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Just realized medical records from your PCP beat specialist records for appeals
I spent 6 months sending in all these notes from my neurologist and rheumatologist thinking they'd carry more weight. My lawyer finally told me to stop and focus on my primary care doctor's records instead. Turns out the ALJ in my case in Phoenix put way more trust in my PCP who sees me every 3 months for everything. The specialist notes were too narrow and didn't show the full picture of how my conditions affect daily life. My PCP wrote one letter about how I've lost 15 pounds in 6 months due to fatigue and can't stand for more than 10 minutes. That single letter did more than 20 pages from specialists. Has anyone else found their family doctor's notes helped more than the fancy specialists?
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annajenkins1mo ago
Same thing happened with my mom's case... the PCP was the key.
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the_sam1mo ago
That phrase "the PCP was the key" really hit home for me. I've been reading some recent studies that show how family doctors are the missing link in so many cases like this. One paper I saw said that patients who had a consistent primary care doc were way more likely to catch things early and get proper referrals. It makes sense when you think about it, a PCP knows your whole history not just one part of it. But the system pushes them to see so many patients in a day that they can't really dig deep into anything. So when you find one who actually takes the time, it can make all the difference.
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nguyen.angela1mo ago
Preach. A good PCP is literally everything in this broken system.
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