HMO and breastfeeding friendly pedias

image from http://user.pa.net/~nrwing/hmo/

The search of a breastfeeding-friendly pediatrician is a challenge to every nursing mom. No pediatrician will say that they are not breastfeeding friendly. Instead, it is up to the mom to find out if their pediatrician is REALLY an advocate or a "poser". This is why I highly recommend that moms (and dads!) interview prospective pediatricians for their children as early as the second semester of pregnancy. Instead of being limited to the partner of your ob-gyne, why don't you take time to determine if Dr. xxx will be match for your family. You can check tips in my previous post on finding a breastfeeding-friendly pediatrician.

If finding a breastfeeding-friendly pediatrician is already a challenge, much more so is finding one that is accredited with a health care or health plan. One of my office perks is a health plan for my beneficiaries (e.g. Naima and Stan). However, I was limited with my choice of doctors, as my preferred pediatricians for Naima were not included in the plan. I asked a doctor-friend why it was so difficult to look for a good doctor who was accredited with a health plan. According to her, health plans do NOT treat the health providers well, which is why a lot of preferred doctors are not included in the "accredited doctors" list of your health plan. Doctors get paid merely P150-P200 pesos per consult! After four years of medical school plus another 2-4 years of specialization, what doctor will agree to P150-P200 pesos per hour?! Perhaps new doctors who have yet to build a "patient base" would do so?!

So what do I do? I still go to my preferred doctors and pay out of pocket. But I also maintain a "health card accredited" pediatrician so in case Naima needs to go through a procedure, I can get a referral from the accredited pediatrician so the procedure is covered.

That said, my sister was quite lucky to have found a health care card accredited pediatrician who was breastfeeding friendly. However, one disadvantage here is the queue and the waiting time - which is anywhere from 1.5-3 hours! Luckily, they live near the doctor's clinic and are able to go home after getting a "waiting number".

Anyway, if you are still in search for a breastfeeding friendly pediatrician, L.A.T.C.H. has compiled a list. Please don't ask for xxx health plan or health card accredited pediatricians though as L.A.T.C.H. does not have that. Instead, just be resourceful, call the doctor's clinic and ask them directly if they are accredited.

Kindly note that list is not being published as it is constantly being updated, after receiving reports or feedback from moms who have been referred to these listed doctors. You can email L.A.T.C.H. though and ask for a list of breastfeeding friendly doctors in your preferred hospital/clinic to be emailed to you. L.A.T.C.H. however asks that you do not publicize the list emailed to you for reasons stated above. Instead, if your friends or relatives ask you for referrals, you can just refer them back to L.A.T.C.H. so an updated list can be emailed to them.