Would it be weird to have your neighbor as a patient?

Question For Doctors

Hello! I was hoping to get some perspective on this, I am not asking for medical advice.

I'm looking for a new primary care provider. It's been too long since I've had a checkup, so I was looking at providers in my insurance network who had availability that worked with my schedule. I noticed that one of my neighbors fits the bill.

Is there anything weird about booking an appointment with their practice? We're friendly, but I wouldn't call us friends (I don't even have his cell phone number). We live on the same street and will chat occasionally if we run into each other. For additional context, my wife was his toddler's daycare teacher many years ago.

I don't think it would bother me, but I was curious if it would feel strange from the doctor's perspective. Is this something physicians generally don't think twice about, or would you prefer not to have a casual acquaintance as a patient?

Posted Jul 10, 2026, 7:21 PM UTC

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