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

Thanks a million. I don't really need this thread anymore.

Sure, you can, but just make sure the referral doesn't list a specific city like San Diego—otherwise, you won't be able to use it in Chicago. Basically, just have them list the department you're heading to without mentioning a location, and you're all set. 👍

Actually, you can make this a whole lot simpler. If you're a student, you should have a campus physician assigned to you for routine checkups. Once you figure out which doctor handles your specific university, they can issue a referral for a specialist right there in the city where you live and study.

Alternatively, your primary care doctor can just write you a referral. It doesn't matter where their office is located; you take that paperwork and head straight to a specialist.

The third and most direct option—though a bit more extreme—is to head to the ER and have them issue the referral. You'll be seen quickly and handled efficiently.

Eric Wright29 said:Honestly, there’s a much more straightforward way to handle this. If you’re currently a student, you should technically have a designated campus physician—someone you can just drop in to see for routine checkups whenever you need them. Once you identify which doctor is assigned to your specific university, they can actually issue you a referral for a specialist right there in the city where you're studying. It saves so much hassle.

Exactly! It becomes a whole lot easier when you visit the campus doctor and they explain that they aren't responsible for issuing certain referrals because they don't have your full medical history on file. At that point, they'll usually just advise you to properly transfer your medical records to a provider in the city where you're attending school.
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I haven't run into this personally, but I know plenty of people who have dealt with exactly that kind of headache.

Does anyone happen to know how things are going to work now with these new e-prescriptions being rolled out? I saw on the news yesterday that they're starting to implement e-prescriptions on February 14, 2011. I guess... maybe there will be a transition period where both types are used at the same time? Like, will they still be accepting the paper ones for a while?

mistyjackal842 said:Does anyone have a clue how things are going to work now with these new e-prescriptions being rolled out? I saw on the news yesterday that they’re implementing electronic prescriptions starting February 14th, 2011. I'm wondering if both types will be used side-by-side during the transition period—you know, keeping the paper ones around too?

With actual prescriptions, it works by having them sent via email (or so my sister mentioned after talking to her doctor), provided you hand over your insurance card, so I suspect the process for referrals might be just as streamlined.

On a different note, I have a question: is it actually true that I can't see a dentist in one city if my residency is registered in another? I've got two teeth currently mid-treatment that are driving me absolutely crazy, and frankly, it’s both expensive and exhausting to commute all the way back to my hometown every single week. 😢

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Keith Nelson3 says: The way the prescriptions work is they just email them over—at least that’s what my sister mentioned after her doctor's visit—so you basically just show your insurance card. I assume it works the same way with referrals. My question is: is it actually true that I can't see a dentist in one city if my permanent address is in another? I have two teeth mid-treatment right now, and it's driving me crazy... plus, traveling back to my hometown every single week is just too expensive and honestly, a huge hassle. 😢>

I guess, in that situation, you might need to switch to a socialized dentist in your current city, because you can't be registered with two different providers under Medicare at the same time. But there's a catch—if you switch dentists, you might have to wait a full year before you can change again. And if you already switched less than a year ago, you're stuck for now. I don't think your official residence matters as much as that rule does. Maybe, though, the best bet would be to just call or drop by your local Medicare office and ask them directly.

You can only have one primary care doctor, one dentist, and one gynecologist; your place of residence doesn't actually matter.
Other specialists require a referral that specifies exactly which Medical Center you need to go to, and you can use those referrals anywhere in the US.

silverpuma542 said:Yeah, it’s honestly a lot easier when you go to a student clinic. They just tell you straight up that they aren't responsible for writing out prescriptions and that they don't have any record of your medical history. If you need a doctor where you're currently studying, they just tell you to transfer your medical files over properly.
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It didn't happen to me personally, but I know plenty of people it has happened to.

That isn't true! Besides, you can't just transfer a family medicine file over to school medicine—those are two completely different specialties.

Look, I told you exactly how I want this handled in my last message! Just follow the instructions I gave you.

mistyjackal842 said:Does anyone know how things are going to work now that they're rolling out these new e-prescriptions? I saw on the news yesterday that they're starting them on February 14th, 2011. Will both types be used at the same time initially—meaning paper ones will still be around?

E-prescriptions are already being used, but strictly for lab work within primary care centers.

As for specialist referrals, you'll just have to wait a little longer.

Do we still have to scan the referral just to email it in? 😲

I guess it’s necessary, honestly. They don't allow phone bookings anymore, which is probably exactly why they need to verify that referral. So, you either have to scan the referral and email it over, or just head down to the Medical Center with the paperwork in hand to get scheduled. Actually, I suppose a family member or even a friend could go to the hospital for you with your referral and insurance card to set everything up.

Anthony Mitchell15 said:I wonder, if anyone actually knows, is it still necessary to scan that referral and send it off via email, or have they finally updated their little digital systems to be more efficient? I guess it’s hard to say with how things move these days, but maybe we're still stuck in that loop. 😲

If you find yourself without a dedicated scanner, I suppose you could always attempt to take photos with your phone—provided, of course, that you happen to have a tripod handy, or perhaps just an exceptionally steady hand, though I wouldn't exactly bet the house on the latter.

Well, I went ahead and did it exactly that way, and somehow, against all odds, it actually worked. 🙂

How much is a primary care doctor actually required to give me a referral if I ask for one? Is there some kind of legal limit on how many referrals a patient can get, regardless of whether the doctor thinks my reasons are valid enough or not?

I could use some advice. I'm studying in Washington, D.C., but both my gynecologist and my primary care doctor are based in a different city. My gynecologist gave me a referral and mentioned I could get my bloodwork done right here in D.C., even though I was under the impression you had to go back to where your primary doctor is located. Has there been a change in how this works lately?

I need to get monitoring done for contraceptive use, along with a liver function test, a lipid panel, and a coagulation profile. Where would be the best place to handle all of this?

I guess you could try checking with your local Community Health Center, provided they actually have an on-site lab,

Casey Palmer5 said:I'm actually getting mine renewed at the Community Health Center in Brooklyn.

Hey, would you happen to know the office hours for that Community Health Center in Brooklyn? I need to head over there to get my ID card renewed.😁

I reached out to the Jonas Salk Community Health Center over on Main Street today because I need to get my food handler's permit sorted for some work involving SC-related gigs—mostly food service, tastings, and promotional events. They informed me that the whole process essentially boils down to providing a stool sample, which can't be more than 24 hours old, and dropping it off at their labs on a weekday between 8:00 and 11:00 AM. That’s pretty much the extent of the physical exam requirements. As for the cost, the permit itself will run you $58, and once everything is processed, you should have it in hand within four to five days. You can pick up the necessary collection container at any local pharmacy. There you go.

Does anyone happen to know what the waiting list looks like for surgery in Washington, D.C. for chest wall deformities??
Any info would be great!

I ended up paying a deposit for my meds since they won't release them without a prescription—and I didn't have one on hand. They told me I need to bring the script in by Wednesday morning (three business days)...

What happens if I can't track down that prescription in time? Any actual fallout for me or the pharmacy?

P.S. Is it possible to get a script from the ER? It's a five-day course, and I read somewhere that the ER only covers stuff you take for three days or less, or something like that... 😕