My experience was somewhat the same but somewhat different, so I don't think some of those points are universal. I needed to see a GI, so like you I sought out a private one based on recommendations from a local expats group (Expats Cascais). Like your experience, I found him awaiting me in his office, seated behind a desk. Unlike your experience, we talked quite a bit about my history - and he hand-wrote notes on a sheet of paper (no long patient history form to complete upon arrival). He also had an exam table in his office, where he did a physical exam. Also, I emailed the clinic a few days later with a question, and apparently the receptionist forwarded it to him, because he emailed me the answer directly (that very evening)! So my contact with him outside of the appointment was far better than my ability to reach my doctors in the U.S., where I never would have had my doctor's direct email address. Excellent experience over all.
Learning about Portugal's health care system is interesting . One hears and reads so much about European health care's superiority over that of the US. Hope that ankle is healing nicely!
I'm very interested in how the healthcare system works and would be interested to hear more about it as you go along. So glad it's working reasonably well for you so far. Thanks!
The number portion reminds me of my motor vehicle visit last week.
My experience was somewhat the same but somewhat different, so I don't think some of those points are universal. I needed to see a GI, so like you I sought out a private one based on recommendations from a local expats group (Expats Cascais). Like your experience, I found him awaiting me in his office, seated behind a desk. Unlike your experience, we talked quite a bit about my history - and he hand-wrote notes on a sheet of paper (no long patient history form to complete upon arrival). He also had an exam table in his office, where he did a physical exam. Also, I emailed the clinic a few days later with a question, and apparently the receptionist forwarded it to him, because he emailed me the answer directly (that very evening)! So my contact with him outside of the appointment was far better than my ability to reach my doctors in the U.S., where I never would have had my doctor's direct email address. Excellent experience over all.
Learning about Portugal's health care system is interesting . One hears and reads so much about European health care's superiority over that of the US. Hope that ankle is healing nicely!
I'm very interested in how the healthcare system works and would be interested to hear more about it as you go along. So glad it's working reasonably well for you so far. Thanks!