Finding Doctor while travelling

[Popsie]

Any advice on how to find good doctors/Clinics/Hospitals/etc. while travelling far away from your home base?

[trailertraveler]

If you enjoy traveling in the more wide open spaces of the Rockies and/or Southwest, you may not have many choices. When my wife fell and broke her arm hiking on BLM land, the closest ER was 30 miles away and 60 miles from our campsite. The walk-in clinic in the closest town had shutdown and being a weekend there were no local doctor's offices open. The hospital had one participating orthopedic surgical practice to insert the pins.

[afidel]

jerryjay11 wrote:
I would think any medical insurance company has a web site and a search link to find providers that accept their insurance. At least I know Medicare and Tricare 4Life does. Both of which I have used to find providers that accept Medicare and Tricare 4Life. Or you could purchase a Travel Assist plan that also can direct you to providers.

Let me tell you from experience that trying to find a covered provider on a website using your phone when you've got a medical issue is no fun. When we had two issues during our last big trip I just called the 800 number from my insurance company, gave them my location and the kind of care I needed and had them email a list of covered providers. Clicking on an address in an email and having it search on Google maps was a hell of a lot easier than using the insurance website. Best of all I have a paper trail that shows I was directed by their people to the provider so it there's any out of network molarky I can take it to my companies HR (we're self insured so as long as I put in a good faith effort I can usually win)

[2gypsies1]

OP: If you're on Medicare and have a supplement then you can go to any doctor or hospital that you want.... no restrictions except if they're accepting new patients or not. If on Medicare and you have a Medicare Advantage plan then you'll have to go by your Advantage plan doctors.

We always chose doctors by visiting the hospital web page to see what doctors are associated with the hospital. We've dealt with serious issues as we traveled, cancer and joint replacements, and never had a hard time getting a doctor.

I think I recall that you're going to do full-timing again. If so, then you can go to the best doctors in the country. Good luck!

[wa8yxm]

There is an APP for Android Doctor On Demand.

Can not say how good it is as though I have it have never invoked.

If you stay in private or membership campgrounds often there will be a camper who is there "long term" (private and Some membership) or frequently and lives close (Rest of membership). and they can recommend.

Which is how I do it.

[tdiller]

ktmrfs wrote:

tdiller wrote:

Popsie wrote:
Any advice on how to find good doctors/Clinics/Hospitals/etc. while travelling far away from your home base?

Most insurance companies have in network and out of network pricing. If you are at home you probably find an in-network doctor. While traveling you will pay an out of network co-pays and deductibles. These can be expensive. Also many insurance companies will allow an ER visit if the condition is life/limb threatening. Other require a notification within a specific time period for ER or hospital stays. Finding an in-network doctor while traveling is hard but try calling the 800 number on the back of your insurance card or the insurance company's website. As for me just take me to the nearest VA clinic or hospital.

as for out of network, every insurance company we have used for health insurance didn't hit us with out of network charges if we were more than 100 miles away from home. It was spelled out very clearly that the out of network ONLY applied in our home service area. Once outside that if we needed service they covered as in network regarless of where we went.

As an example last summer I suffered a dislocated shoulder well out of network, ride to hospital, ER, x-rays, etc. all the work in the hospital even though all was out of network, was covered as if in network with the $30 co pay total.

Same thing when DW had to go to the Dr. for strep throat, or wheb she had a reaction to a bee sting. These were not ER, just a clinic and it was treated as in network.

Even out of the country our insurance treats service as in network if needed ER or clinic visit.

So look carefully at how out of network is covered it may very well cover you as in network when away from home.

You know I forgot that. Best bet is to check with your insurance carrier via website or the 800 number on your card.

[ependydad]

rv2go wrote:
We call our insurance carrier. They will give us 2 or 3 options for our need. I then do a background internet search on the ones given and make a choice.

This is what we do only instead of a phone call, I get on my insurance provider's website and look myself. I follow it with an Internet search.

So far so good with the handful of things we've had to deal with.

[Halmfamily]

Stop by a local pharmacy and ask them. The pharmacy staff deals with doctors all day and have a pretty good feel on who is the best in their area.

[Dutch_12078]

Unless you need a specialist, we've had good luck using "Urgent Care" centers. We do call first and make sure they accept our UHC insurance, but we haven't found one yet that didn't. When we're going to be in a given area for awhile, we call UHC and let them know, and they advise us who in the area is in their plan.

[MDKMDK]

We just hop the border into Tijuana or Guadalajara and ask the gas pump guys. Pedro can always recommend at least one or two "doctores en el inexpensioso" in the neighborhood. He can probably recommend a good "surgencia en plasticioso" too. For future reference, of course. :C





Seriously, Good Sam has an Emergency Medical Referral Service as part of their roadside assistance packages. I hope we never have to use it but when we used their concierge service to find a local glass shop, they helped us out.
(I do not work for, nor am I related to, Marcus)

[Campinfan]

If you have Blue Cross or Anthem or any of the Blues plans, you can go online to the plans to look or just see if they take the Blue Cross plan in your state. When I was in Alabama once, we needed a doctor, I called Blue Cross (number on back of my card) and they said just call the practice and see if they participate with the Blue Cross plan that is in Alabama, they did and it was seamless.

[ktmrfs]

tdiller wrote:

Popsie wrote:
Any advice on how to find good doctors/Clinics/Hospitals/etc. while travelling far away from your home base?

Most insurance companies have in network and out of network pricing. If you are at home you probably find an in-network doctor. While traveling you will pay an out of network co-pays and deductibles. These can be expensive. Also many insurance companies will allow an ER visit if the condition is life/limb threatening. Other require a notification within a specific time period for ER or hospital stays. Finding an in-network doctor while traveling is hard but try calling the 800 number on the back of your insurance card or the insurance company's website. As for me just take me to the nearest VA clinic or hospital.

as for out of network, every insurance company we have used for health insurance didn't hit us with out of network charges if we were more than 100 miles away from home. It was spelled out very clearly that the out of network ONLY applied in our home service area. Once outside that if we needed service they covered as in network regarless of where we went.

As an example last summer I suffered a dislocated shoulder well out of network, ride to hospital, ER, x-rays, etc. all the work in the hospital even though all was out of network, was covered as if in network with the $30 co pay total.

Same thing when DW had to go to the Dr. for strep throat, or wheb she had a reaction to a bee sting. These were not ER, just a clinic and it was treated as in network.

Even out of the country our insurance treats service as in network if needed ER or clinic visit.

So look carefully at how out of network is covered it may very well cover you as in network when away from home.

[path1]

jerryjay11 wrote:
I would think any medical insurance company has a web site and a search link to find providers that accept their insurance. At least I know Medicare and Tricare 4Life does. Both of which I have used to find providers that accept Medicare and Tricare 4Life. Or you could purchase a Travel Assist plan that also can direct you to providers.

Tri care for life...not if you are under us family health plan (usfhp).
Thank you senator mccain...another promised benefit gone.

Under Usfhp out of area medical is er room or foot the bill.

[tdiller]

Popsie wrote:
Any advice on how to find good doctors/Clinics/Hospitals/etc. while travelling far away from your home base?

Most insurance companies have in network and out of network pricing. If you are at home you probably find an in-network doctor. While traveling you will pay an out of network co-pays and deductibles. These can be expensive. Also many insurance companies will allow an ER visit if the condition is life/limb threatening. Other require a notification within a specific time period for ER or hospital stays. Finding an in-network doctor while traveling is hard but try calling the 800 number on the back of your insurance card or the insurance company's website. As for me just take me to the nearest VA clinic or hospital.

[naturist]

And may none of us ever need to actually use those medical facilities!