the list of orthopedic surgeons in my insurance plan but no matter which one I went to, the experience was similar and I am still left on my own. I started to think whether I should consider public hospitals but I heard that public hospitals may be worse. Anyone with similar experience, or have insight into how to get proper care?

    Last edited by paulinabd; 30-01-2010 at 06:44 PM.