Seeking medical referral-Refuah vs. Chaim now who else??!!

amother

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 8:38 am

Looking for a dr for a specific diagnosis. Chaim medical and Refuah gave different names. I now became aware that they each tend to give you the best dr from the hospitals that they work with and not necessarily the best in all of New York ( or world)
So now I need a good 3rd person/ organization whom to ask.
Is there somebody that has no biases to any specific hospital that I can ask?
I was told Shuki Berman and echo but I’d luv some advice on how do I decide.
Yes insurance is important but for a one time consult we would pay if we have to. Don’t want to make decision based on who accepts my private insurance.

amother

Natural

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 8:45 am

amother OP wrote:

Who exactly decides who is "best in the world?"

Each org gives names of people they have experience with, which will likely be the doctors that work in the hospitals they are most familiar with.

Why not go to both if you are willing to pay for a consult?

amother

Apricot

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 8:46 am

That's not true.
Chaim sent my family members all over the us for whatever it is they needed. (Not cancer related)

Dh works with chaim and refuah. It is true that they don't always all know all thr best doctors. But they will give you names of doctors they think is best for you.

Sometimes there is more than one doctor that is top for whatever it is you're looking for. So you can get different answers.

Years ago, I needed a specialist for my baby.
I actually got more than one name. I got 3 names. We chose the top top but we couldn't get in becuase he was transferring from one hospital to the other. So we were told to go to a different doctor in the system and switch to the top doctor in 3 months time. (Was long term care)
We did that. And before we even got to the top doctor, that doctor messed up BIG TIME.
We ended up going to a 3rd doctor that my pediatrician recommend that was another 10 travel every 5 days. For 3 months he tried and we tried but my baby ended up needing 2 surgeries anyway.

Since then they don't recommend waiting for a doctor in such or similar circumstances.

Point is. They are not g-d. I'm not even upset becuase it was clearly basher.

I was mad at the doctor becuas he clearly has never treated this type of issue before and he was hitting on me every visit. Was terrible.

They learn from their mistakes. And really truly suggest what they think is best for you.

amother

NeonYellow ↓

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 9:02 am

I work for Chaim. We absolutely do not work with one hospital over the other. We will try to give you the best recommendation based on the doctors we know and have feedback on.
I assume similar can be said for Refuah though I don't know their inner workings.
Two caveats:
we are most familiar with doctors in the tri state since that's our biggest patient population. We refer out of state for rare/ complex/ difficult disorders but the standard stuff will mostly be NY, NJ etc.
We are always getting to know new providers and constantly reassess our referrals based on patient feedback. So the referral you get today may not be the same referral you will get in a year from now.

amother

↑ NeonYellow

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 9:08 am

amother Apricot wrote:

What a horrible experience! I hope you shared your experience with your coordinator. It's so appreciated when patients report their experiences whether positive or negative so we can refer accordingly.

amother

Nemesia

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 9:16 am

And I’ve gotten referrals from both Chaim and Refuah that were outdated. And Shuki Berman’s Refuah (they are 2 different organizations) just rattled off some names of doctors who might be able to help but “do your own research.”
In one case the doctor’s office was truly confused as to why I was calling because they don’t treat the condition (and never did). That bothered me the most because it shows they really aren’t thorough in researching before giving recommendations.
In another they gave me doctors who had year-long waiting lists, which I knew already but kept being told “mention us.” Yeah, didn’t work. I know they mean well and hopefully do help a lot of people, but each of these organizations have a lot to improve.

amother

Midnight

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 9:25 am

Years ago my daughter needed a rare (not done that often) complicated surgery.
I called Echo in Monsey and I got the best treatment.
Rabbi Weitz took the diagnosis and called around the country to find out which top doctor to use. He called other doctors and they all came up with one that isn't even in NY.
Not sure if things changed because it was a few years ago but I was very happy with them.

amother

Nutmeg

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 9:27 am

I work for a related organization and I can tell you that its not recommended to call yet another organization- you will just confuse yourself!
If you were starting from scratch I would have recommended calling refua if you need a good level headed response and I would recommend chaim medical if its more urgent and you need a more dramatic response. Once you've already called both, Id recommend you take an appointment with whoever can see you sooner and/or has a more convenient time available for you and then judge for yourself if you feel comfortable and its a good fit for you and your family and if not, go get a second opinion ( maybe already have that later appt booked and cancel if you no longer need, to save time).
To echo other above, there is no ONE best doctor in many areas...
hatzlacha and refua sheleima to whoever needs it.
and more important, once youve done your hishtadlus-daven that the doctor should be a good shaliach!!

amother

cornflower

Fri, Nov 01 2024, 9:51 am

Just want to add here-
I do medical referrals/advocacy/guidance for a finance company. It's part of the benefit package offered to their employees.

There is very often (read almost never) not one top doctor for a specific condition and even if there were and you can't get into them, there is little utility in making a referral.
As someone who provides referrals there are many considerations- skill and knowledge are usually paramount, but there are also other very important factors.
Bedside manner
Ease of making an appointment
Humility of the doctor and willingness to dialogue with the patient
Insurance coverage if it's more than a one time consult.
Each referral needs to balance these considerations and it's very very rare to find a doctor who has it all.

Referral agencies rely on feedback from patients who use their services. If you ever have a bad experience it's imperative you reach back out and give a detailed review on what happened.
Same with positive feedback. Taking more than a few minutes and rather than saying "oh the doctor was great" give details on why/how it was a good experience.
Ie: the doctor took the time to listen and answer questions
The doctor gave clear instructions or an excellent outline of the pros and cons of such and such procedures.

Things evolve very quickly in the medical field, doctors move around a lot, there are new therapies, treatments become outdated etc.
If you are really in doubt and can't pick a doctor you can call back either agency and ask if they ever heard of the other doctor.

They may have a specific reason for recommending one over another or they simply may not be aware and they could research the doctor and provide guidance on how to proceed.
They may have had feedback from another patient and thus no longer refer.

Finally these agencies are doing a huge chessed for people and trying their best. The system isn't perfect but it can be an incredible resource.