Contract Physician, uneasy feeling

[Hopeful_Dad]

My DS is starting the process. The DODMERB system gave him a contracted physician's office to contact by phone. We called that office and it goes directly to voice mail with a message to send an email and that they do not accept phone calls. We email, and he's offered an appointment in 2 weeks. I just have an uneasy feeling that this is a fly by night operation.

Before we hit the reselect a physician option on the DODMERB site I wanted to seek any words of wisdom from anyone with any relevant past experiences.

thanks in advance

 

[kinnem]

Well, everyone gets a contracted physician so that won't change. Can't speak to the phone calls really, but in this high-tech age I'm not surprised. Everyone has a smartphone and email.

 

[AJC]

The visit is largely a formality. A review of the medical history as presented.
They make sure you have all the fingers you said you have.
A distracted contact practitioner could actually be an advantage.
My son's exam was less than 1o min from when he went in and came back out.
Said the Doctor barely looked up from the paperwork.
They don't see a patient, they see dollar signs.

 

[AROTC-dad]

Agree with AJC. Your mileage may vary a lot.

Our physician was assigned to us and we had a devil of a time getting a scheduled appointment because the doctor worked alone with no staff. However once we got there, she did a great job really noting what we put on our form that could "open a can of worms." Bottom line, we got through DoDMERB without a hitch even though she was a solo operator.

 

[justdoit19]

Can you google the DR, for peace of mind, or to satisfy curiosity? Above posters are correct, that the “exam” is very peripheral. No big deal. Been through it twice now. DS said I could have done it. Other than the audio part.

Personally I would prefer to get it done and completed, rather than hit the “request” button and get tossed into a DOTMETS holding pattern.

This DR isn’t assessing your ability to serve. They are making sure everything matches what you put on your forms. additional medical information will be requested and dealt with through DODMERB online. You shouldn’t have to deal with that DR again.