@colleenyoung I too like the portals. Using that assures me that the doctor gets exactly what I am saying, not a nurse’s interpretation of what I said on the phone.
My PCP generally seems to schedule me for a long appointment so I almost always have enough time with him. I’m probably his patient with the most problems.
I think before choosing a doctor we need to do as much research as possible and hopefully get input from people who use that doctor. I have also asked other doctors at the same medical center about doctors. Sure, they will never say anything bad about a colleague but you can often discern their real feelings by how they express themselves.
Sometimes I like to schedule at the end of the day or just before their lunch break because then they are not rushing off as much.
JK

I'm with you on the use of patient portals with my healthcare, @colleenyoung It used to be 'if you don't hear from us everything is OK'! Now I can look and prepare any questions I might have.

The issue that currently bothers me the most is the move to 20 minute appointments, while doctors feel free to keep patients waiting for hours, as you point out. I have never had a doctor tell me I could spend more time with them since they kept me waiting for a long period of time. Tells me immense amounts about how most doctors value their patients' time. While I was my wife's caregiver and the GP (we both had the same one) knew time and ability to focus were extraordinarily challenging for us, nothing changed! Even if I booked a 20 for my wife and a 20 immediately after for me, the office would not allow me to use all 40 for my wife. Crazy to me! In my wife's condition it took the vast majority of the 20 minutes just to delineate her current status and needs. If it hadn't been for her neuro-oncologist her care would have been subpar for sure.

How did I focus on getting good care? For my wife it was very hard since change was a huge hurdle for her, but the moment she entered home hospice care I began begging the hospice medical director to take on her care, which she ultimately did. For me, two days after my wife passed away I quit that GP and even though I have to travel farther I changed to a doctor who runs his own independent office, which luckily is in my network.

This is a tough issue for many of us!

I use a patient portal also with one of my doctors. My other two doctors don’t have that. The neurologist I see and has given me my only temporary relief from the surgical site nerve damage I have, let’s me email him. I will explain why for the most part, known of this is any real help for someone with my medical problems. My surgery was to repair a rectal tear. I have a real problem sitting anywhere. The surgery also caused both my feet to have peripheral nerve damage. That showed up as soon as I came home that evening from that surgery. I can’t stand for very long because of the pain. My trips to a doctors office is rare and only when I get my injections for the surgical site. You would think that would be enough to drive anyone up a wall but I had a surprise waiting for me down the road. I was prescribed the Fentynal patch for the excruciating pain I was experiencing. When I finally had a very bad medical problem, a pancreatitis attack, that was caused by the use of that Fentynal, I decided to detox from that. The surprise was that I have Central Sensitization Syndrome. I also found out that I could no longer use any pharmaceutical drugs. Chemical sensitivity. The reality is I talked to a lot of different doctors and I tried to have conversations about all of this. Their dumb comments, their rudeness, their arrogance at me even questioning them was just too much. Yes I know there are some doctors who try to buck this system, but it is called medical suicide. They won’t get any of the perks if they don’t go along with the program. The neurologist I see, does not prescribed any opiates. He turns away any pharmaceutical rep that shows up at his office with this idea because he knows how damaging that crap is. Other doctors go along with it. He doesn’t get a lot of patients because of it. This situation you might find interesting, I did an have experienced it first hand. If I need to go any doctors office for any reason, and since I can’t really stand for very long or sit, know of these place can accommodate me in having a place I can lay down so I can wait for the doctor. I can’t last that long and just have to leave and go home. Weird since they are suppose to do this.