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

Drew Scott20 said:The vehicle is only disinfected if they've transported a patient with a confirmed or suspected infection—same goes for the PPE. It’s only worn if there's actual proof or suspicion of contagion.

I started feeling ill today—suspected a heart attack—so an ambulance arrived. They were wearing full protective gear and ran an EKG... honestly, I'm not sure if I have any reason to worry about pathogen exposure since I was inside the ambulance. Once I got back to my apartment, I sanitized everything properly and took a long shower.

Does anyone know if they're actually performing adenoma removal surgeries in Miami? I've been trying to get them on the phone, but I can't get through to anyone. I'm scheduled for this coming Monday.

Does anyone know how to reschedule an appointment if it was canceled? Can I just go through the regular process again using the same referral?
So, that’s exactly what I tried doing, but it’s been over a week now and I haven't heard a single peep back. I've sent three separate booking requests and nothing—total radio silence. How are you all handling rebooking your appointments?

Rebecca King said:Does anyone know how to reschedule canceled appointments through the normal channels using the same referral?
Anyway, I tried doing exactly that, but it's been over a week and I haven't heard back from a single email despite sending three different booking requests. How are you guys re-booking?

What actually needs to be re-ordered?
I honestly thought the hospital would just give me a call.

Megan Gonzalez4 said:So, what’s the move here? Should I rebook everything?
I honestly thought they were going to give me a call from the hospital.

In my case, they called about one of my tests to say it was canceled. When I asked if I needed to put myself back on the schedule, they just told me they'd reach out—and I haven't heard a peep since. As for my other appointment, nobody even bothered to notify me. I ended up calling them two days before the scheduled time, only to find out everything is being pushed back until this whole epidemic blows over. Then I'll just have to reschedule myself.

Rebecca King said:They told me one of my tests was being canceled. When I asked if I needed to reschedule, they just said they’d get back to me—still haven't heard a peep. As for the other test, nobody said anything at all. I ended up calling them two days before my appointment, only to find out everything is being pushed back until this whole epidemic blows over.

I honestly don't know.
My appointment was set for early April, and I'm still sitting here waiting for a call.
If I actually have to go through the whole scheduling process again, I'll be waiting months, which basically means I lost my original spot entirely.
I really hope they're keeping track of people whose appointments were bumped so we don't just fall through the cracks.

Hey there,

The last time I swung by the hospital for a checkup was back on March 16th, and at that point, you could still manage to see a specialist, even if the ENT department felt a little lonely with only a handful of us showing up,
it wasn't nearly as chaotic as usual, but now I’m looking at the Zadar hospital website and it says they’ve scaled back their appointments, so I'm wondering what the deal is if I get a referral from my
General Practitioner this coming Monday... what's the actual protocol? Am I supposed to call ahead to schedule an appointment, or can I just show up with the paperwork in hand? I'll probably give them a ring first, mostly because of this whole
COVID mess going on.

They didn't end up pushing anything back for me since I managed to squeeze in my last exam right before everything went sideways, but I've been dealing with this physical pain for a year now, so I still have some tests to
get through.

wanderingpanther68 said:Hey

The last time I was at the hospital for a checkup was March 16th. Back then, you could still get specialist appointments done, even if there were only a few of us in ENT.
It wasn't crowded like usual, but now I'm looking at the Zadar hospital website and it says they've cut back on certain visits. I'm wondering if I get a referral from my GP this Monday,
what the deal is... do I have to call ahead to schedule, or can I just show up with the paperwork? I guess I should probably call first, given the whole
COVID situation.

Nothing of mine got pushed back since I managed to squeeze in my last exam right before everything went sideways, but I've had this physical pain for a year, so I still need some tests
done.

You book with the referral just like you did before all this. I'd suggest phone, fax, or email. There's no point in driving over there just to wait in line and go through the whole hospital entry process if you can handle it from home.

Edward Mitchell50 said:I’d suggest just following the instructions provided, first and foremost. Honestly, I'd recommend giving them a call, sending a fax, or shooting over an email. There’s really no point in trekking all the way there just to sit in a waiting room and navigate the whole hospital intake procedure if you can get everything sorted from the comfort of your own home.

That’s exactly what I was thinking 👍 , though before things got so complicated, they used to occasionally just take you in right then and there—you’d just have to wait a couple of hours or so... back in November
they took me in immediately the first time I showed up, without me even calling ahead.

Yeah, I’ll give them a call, thanks! 😉

I am looking to transfer away from my current General Practitioner, so I approached a nurse working the opposite shift alongside the other doctor to see if I could join their practice instead. She turned me down, mentioning that I would need to submit some sort of formal statement, though she wouldn't clarify to whom. On top of that, she said I’d have to drive to a nearby city just to handle the paperwork. Neither she nor the other physician will take me on because both teams are already stretched far too thin with patients. Since we are in a rural area where everyone knows everyone, doctors tend to rotate through quite frequently.

She didn't specify who this statement needs to be presented to, or whether it must be submitted in writing. It seems likely that I will have to account for my decision to both my current GP and the one I hope to join.

But why on earth would I be required to carry physical documents to a different city? I feel far too weak to undertake such a trip right now.

I want to sever ties with him because he has made two significant errors regarding my care. During my last visit, I described symptoms of an illness—which would take far too long to list here—and out of sheer anxiety, I asked, "Doctor, could this perhaps be [this specific] condition?" To be clear, I wasn't making a definitive diagnosis; I was merely expressing a concern. Yet, the moment the words left my mouth, he flew into a complete rage.

He consistently belittles his other patients as well, snapping at them and dismissing them as mere hypochondriacs.

If anyone's looking for Mercury or Vuk Vrhovac—they’ve actually put up some waiting lists

We're trying to sort things out for a family member who had an appointment set for April, but the doctor called them and offered a new slot in July instead
As for the ophthalmologist, I think they can just book a regular appointment through the online portal

I have no clue if you should call them yourselves (not for cancellations, though). They used to call people to cancel or push dates back, so maybe they'll reach out here too, but who knows when

Regarding the Rib, I know for a fact they've been calling oncology patients to reschedule their appointments for later

Not sure where else to ask this

Has anyone actually tried PLASMA THERAPY for a knee injury? Like, has anyone here gone through it? I’m trying to figure out if it’s legit or just some expensive scam. Is it actually worth it?

I’ve got an appointment with the ENT this coming Tuesday, but I was wondering about ear swabs—I’ve honestly never had one done before. My General Practitioner mentioned she can't specifically request a swab on the referral, so does the specialist just decide whether to do it once I'm there? I’ve been dealing with this pain for way too long now, so I’d really love to get that checked out while I'm at it; what exactly is the standard procedure for that? I've been reading online that General Practitioners usually handle the referrals for swabs, but honestly, the constant itching is driving me insane, and I can't help but wonder what kind of bacteria was lurking under my fingernails, especially since none of those drops they prescribed actually did a thing. -.-

Does Neosporin require a prescription?

wanderingpanther68 Asks:
I have an appointment with the ENT specialist this Tuesday, but I'm a bit uncertain about how the ear swab process actually works since I've never dealt with it before. My doctor mentioned she can't specifically request the swab on the referral, so I suppose it’s entirely up to the specialist to decide if it's necessary once they see me. I've been dealing with this pain for far too long now, so I was really hoping to get that taken care of; I guess I'm just wondering what the actual procedure entails. I've read that some General Practitioners handle the swabs themselves, but honestly, between the constant itching and the frustration of previous treatments—where even prescribed drops failed to clear whatever bacteria was lurking under my nail—it feels like a never-ending cycle of hassle.

The specialist will likely recommend and perform the swab, and then you just take the referral from Medicare over to the lab.

Jason Diaz5 said:I suppose you might need a prescription for Neosporin, though I'm not entirely certain. It really depends on how your doctor feels about it, I guess.

It seems unlikely.

My husband went to Mercury for his initial consultation yesterday. The doctor wrote up a full list of recommended tests—EKG Holter, heart rate monitoring, stress testing, an echocardiogram, and a complete blood panel. However, he completely blanked on mentioning that his insurance provider had already authorized the D1 referral.

We submitted an online order over the weekend to schedule a slot for our recommended screenings.

I said this clearly: the order confirmation explicitly lists a specialist and sub-specialist examination, yet the service description itself just says "follow-up appointment."
Based on everything we've discussed, it seems they are sending him right back to the internal medicine clinic without even glancing at the specialist's recommendations or the specific tests ordered in his medical history. Is this just standard operating procedure where they'll eventually send him to get those tests done later that day, or did they completely ignore the instructions?

Hey there,

Does anyone know if I need to grab fresh referrals for my new appointments since the old ones expired? Since the previous dates were pushed back, my current paperwork is technically out of date (if I recall correctly, the red ones are only valid for three months?). It feels a bit silly to have everyone rushing back to their doctors just to get new referrals when we couldn't even use the first set during the timeframe they were actually good for.

Rebecca King said:Hey everyone,

Does anyone know if we need to get brand new referrals for appointments that got pushed back because the old ones expired? I thought the red ones were only good for three months? It feels a bit ridiculous that everyone would have to scramble for new paperwork just because the schedule shifted through no fault of our own.

They actually last six months, provided the order was placed within the window.
I just went in with some referrals that were four months old and they worked perfectly fine. Even my red lab referral went through without a hitch, despite being older than three months.

Megan Gonzalez4 said:They’re good for six months if the order was placed early enough.
I actually just went in with some referrals that were four months old, and they worked perfectly fine. Even my red lab slip was totally accepted, even though it was more than three months old.

Awesome! Thanks so much!

What’s the typical deal here with Medicare specialists when they refer you for surgery? Does the specific specialist who sends you over actually perform the procedure, or is it just whoever happens to be on call in the OR that day?
About ten years ago, I had an orthopedic procedure on my ankle, and it was the exact same doctor who did the work (over at the Brooklyn hospital). Now, I’m looking at some ENT stuff over at Rib, but I totally forgot to ask the doctor if he’ll be the one actually performing the surgery.