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Pulmonologist and an infectious disease doctor around Bethesda, Md.
I noticed that some members of our group mentioned that their insurance plans were being terminated. That has happened to me as well, and I have decided to go back to Original Medicare instead of getting into a new Kaiser plan. I had Kaiser for over 20 years, and this means that I am throwing myself into a whole new world of medicine and have to find new doctors for everything. Kaiser has much to recommend it, BUT now that I have BE and MAC, I want to be able to have the freedom to choose my doctors and consult at a specialty clinic if it becomes necessary. In a way Kaiser has done me a favor, because I can get back to Old Medicare and a medigap plan without being underwritten.
I live in Bethesda, Maryland, and am hoping that there is someone(s) in our group that might know of a pulmonologist and/or ID doc in the area knowledgeable in BE and MAC. I know that there is a BE clinic at Georgetown if I need more, but I am trying to say close to home if possible for "regular maintenance".
At present, I am not taking drugs, just nebbing saline, clearing airways, watching and waiting. My yearly CT scan will be on November 13, and my PFT and final appointment with the pulmonologist is on Nov. 21. So far previous test results have been good, but it's scary leaving leaving Kaiser on Dec. 31 and not having new docs yet. Any ideas would be very appreciated.
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You could try asking if your current docs know someone there. Often, they do have connections. Good luck!
You might consider the BE/NTM Clinic at Johns Hopkins.
@pacathy Thanks. I’ll be seeing the pulmonologist soon and will ask. I can email the ID doc. That’s one good thing about Kaiser. It’s easy to email and the docs always get back to you on in days the latest, often in one day.
I’ll miss that. My experience with the couple of doc that I see now outside of Kaiser are a real challenge to communicate with.
@sherrig Thank you. My first reaction to your suggestion about Hopkins was: Oh no. It’s really hard to navigate there. (Thinking of going all the way to Baltimore). Then I realized that over the last few years Hopkins has grown quite a presence in the Bethesda area. Some of their docs might come down here regularly. That is worth investigation, so thanks for planting the seed.
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You might ask your doctor if any of the studies on bronchiectasis at the NIH in Bethesda are currently recruiting patients. I’ve seen going there for years and get all my care there.