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

Melissa Phillips4 said:It’s completely legal; honestly, it doesn't even matter when the check-up happened if they didn't have supplemental insurance.

Thanks!

How does one go about switching doctors? And I don't mean just swapping out a primary care physician through an insurance provider—I'm talking about an oncologist. Is it actually possible for a patient to request a different specialist if there's been a breakdown in the doctor-patient relationship? I mean, if things have become so strained that further treatment is basically impossible, can you really make that move?
What’s the actual procedure for this? Do you file the request with the hospital system where the treatment is happening, or do you have to deal with Medicare?

Does anyone know if I can request a refill if I still have about 10 days' worth of pills left?
I'm heading out to a rural area where there won't be any pharmacies nearby, and I'd really rather not make a massive trek right in the middle of summer.
This is for a therapy I've been on for months now.

silentskipper3 said:How do you switch doctors? Not the primary care physician, but the oncologist. Can a patient request a different one if the relationship has broken down to the point where treatment can't proceed?
What’s the procedure? Do you contact the hospital providing the care or Medicare?

Try asking your primary doctor for a new referral for an initial consultation; they might be able to code it as a "second opinion," though I'm not entirely certain about that part. From there, you could book with another specialist at the same facility or pick a completely different one. I didn't quite catch your last question.

Megan Gonzalez4 said:Does anyone know if I can request a prescription refill if I still have a 10-day supply left?
I'm heading out to a rural area without a pharmacy, and I'd rather not travel in the middle of summer.
This is for a therapy I've been on for months.

Of course you can. If they ask why, just tell them.

Chris Miller said:Maybe try asking your primary care doctor for a new referral for an initial consultation. They might be able to code it as a "second opinion," though I can't say for sure if that works. That way, you could schedule with a different specialist at the same facility or even pick a completely different hospital system. Also, I didn't quite catch your last question.

Of course you can. If they ask why you want a change, just tell them the truth.

We were thinking we might need to file a formal grievance and a request to switch doctors within the hospital where the treatment is currently being handled.
thanks for the reply

Chris Miller, thanks for getting back to me.
I'll explain if anyone asks.

Are visits allowed at the Mayo Clinic?
I haven't been able to find anything on their official website regarding any restrictions, and when I try searching on Google, I just keep running into news stories from last year, so I can't tell if those bans are still in effect or not.

My doctor is out on vacation right now, and I ended up getting food poisoning—so I definitely need to get some sick leave sorted out.

There's no coverage info available—honestly, I have no clue who is covering her shifts and I can't find any details online.

Can she just write me a note for two weeks once she gets back from her trip?

Does anyone happen to know the process for requesting a reimbursement for therapy that couldn't be done through insurance because there were zero openings available under Medicare, leaving private care as the only option?
This specific facility is the only one in the US offering this type of treatment, and we were specifically referred there by our specialist.

Do I need to draft a formal appeal? Or is there some kind of standard template I should use? I realize I'll need to attach all the necessary documentation.
Should I go ahead and request travel expense reimbursement right away, or is that usually just assumed to be part of the claim?

Can someone give me an idea how long the waitlist is for a brain MRI at a general hospital?

Can someone please give me an answer.

I have an ENT checkup scheduled at the outpatient clinic for October 18th, and since I haven't been vaccinated, I've noticed some talk about updated requirements where patients might need to
provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result?

C/P

Actually, you don't need COVID-19 certificates or any other kind of documentation if you're just visiting the hospital for a consultation or if you're utilizing
primary care services, like those provided at local community health centers or neighborhood clinics.

Got it, everything is clear—just ignore me.

Does anyone know if I have to go through triage again if I have two different appointments in separate buildings at the Mayo Clinic? If I finish up at the first building, can I just head straight into the second one? My schedule is incredibly tight and I'm worried that having to redo the whole triage process before the second appointment will make me late.

dustybison58 said:Does anyone happen to know if I have two different appointments scheduled in separate buildings at the main hospital, will I need to go through triage again before entering the second one, or can I just head straight in after finishing up at the first building? My schedule is looking a bit tight with these back-to-back visits, so I'm just worried about running out of time if I have to restart the whole process...

When I was visiting the main hospital on Petrov, I found out that if you're moving from one building to another, you should just ask for a little slip of paper once you're done so you can show it when you enter the next building...

Sarah Morgan53 said:Can someone please give me an answer here?

I'm not entirely certain, but I suppose general hospitals are definitely much faster than the Mayo Clinic—they have more capacity. It really depends on the diagnosis, too; some specific conditions seem to get priority over others. Also, pregnant women and people with multiple underlying issues usually get moved up the line.

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How old do you have to be to see an anesthesiologist?
Is being 3 weeks postpartum too early?

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For everything else—aside from coagulation (specifically looking at INR)—it isn't.

Because of COVID-19, they actually pushed my surgery back by two months. Then, on the day of the procedure, they were pulling my blood work again because the anesthesiologist insisted the previous results were outdated.

Do I actually need a negative COVID-19 test for a "minor surgical procedure" at the Vinogradski clinic? Will they even perform it if I don't have one handy?

I've been calling them all day long and nobody is picking up, and even my primary care doctor isn't sure about their policy.