Looking for a new primary physician, NOT connected with Atlantic Health or Summit Med (or whatever their name is now).

Many very good doctors have joined groups such as Atlantic Health or Summit (two different groups I believe) for cost savings. I would not discount a doctor because of that. If you want my doctor's recommendation in spite of that I will send you a direct message. 

The Gerontology Center of Barnabas, 200 S. Orange Ave. in Livingston has tremendously helpful to me and wife as we experienced some health issues over the last two years.  

I really wish you were here - we have several brilliant and compassionate medical centres nearby AND a supportive payment system (hubby recently had an ambulance service after-hours, emergency 4-hr gastric surgery, a week in hospital and the only things we paid for were my daily coffees as I visited him)

I don't like the corporate control over doctors' practices in the SMG but like Wendy, I've had mostly positive experiences with their doctors who are at this point are most of my doctors.  Their portal is excellent and reliable.  I've noticed with other doctors and groups that they claim to have portals but they turn out to be unreliable and/or unresponsive.   

If O.P. wishes to avoid the S.M.G. because they are a for-profit subsidiary of Walgreens, I'm right there with him.  

weekends said:

If O.P. wishes to avoid the S.M.G. because they are a for-profit subsidiary of Walgreens, I'm right there with him.  

The O.P. wishes to avoid medical factories. because their managements are s ...ty and this leads to confusion and disruption when trying to schedule healthcare. I recall complaining to a pharmacist about one of the factories. His analysis:

"It is like a big wheel that turns and turns. Some times it stops and then it starts up again. Nobody knows why."

Someone above mentioned the third conglomerate. My opinion of that organization went south when they farmed out the cafeteria space to McDonalds -- probably the most unhealthy food on the market. 

All our doctors are members of SMG, and they have saved both Tabby's and my life with extraordinary efforts.  

When our insurance carrier changed (Tabby's company decision), SMG fought tooth & nail for our continued treatments.

Atlantic Health and Summit Health (formerly Summit Medical Group) are two different large corporate groups of physicians. I have doctors in both of them as well as in the RWJ Barnabas group which seems somehow affiliated with Atlantic Health, but not completely(?) Sometimes I wish they were all in the same group and sometimes I wish that there were no such groups.

There are certainly pros and cons to all that, but it is the reality of our current system that groups like this dominate the healthcare scene. You shut out a lot of good doctors if you don't consider them for that reason alone.

The one corporate protocol that I sense from my visits to their doctors is that they want you in and out the office fast.   Our dog's vet spends much more time with us than SMG docs do.  That said, I can't complain that I was ever shoved out the door without expressing any of my concerns or feeling like the visit wasn't complete somehow.  

Atlantic is not affiliated with RWJ Barnabas. What makes you think otherwise?

bub said:

The one corporate protocol that I sense from my visits to their doctors is that they want you in and out the office fast.   Our dog's vet spends much more time with us than SMG docs do.  That said, I can't complain that I was ever shoved out the door without expressing any of my concerns or feeling like the visit wasn't complete somehow.  

Atlantic is not affiliated with RWJ Barnabas. What makes you think otherwise?

Our vet would call with test results, and also called after our cat died (she had been out of town at the time).  Felt like care.

/end detour

bub said:

Atlantic is not affiliated with RWJ Barnabas. What makes you think otherwise?

Atlantic is affiliated with Overlook.

sac said:

Atlantic Health and Summit Health (formerly Summit Medical Group) are two different large corporate groups of physicians. I have doctors in both of them as well as in the RWJ Barnabas group which seems somehow affiliated with Atlantic Health, but not completely(?) Sometimes I wish they were all in the same group and sometimes I wish that there were no such groups.

There are certainly pros and cons to all that, but it is the reality of our current system that groups like this dominate the healthcare scene. You shut out a lot of good doctors if you don't consider them for that reason alone.

I found this interesting:

Atlantic Health is a non-profit healthcare network, governed by a board of trustees.

RWJBarnabas Health is a non-profit corporation, governed by a board of trustees.

Summit Health is owned by VillageMD, which is owned by Walgreens Boots Alliance.

If you don't want to deal with for-profit corporate overlords, don't go to Summit Health.