General practioner in Buenos Aires

[lunar]

... the concept of a GP, or "medico de cabecera" as a gateway to the health system doesn't seem to exist here in Argentina, at least as far as I can see. You need to find a doctor in the area you're interested in.

I don’t think this is true, though it's possible that your insurance works differently.

I've had two different insurance providers here, and with both, when I asked for a regular yearly checkup, they told me that I needed to choose a 'medico de cabecera' from their provider's book, who then handled all the necessary prescriptions for blood test, etc., and most importantly, the interpretation of the results of these tests. I mean, yes, you can go directly to a specialist, but there should be someone who does 'general supervision' of your health situation.

In both cases, this 'medico de cabecera' seemed like an independent doctor. He may be affiliated with a hospital to the extent that he offers consultations or sees patients there a couple of times per week. However, he has his own practice and accepts multiple insurances.

 

[FrankPintor]

I don’t think this is true, though it's possible that your insurance works differently.

I've had two different insurance providers here, and with both, when I asked for a regular yearly checkup, they told me that I needed to choose a 'medico de cabecera' from their provider's book, who then handled all the necessary prescriptions for blood test, etc., and most importantly, the interpretation of the results of these tests. I mean, yes, you can go directly to a specialist, but there should be someone who does 'general supervision' of your health situation.

In both cases, this 'medico de cabecera' seemed like an independent doctor. He may be affiliated with a hospital to the extent that he offers consultations or sees patients there a couple of times per week. However, he has his own practice and accepts multiple insurances.

You may very well be correct. Maybe it's different for each insurance company. I have OSDE, and I searched long and hard for a GP. On the OSDE page they group the doctors they work with by speciality. I didn't see any other option, though certainly having a GP for general checkups once in a while would be very nice.

 

[lunar]

You may very well be correct. Maybe it's different for each insurance company. I have OSDE, and I searched long and hard for a GP.

I believe they told me to look for a 'Clinico' in the provider directory.