The only thing I don't get is why general practitioners haven't organized their schedules better. Like, why not set aside 8:00 to 9:00 AM just for blood draws? They could block off appointments during that window unless it's an actual emergency. 🤷 That would solve two problems at once: it cuts down on the crowds, and it stops nurses from having to juggle a hundred different tasks at the exact same time.
Honestly, I've been losing my mind for two days straight because I keep calling the clinic and nobody picks up the phone. I swear, these digital prescriptions are such a joke when I end up having to drive all the way down there in person just to tell them I need my script.
Scott Allen10 said:Look, I’m not saying I’m 100% right—honestly, I might be totally off base here—but I figured I’d jump back into the conversation because, from where I'm sitting, the answer is... well... it's pretty multi-layered. I kind of cringed a little thinking about those laboratory loopholes, but here’s my take:
- Local clinic labs can really only run the specific tests they have contracts for under Medicare (primary care). We're talking basic stuff like a CBC, standard biochemistry, some clotting factors, and things like that which are covered by basic insurance. There might be a few extras where you have to chip in a small co-pay, like a CRP or a lipid panel. Basically, the Social Security Administration covers the basics plus a few extras if you pay the difference. So, you swing by your doctor because you've got a cough and a fever, they order a CBC and a CRP, you get the results the same day, and everything stays within the realm of primary care. - Depending on their equipment, those same clinics could definitely run more advanced tests, but you'd likely be footing the full bill for those. It would go something like this: you show up feeling under the weather, the doctor says, "Okay, let's do a CBC and a CRP... we probably should check your PCT too, but you'd usually need to head to a hospital for that. However, if you want our lab to do it right now, you'll have to pay out of pocket at the full rate." - A clinic lab might be capable of handling complex testing, but since those aren't part of their official contract with the Social Security Administration, the government isn't picking up the tab, so you're paying the whole thing.
- Now, a big hospital lab generally won't bother with that basic stuff mentioned above. They won't, mainly because there's no way for them to bill for it if the patient isn't actually an inpatient or seeing a specialist there—they just showed up with a referral for basic bloodwork. Plus, as far as I know, most primary care software doesn't even allow a family doctor to send a referral for basic routine labs directly to a hospital lab anyway. - On the flip side, a hospital lab will happily draw blood for any tests requested via an internal referral by a specialist working within the hospital. For instance, if someone goes in to see an internist and that specialist orders certain tests as part of the exam—doesn't matter if it's basic or advanced—they can do it all. - Hospital labs also handle anything covered by the Social Security Administration for tertiary care that a primary doctor requests through a specialist referral. So, if a specialist tells you to get some tumor markers or immunology tests done before your next follow-up, you get that referral from your doctor, go to the hospital lab, and they run everything you need... though you might end up with a bit of a co-pay.
Man, look at these sentences... I can barely even make sense of what I'm trying to say myself...😍...
Jack, that's how it works in my town. Now, I just want to know: am I forced to get my basic bloodwork done at my own primary care office, or can I just head over to the main community health center and get it done there?
Man, they really screwed the pooch with this one. I remember when every local clinic used to do blood draws every single day; a few designated spots handled it and it worked perfectly. Then someone had the "brilliant" idea that it would be better to centralize everything, so they moved it all to one main hub, and now they've made it even more of a headache where every individual office tries to draw blood and ship it off... They're complicating things for no reason.
slywolf45 said:Typically, you'd just go through your primary care doctor. Unless there’s some absolute emergency after hours, in which case we send everything down to the main diagnostic lab.
You missed my point entirely. 🙂
Up until now, there were basically two places to get blood drawn—either at the local community health center (for stuff like CBCs, electrolytes, glucose, urine tests, etc.) or at the hospital (for everything else that doesn't fall under that basic category).
What I'm actually asking is whether I have a choice now. Can I decide to go to the main community health center to get it done, or am I strictly forced to go through my own primary care doctor? I remember hearing some talk about having options—like choosing between the general practice clinic or the place where we used to go.
As for the hospital, I assume that hasn't changed and people still go there for those specific tests.
Did I get this right? Can you still get bloodwork done at the main community health centers? Or are you strictly forced to go through your primary care physician now?
Brandon Hayes4 said:So, I’m looking for some insight here—does anyone have experience dealing with this? It’s like every single morning I wake up and my eyelids are puffy, my under-eyes are swollen, and my hands and feet feel like they’ve ballooned up too. It doesn't matter what I ate the night before or when I finally crashed for the night... it just happens. Always. Sometimes it’s a little more intense, sometimes it’s a bit milder, but it's a constant 🤷... basically, if anyone has gone through this or has any theories, please weigh in. I’d really appreciate it
Does the swelling go down during the day?
It might be a good idea to get your kidneys checked out. 🤷
I’d help you out if I could, but I’m not from NYC, so I have no clue what the local procedures look like or which doctors around there are actually any good. 🙂
Melissa Martinez5 said:I have a referral for an endocrinologist. So I was hoping someone could recommend a good one here in Washington, D.C. Do you need an appointment, and how long is the wait?
Maybe ask on the topic of shield; you'll probably get a much faster answer there. 🙂
Look, specifically regarding my last post, it wasn't even aimed at you. It was about some other girl because you didn't keep the conversation going on that topic. So now you're sitting there feeling slighted for no reason, but honestly, what am I supposed to do about that?
Alright, looks like my colleague's warning didn't mean much to you people. Fine. Let’s try this instead: any further posts about tea on this thread will result in an immediate ban.
Gregory Anderson5 said:Whatever. I’m not exactly the type to sit around moping. 😁
Look, you can't have it both ways. You can't demand that people get punished and then turn around and whine about how the mods aren't doing their jobs. Pick a side.
I scan through all my PDF threads pretty regularly, but I’ll admit, things still slip past me sometimes. The people actually active in a thread usually have a much better pulse on when someone is just being a troll or trying to start drama. That's why I really appreciate it when someone takes the time to report a post. It actually helps. 🙂
To be honest, Spasmex and those other antispasmodics aren't going to kill the pain entirely. They just relax the muscles and cut down on the cramping. I always pair them with an actual painkiller—usually Advil.
Then again, it probably just comes down to the individual. For some people, an Advil does the trick, while someone else could be swallowing Voltaren and still feeling everything.
stormycanyon18, I’m really sorry to hear about what happened. 🙂 You're absolutely right—when you're dealing with a situation like the one your colleague went through, there's zero downside to seeking out a second, third, or even fifth opinion if that's what it takes.
Spasmex worked for me. 🤷 It probably comes down to the individual; everyone’s got to find their own specific combination that actually does the trick.
Take me, for example. I can't touch Craving even if I wanted to. If I drink it, my stomach starts acting up so violently that I'd honestly rather just deal with the pain from drinking too much of something else than face those gastric cramps.
Amanda Booth20 said:Yeah, I honestly don't get how they could even say that to me now, 😢 or why my primary care doctor hasn't referred me anywhere else when my sedimentation levels have been high by default for years. 😢 Am I just supposed to sit around and wait for some autoimmune disease to finally show its face? 😢 I don't get it. 😢
Did you get cervical swabs done?
High sedimentation doesn't automatically mean you have an autoimmune disease. Based on that being one of the parameters used for diagnosis, I'd say I'm healthy.
Sedimentation just means there’s some kind of focal point of inflammation somewhere, and you need to find out where. For instance, you could have a bacterial infection in your sinuses causing the elevation.