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

Gregory Rogers20 said:Yeah, my mom set up supplemental insurance for me, herself, and my husband. I suppose it works the same way for students now...

Sending love! 🙂

Can someone help me out with some info,
how many days does it usually take to get the results back for the EKG and urine tests? Also, regarding the blood type... and how many days before tonsil surgery can I actually go get those done? One of my surgical recommendation forms says they can't be more than 15 days old? I'm just a little confused about what date counts—is it when the results are ready or the actual day the tests were performed?
Thanks so much

Is the urine test just part of the standard screening they do alongside blood work? If so, both the CBC and the urinalysis usually come back on the same day for me. They draw everything in the morning, and by after 6 PM, you can check the results online—at least that’s how it works at my local community health center here in Washington, D.C., but I haven't been to any other clinics so I wouldn't know how they handle things elsewhere.

As for RH, I don't have a clue what the levels should be; I've never had that tested before.

hiddensailor192 said:Can someone please give me some info,
how many days until the EKG and urine test results are ready? And for the blood type... how many days before tonsil surgery can I get those done? One of my surgical recommendation forms says they can't be older than 15 days. I'm confused about what date actually counts—is it when the results are officially released or the actual day the tests were performed?
I appreciate the help.

The same day. You'll have them in about two hours.

Thanks for getting back to me🙂

steelowl said:Is there any way someone else (like my mom or dad) could take my enrollment verification to renew my supplemental insurance for this year? I have the proof of enrollment handy, even if it’s from about a month ago—do you think they'd accept it? I'm in a bit of a rush because I won't be a student much longer, and I really don't want to deal with the headache of trying to sort this out all the way from northern Alaska if someone else can just handle it for me.

Greetings from Finland. 😬

Keep in mind, once you lose your student status, that supplemental coverage might expire too..
You should check out this thread and ask there; there's a user named Zikomid from Medicare who is an expert at answering these kinds of questions..

Any idea what the wait times look like for a CT scan or an EEG? Looking around the Seattle or Washington, D.C. area.
Just trying to figure out which city I should be asking for a referral in.

You're looking for a referral anyway, whether it's a blank one or specifically for a certain facility, so just find a blank one, get it ordered, and go whenever you can snag an earlier appointment.

So, I need to get some bloodwork done—specifically checking my thyroid hormones (TSH, T4)—since I’ve got an appointment this Friday. My doctor outside of Washington, D.C. gave me the referral, but since the appointment is in town, I really should just head to a lab here in Washington, D.C., though I'm honestly not quite sure where the best spot would be. 🤷

I was thinking about heading over to Vinogradska Hospital tomorrow, but does anyone know if I can just walk into the diagnostic lab there, or do I specifically need to find an endocrinology lab? And more importantly, do I need to make an appointment beforehand? Also, if anyone knows a place a bit closer to the Knežija area, please let me know!

Hey there!

Quick question if anyone knows 🙂
So, I heard that if a hospital can't handle a procedure within an urgent timeframe (no matter how short that window is supposed to be), you can actually get reimbursed for what you paid at a private clinic instead. Does anyone know if that’s actually legit?
Here’s the deal: A few weeks ago, I had an orthopedic checkup on my knee. The specialist wrote that I need an urgent MRI. I took that referral, along with my X-rays, straight to the Mayo Clinic. Well, I just got a letter from them saying my appointment date isn't until June 10th.
The problem is, I have to limp around on crutches for four months until then. Since I'm a student, that means four more months of pure misery—which makes zero sense if they've labeled this an "urgent" case.
Someone suggested I just go to a private clinic, pay out of pocket for the $667 MRI, get it done the same day, and then file a claim with the government (Medicare or whoever) to get my money back since the Mayo Clinic couldn't fit me in urgently.
Some people are telling me that the law actually supports this, but I can't find anything written down anywhere. Has anyone dealt with something similar, or does anyone have better info on how this works?
THANKS 🙂

shadowjackal12 said:I need to get some bloodwork done—specifically my thyroid hormones (TSH and T4)—because I have an appointment coming up this Friday. My doctor, who isn't based here in Washington, D.C., gave me the referral, so now I’m looking to find a lab right here in the city to get it over with. Does anyone know a good spot around town where I can go? 🤷

I was planning on heading over to Vinogradska Hospital tomorrow, so does anyone know if I can just walk in for lab diagnostics, or do I absolutely have to go to the endocrinology lab specifically? Also, do I need to make an appointment? Ideally, I'd love to find somewhere a bit closer since I'm staying over by Knežija.

Just so you know, if you're looking to get those hormone tests done, you can't just walk in. You absolutely have to book an appointment in advance.
You can try heading over to St. Spirit Hospital. Their lab is located right downstairs in the basement, straight ahead from the main entrance.
Vinogradska Hospital – first floor, right across from the Emergency Room.
...or at the Cancer Clinic over on Broadway.

Does anyone happen to know what the deadline is for submitting travel expense reports? I’ve been scouring the internet, but I haven't been able to find anything useful...
I actually have one outstanding report from the year before last—it somehow got buried under a mountain of paperwork in my room, and I completely lost track of it. I only managed to dig it up the other day...

Does anyone know which number I should call at Medicare to check which general practitioners are currently accepting new patients? This is kind of urgent!

If I have a referral from a gynecologist in Washington, D.C., can I take it to a lab in San Francisco or Seattle for tests—like STI screenings or thyroid hormone panels?
The referral doesn't specify a particular facility.

Exactly.

restlessbadger2 said:Which number at Medicare should I call to check which general practitioner is accepting new patients? Please, this is urgent!

You didn't mention which city you're looking in.😁

If you're in Washington, D.C., here are the links for the provider lists. You can call based on where you live or just try every option until you find an available doctor.

http://www.medicare.gov/provider-search

Which hospital in Washington, D.C. would be able to perform both of these tests:

copper in a 24-hour urine sample and
blood ceruloplasmin?

Olivia Anderson10 said:Which hospital in Washington, D.C. can I get both tests done:

24-hour urine copper and
blood ceruloplasmin?

Vinogradska Hospital, Rebro.

Vinogradska Hospital doesn't run copper tests, and Fran Mihaljević doesn't do ceruloplasmin—at least, that's what I found out when I checked.
Since I don't actually live here in Washington, D.C., it would probably be a lot easier if I could just get everything done at a single hospital instead of bouncing between two different places, especially since I'm not exactly great at navigating my way around the city.
I still need to check my rib.

Olivia Anderson10 said:Vinogradska Hospital doesn't test for copper, and Fran Mihaljević doesn't run ceruloplasmin—at least, that's what I found out when I checked.
Since I'm not from Washington, D.C., it would be way easier if I could just get everything done at one hospital instead of running back and forth between two places. I honestly don't know my way around the city very well.
I need to get my rib checked.

Definitely check the rib.