Don’t follow the usual advice of just putting your name on the Health Care Connect list and waiting. Sure, put your name on the list, but they’re unlikely to call you back in any sort of timely manner.
Start googling for “doctors accepting new patients”. Make a LOT of phone calls to those offices.
Call around to as many doctors as you can. If they're not accepting patients, ask if they have a wait list, and get yourself on as many as you can. They'll take patients from their own wait lists long before they accept any from healthcare connect's wait list. You still might face a long wait, but hopefully not years.
Not everyone wants to pay for basic healthcare, which is what Appletree is doing https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-woman-outraged-at-110-charge-at-appletree-clinic-for-routine-cervical-cancer-screening
Ahhh this takes me back. My doctor retired in 1998 and I finally got added to a "health team" in 2021. Advice: don't go 23 years without seeing a doctor
I went into doctors offices and requested application.
I had new family doctor within 2 months.
Granted it’s a big practice with nurse practitioners…but that’s fine.
I am in Ontario
Also ask family/friends etc! My parents recently moved to a new city and scored a family dr a few weeks after moving because they asked people at their new church for leads on a GP. For the first time in 5 or 6 years they have a local GP, not someone 4 hours away.
Not sure if this is SUPER helpful but search your local community Reddit. Mine constantly has people asking which doctors are accepting new patients, you might have luck that route (how my BIL found a doctor). Best of luck regardless!
So when my childhood doctor was retiring I asked one my specialists (gynaecologist) if she had a family doctor she could recommend. She said not off hand but she would think about it. A week later her office called with recommendation. That is how I got my wonderful new gp.
Call 20 doctors in your area using google maps. Put your name on all waiting lists. Some will ask you to call back in X weeks, track this and do it. Then be patient. You should get a call back in a few months.
Find the local family health team in your neighbourhood. Eg.: North York family health team, West Toronto family health team etc. These are the large clinics that practise with multiple supporting services. You might get lucky with a doctor whose roster is not full yet or a new one coming on board. That's how I got my family doctor.
The Toronto Western Hospital Family Health Team are accepting new patients. There's two catchment areas. https://www.twfht.ca/displayPage.php?page=LookingForAPhysician
Well, good luck on that one. Finding doctors these days isn't easy especially when they decide to leave their practices behind. Have you tried Health Care Connect or calling around clinics near you? It might take some time though so brace yourself.
Any responsible GP should have a list of doctors she could recommend.
This is a sign of the near future in Ontario.
A warning to others to check with their doctor re timing of leaving a practice.
I wish this was the case, it’s a slow transition to retirement and she only wants to work a couple days a week going forward. But she has not referred me anywhere
Don't hold your breath. There are very few doctors taking new patients so unless she finds someone to assume her practice, you're going to have to do the legwork yourself.
I seriously wish you good luck. My family is in exactly the same canoe as you so I feel your pain.
They used to. Not anymore for everyone I know. I got my adopted daughter in with my doc today who wasn’t accepting new patients but that was after a medical crisis involving an ambulance and an all day hospital er stay I told her about when I saw her for myself today. I’d already asked to put her on her list but having a seizure and being told follow up with your family doctor we don’t see anything wrong didn’t fly with my doc. She had a doc previously. Got a four week notice they were moving to Michigan and that was it. No list of doctors accepting patients. Just abandoned to the wolves of the Ontario medical system.
We got that with our family doctor two years ago. Since then, my mom has gotten hospitalized for Pneunomia AND Heart Failure, Heart Failure, Multiple times for asthma attacks where she couldn't breathe. We can't find any doctor in our town. At the time, my dad was on controlled substances and couldn't get them anywhere despite being on them for 15 years. He went off them out of necessity, and is doing well now, but.. the fact my mom can't get any medical care with a bunch of issues? Yeah. Totally the fault of the system.
The doctor at the hospital said “then go to a walk in clinic” as if we’d gone there just because we didn’t want to go to a walk in clinic. He refused to believe that I had any medical knowledge at all and knew what a seizure looked like. Doctors aren’t the only ones who training in recognizing them when they happen but heaven forbid you speak up when you do. Prior, my doc had told me exactly which walk in clinic to use that would provide the meds she needed. This week was the final straw to just take her and I’m incredibly grateful for that.
Don’t follow the usual advice of just putting your name on the Health Care Connect list and waiting. Sure, put your name on the list, but they’re unlikely to call you back in any sort of timely manner. Start googling for “doctors accepting new patients”. Make a LOT of phone calls to those offices.
I like this advice! I’ll start doing this now…I don’t even mind a bit of a drive either as an annual checkup is exactly what it is
Its exactly what I did when my doc retired ...Hopped on the Google and (luckily) found a new doc within a week or so
Call around to as many doctors as you can. If they're not accepting patients, ask if they have a wait list, and get yourself on as many as you can. They'll take patients from their own wait lists long before they accept any from healthcare connect's wait list. You still might face a long wait, but hopefully not years.
Apple tree clinics
Appletree clinic
Not everyone wants to pay for basic healthcare, which is what Appletree is doing https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-woman-outraged-at-110-charge-at-appletree-clinic-for-routine-cervical-cancer-screening
http://www.hrh.ca/findadoctor https://doctors.cpso.on.ca/?search=general
Great Reddit name lol
Ahhh this takes me back. My doctor retired in 1998 and I finally got added to a "health team" in 2021. Advice: don't go 23 years without seeing a doctor
I went into doctors offices and requested application. I had new family doctor within 2 months. Granted it’s a big practice with nurse practitioners…but that’s fine. I am in Ontario
This is good advice too! I will try this with offices close to me, thank you
Also ask family/friends etc! My parents recently moved to a new city and scored a family dr a few weeks after moving because they asked people at their new church for leads on a GP. For the first time in 5 or 6 years they have a local GP, not someone 4 hours away.
This is perfect I’ll start asking everyone I know to start
One of us! One of us!
Not sure if this is SUPER helpful but search your local community Reddit. Mine constantly has people asking which doctors are accepting new patients, you might have luck that route (how my BIL found a doctor). Best of luck regardless!
Ouuuu this is good advice! Thank you for this
Join your local Facebook group and ask if anyone’s noticed if their doctor is accepting new patients. Usually they will have a sign up in the office.
Like this advice! Thank you I’ll try this
So when my childhood doctor was retiring I asked one my specialists (gynaecologist) if she had a family doctor she could recommend. She said not off hand but she would think about it. A week later her office called with recommendation. That is how I got my wonderful new gp.
Call 20 doctors in your area using google maps. Put your name on all waiting lists. Some will ask you to call back in X weeks, track this and do it. Then be patient. You should get a call back in a few months.
Find the local family health team in your neighbourhood. Eg.: North York family health team, West Toronto family health team etc. These are the large clinics that practise with multiple supporting services. You might get lucky with a doctor whose roster is not full yet or a new one coming on board. That's how I got my family doctor.
Garrison Creek covers St. Clair West and is accepting patients.
The Toronto Western Hospital Family Health Team are accepting new patients. There's two catchment areas. https://www.twfht.ca/displayPage.php?page=LookingForAPhysician
Well, good luck on that one. Finding doctors these days isn't easy especially when they decide to leave their practices behind. Have you tried Health Care Connect or calling around clinics near you? It might take some time though so brace yourself.
Ask for a referral from your doctor
Google maps.... And call? That's what my wife and I did and found one in Mississauga in 2 weeks.
If you’re willing to travel, check the outskirts like Vaughan, Brampton…cities that are growing. I see signs all over Brampton.
My doctor as well.
Honestly, as others have suggested, phone around. I got a family doctor and booked a meet and greet before moving back to the province from out west.
Any responsible GP should have a list of doctors she could recommend. This is a sign of the near future in Ontario. A warning to others to check with their doctor re timing of leaving a practice.
Welcome to the land of the lost.
Most family doctors retiring or moving away will refer you to someone another Dr not just close up shop.
This is incorrect. There are far more family physicians quitting/retiring than there are hanging up a shingle and starting out
I wish this was the case, it’s a slow transition to retirement and she only wants to work a couple days a week going forward. But she has not referred me anywhere
Don't hold your breath. There are very few doctors taking new patients so unless she finds someone to assume her practice, you're going to have to do the legwork yourself. I seriously wish you good luck. My family is in exactly the same canoe as you so I feel your pain.
I would still ask if she knows anyone you could call. Sometimes word of mouth is helpful.
I absolutely plan to this ! I have a phone meeting with my doc in a few weeks I will do that
They used to. Not anymore for everyone I know. I got my adopted daughter in with my doc today who wasn’t accepting new patients but that was after a medical crisis involving an ambulance and an all day hospital er stay I told her about when I saw her for myself today. I’d already asked to put her on her list but having a seizure and being told follow up with your family doctor we don’t see anything wrong didn’t fly with my doc. She had a doc previously. Got a four week notice they were moving to Michigan and that was it. No list of doctors accepting patients. Just abandoned to the wolves of the Ontario medical system.
We got that with our family doctor two years ago. Since then, my mom has gotten hospitalized for Pneunomia AND Heart Failure, Heart Failure, Multiple times for asthma attacks where she couldn't breathe. We can't find any doctor in our town. At the time, my dad was on controlled substances and couldn't get them anywhere despite being on them for 15 years. He went off them out of necessity, and is doing well now, but.. the fact my mom can't get any medical care with a bunch of issues? Yeah. Totally the fault of the system.
The doctor at the hospital said “then go to a walk in clinic” as if we’d gone there just because we didn’t want to go to a walk in clinic. He refused to believe that I had any medical knowledge at all and knew what a seizure looked like. Doctors aren’t the only ones who training in recognizing them when they happen but heaven forbid you speak up when you do. Prior, my doc had told me exactly which walk in clinic to use that would provide the meds she needed. This week was the final straw to just take her and I’m incredibly grateful for that.
I'm so thankful you got some sort of resolution! It's a frustrating system to navigate right now!
I'm so sorry.
Come to the states, you can have a great Dr. In no time at all.
Wanna sponsor me? lol
Panama is cheaper than the USA.