8 reasons why your child needs a new provider.

As a mother to a medically complex child, I've encountered many lessons on this journey, one of which is recognizing when it's time to say good-bye to your current healthcare provider. External factors such as insurance changes, retirement, relocation, or career moves are understandable reasons for provider transitions, beyond our control.

However, when certain red flags emerge, it becomes imperative to consider changing your provider without harboring any guilt. For families under an HMO plan, I understand there are limited options in provider selection. Nonetheless, if the assigned provider proves incompatible or unsuitable for your child's needs, it's crucial to advocate for your child's well-being. Requesting reassignment to a more suitable provider is not only reasonable but essential in ensuring your child receives the best possible care.

Now check out these reasons why you need to get a new provider:

1. Out-of-Network Provider: If your provider is no longer contracted with your insurance, they are now out-of-network, this can be very costly! Caveat- if the provider is amazing, and specializes in your child’s diagnosis, it might be worth considering financially.

2. Delayed Communication: If timely responses and paperwork are crucial and your provider can't meet these needs routinely, it might be best to find a new provider. This suggests that the office may be overwhelmed with patients, potentially due to understaffing, leading to compromised patient care.

3. Frequent Disagreements: If you often disagree with your provider on treatment options and plan of care, it may be time for a change. Some providers might have more traditional views, while newer providers may offer a holistic, comprehensive approach. If disagreements are constant, consider seeking a new provider that has the same perspective as you in terms of treatment plan (holistic, medicinal, behavioral).

4. Provider Ignores Feedback: If your provider disregards your opinion and adopts a "my way or the highway" approach, it's a sign to move on. Your opinion and consent should be part of the decision-making process unless it's a strict medical necessity. Especially concerning minor children, where your consent as a caregiver holds significant importance in medical matters.

5. Treatment Plateau: If your provider's treatment seems to have reached a plateau and you're not seeing progress, it might be time to consider other options. Every follow-up appointment, it’s the same recommendations yet it’s not yielding results. However, a new provider could offer different strategies and insights

6. Provider Not Adapting: Sometimes, a long-term provider may not adapt to your child's evolving needs. If your child's diagnosis manifests differently as they grow and the provider isn't current with these changes, it's time to find someone more in tune with their developmental stage and possibly find a sub-specialist.

7. Lack of Experience: If your provider lacks experience and knowledge with your child’s specific diagnosis, it’s better to seek a provider who is well-versed in handling such cases. If you find your provider, not being able to answer your simple questions about the diagnosis and treatment plan, etc, you need a new provider.

This is especially important for children with a rare disease, you need a provider that has experience, research interests, or training. This will result in better treatment options, plan of care, more successful prognosis and switching from one specialist to another, or even a sub-specialist is also a great option to consider.

8. Travel Time: Consider the travel time to your provider. Frequent visits can be stressful if the provider is too far away and if your child needs to be seen urgently, with traffic in major metropolitan areas. Finding a closer provider who offers similar quality of care can reduce mental and physical strain on both caregivers and children.