Why You Keep Seeing a PA Instead of Your Doctor

You chose a doctor. You may have been with her for years. But lately, when you call for an appointment, the first opening is weeks away, and when you finally go in, you are seen by a physician assistant or nurse practitioner you have never met. If that sounds familiar, you are far from alone, and it is not an accident.

It comes down to math

A typical primary care physician is responsible for 2,000 to 3,000 patients. Even working long days in 10- to 15-minute visits, one doctor cannot see all of them when they need to be seen. Practices fill the gap the only way they can: by adding physician assistants and nurse practitioners, and by booking patients with whichever clinician has an opening.

To be clear, physician assistants and nurse practitioners are trained, skilled clinicians, and many patients are well served by them. The frustration most people feel isn’t about their credentials. It’s about continuity: seeing a different face each time, re-explaining your history, and rarely getting time with the physician you actually chose.

Why continuity matters

A doctor who has known you for years notices things a stranger can’t: a change from your usual, a medication that never agreed with you, a family history that changes how a new symptom should be read. That kind of knowledge doesn’t transfer through a chart. It builds up visit by visit, and it is lost every time care is handed to someone new.

What you can do

• Ask for your physician by name. When you book, ask specifically for an appointment with your doctor, and ask when her next opening is, even if it is further out.
• Book routine visits well ahead. Annual exams and follow-ups are easier to get with your own doctor when they are scheduled months in advance.
• Ask for a longer visit when you have several things to cover, so the most important ones don’t get pushed to “next time.”
• Bring a short written list of your questions and medications. It makes a short visit go further.
• Consider a smaller practice. Concierge and direct primary care practices limit how many patients each doctor takes on, so you see the same physician every time.

How a small concierge practice is different

At Diamond Cove, the practice is capped at 150 patients, and Dr. Michelle Becker is the only physician. Every visit is with her. Calls during business hours are returned the same day, almost always by Dr. Becker herself, and visits routinely run 30 to 60 minutes. Same-day or next-day visits are available when medically appropriate and when scheduling allows.

It isn’t the right fit for everyone, and that’s fine. But if you are tired of never seeing your own doctor, it is worth a conversation. See what it looks like at Diamond Cove, or read why we keep the practice to 150 patients.