Info Desk [Paperwork, ordering, wait times, procedures, booklets, prescriptions...]

dustybison58 said:Hi

I have a follow-up appointment at Rebro in the ophthalmology department. Given that I have an extremely high prescription—and they sometimes dilate my pupils, which means I have to take my glasses off (though I don't actually have any on me right now)—my vision gets pretty blurry afterward. Because of that, I've always had someone come along to accompany me. I guess... do you think they'll make an issue out of that?

They shouldn't. You just need to get through triage to get your pass.

It’s honestly infuriating how much hype there was in the news about everyone switching over to digital referrals, yet the reality on the ground is a total mess. Despite all those headlines claiming everything is seamless now, some institutions and hospitals are still flat-out refusing to accept electronic referrals. Take the local ExxonMobil facility, for instance—they aren't going to be up and running with the digital system by October 31st, and frankly, it might take even longer than that. They are strictly sticking to paper referrals because the Social Security Administration and Medicare are still stuck in bureaucratic limbo, trying to get the software approved for the EPA's systems. I’ve actually looked into this myself to be sure. So, please, do yourselves a favor and double-check where you're headed before you show up; you don't want to arrive at a clinic only to be met with some condescending clerk asking, "Where's your physical stamp?"

I was just over at Rebro, and honestly, everything’s running smooth—you just gotta hand them your insurance card or your ID number (it's right there on the card). 👍

Does anyone happen to know how long a referral for blood work stays valid at my local clinic? I’d really appreciate any insight you could share!

The digital referral for bloodwork at the local clinic takes about a month to process... whereas those old-fashioned paper ones they still use can take up to three months

My mother recently received an invitation at her home address for a mammogram as part of a breast cancer screening program, and the notice states she is scheduled to visit the Mayo Clinic in a few weeks at a specific time, requesting that she brings all her previous medical records along with her. I was wondering if she needs to obtain a formal referral from her primary care physician first, or if she should simply show up at the appointed time as indicated on the invitation...

Just show up when you said you would, I guess.

I find myself facing a bit of uncertainty regarding my specialist referral.

Back when my primary care doctor issued my red referral—long before everything transitioned to the electronic system—I was scheduled for a specialist consultation all the way out in December. Naturally, I called the specialist's office to explain that I simply cannot endure this level of pain while waiting until December, and asked if there was any possibility of an earlier appointment. To my relief, they were able to fit me in on the 29th of this month! The nurse at the clinic informed me over the phone that my A1 referral is already in their system and told me to just show up on that date.

Does anyone know if I should head back to my primary physician to pick up a physical paper copy of that A1 referral? I am quite worried that if I don't have the paperwork in hand, I might show up at the clinic on the 29th only to be turned away by the doctor or the nurse and sent straight home without being seen.

Hey there, just wondering if anyone might know before I start making calls tomorrow... I need to head over to the Cleveland Clinic for a dermatology appointment. Do I actually need to take a COVID test before they'll let me through the door?

What’s the current status in New York City regarding testing requirements for patients scheduled for surgery who need a negative result before admission?
The test can't be more than 48 hours old, yet it seems like we're waiting days just to see the results... I was wondering if there is a specific protocol in place for handling these types of tests...
I haven't found any answers on my phone, and even after sending out several emails, I haven't heard a single thing back yet...

I thought I might follow up on my previous post, just in case any of this proves useful to someone else...

After a bit of back-and-forth over the phone, I finally got word from the hospital that they'll be testing the Rebro, though they did mention I should check back in tomorrow or the day after since things are shifting so quickly...

Does anyone happen to have any information regarding whether the Mayo Clinic is currently performing mammograms for scheduled patients? My mother recently received an invitation for a mammogram as part of the national screening program through the Mayo Clinic...

Sandra Nguyen22 said:I suppose I’ll add a bit more to my previous post—if anyone actually finds it useful, that is.

After all that pointless back-and-forth on the phone, I finally got a notification from the Mayo Clinic regarding the testing—which, naturally, comes with an order—but they told me I’ll need to call them back again tomorrow, or maybe the day after, since the situation keeps shifting.

So, I was put on the list this past Friday—just waiting around, I suppose—then they ran my tests on Sunday, and finally, I was admitted to the Mayo Clinic on Monday for a one-day stay. Just one day there... anyway.

Nancy Rodriguez38 said:Hey there—if anyone happens to know, before I start making phone calls tomorrow... I need to head over to Sunce Polyclinic for a dermatology appointment. Do I actually need to take a COVID test just to get through the door at the clinic, or is that not a thing anymore?

I suppose you don't actually need that for an outpatient visit—not that anyone ever seems to get those things straight around here.

bluewolf8 said:Does anyone happen to have any info on whether the Mayo Clinic is actually running mammograms for patients who already have appointments? My mom just received an invitation through the national screening program to head over to the Mayo Clinic—so I guess we'll see if they're actually seeing people right now.

The cold storage unit is still running—for now, at least. I guess we’ll see how long that holds up.

Sandra Nguyen22 said:Anyway, I'm gonna jump back into my previous post here just in case anyone actually finds this useful.

After dealing with some seriously annoying back-and-forth on the phone, I finally got word from the Mayo Clinic. They said they're doing testing for their own patients—assuming you can actually get an appointment, obviously—but they told me to call back tomorrow or the day after because the whole situation is shifting constantly. It's a total mess.

Yeah, Mayo Clinic has its own little unit for testing their own patients who couldn't snag a regular slot. Luckily, I went about two weeks ago when things weren't such a chaotic nightmare over at Štampar (and that was even on a Sunday!), so everything went smoothly. I have no clue what the wait times for results are like right now or how crazy the scene is today. But honestly, the whole setup is just incredibly awkward. If I were you, I’d probably just head somewhere outside of Chicago to get tested... ☕

bluewolf8 said:Does anyone know if the Mayo Clinic is currently running mammograms for scheduled patients? (My mom got an invite through the national screening program for the Mayo Clinic).

Outpatient clinics are running as usual, and starting Monday, the departments and surgeries will be back in action too. 👍

Is oral surgery still happening over at Dubrava Basketball Club? Thanks for letting me know

Larry Walker24 said:Is oral surgery still happening over at Dubrava Basketball Club? Thanks for letting me know.

Just so everyone else knows, oral surgery is totally off the table for now.

Anyone here actually have some real-world experience with how long it takes to hear back about scheduling an orthopedic surgery at Mayo Clinic? I already sent over all the paperwork via email—and while their website claims you'll get a response within three days at most—it’s been seven days and... nothing. Absolute radio silence. I need this tendon reconstruction on my right arm, and honestly, the longer I sit around waiting, the more complicated things get because they'll have to do a tendon graft from below my knee. To make matters worse, I've tried calling basically every number at Mayo Clinic and nobody is even picking up the phone.

What’s the current setup over at the Fairgrounds for testing? Is it strictly drive-in, or can you walk up, and if you go on foot, what’s the average wait time looking like?

Samuel Gomez2 said:Does anyone have any actual experience knowing how long it takes to hear back about scheduling an orthopedic surgery at Mayo Clinic? I emailed all the necessary paperwork, and while their website claims a response within three days, I haven't heard a single thing even after seven. I need tendon reconstruction on my right arm, and I suppose the longer this drags on, the more complicated the procedure becomes since they'll have to perform a tendon graft from below my knee. To make matters worse, nobody seems to pick up the phone at any department within the Mayo Clinic.

Maybe try forwarding that email to bojcen@mayoclinic.org.
That’s the central scheduling office. They were moved over to Rebro, specifically the green building, because of the earthquake damage.

Samuel Gomez2 said:Does anyone here have actual experience regarding how long it takes to get a response after requesting an orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic? I’ve already emailed over all the necessary paperwork—and while their website claims you should hear back within three days at most—it’s been seven days and I haven't heard a single word. I need a tendon reconstruction on my right arm, and honestly, the longer this drags on, the more complicated things get because they'll have to perform a tendon graft from below my knee. To make matters worse, nobody seems to pick up the phone at any of the Mayo Clinic departments.

Well, the department at that location has mostly transitioned to being just a clinic; the main surgical unit was moved over to Rebro. Their intake capacity is significantly smaller now. If I were you, I might try sending those papers over to some other hospitals with solid orthopedic departments too.