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

I guess you should probably head down to your local Medicare office to ask about that specific form. Anyway, have a safe trip to Iceland and stay healthy!

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Help

Where can I get tested for the John Cunningham JCV virus? They aren't performing tests at rebro, the local infectious disease clinic, or the Breyer clinic.

I need to know where to go ASAP. Thanks in advance.

Help me out

Does anyone know where I can get tested for the John Cunningham JCV virus? They aren't performing the tests at rebro, the local infectious disease center, or the Breyer clinic.

I need to find a location urgently. Thanks in advance.

Maybe at the Pfizer lab on Rockefeller... right above the infectious disease unit?

Laura Price77 said:Maybe at the Pfizer facility on Rockefeller, above the infectious disease ward?

Thanks, I actually went there and they aren't running those tests either.

I heard a rumor yesterday—not sure if it's legit—that they handle this at the hospital, where they draw your blood and ship it off to Denmark. Are our local testing kits just not up to par for this? Because the people at the hospital just sent me on a wild goose chase to find someone who actually does it.🙂🙂

I have a follow-up appointment there next week, so I'll check again.🙂

Elizabeth Brown90 said:Does anyone know the typical wait time for a color Doppler, and which hospitals actually perform this scan?

I am not sure where you are located, but if you are looking in places like Savannah, Des Moines, a small town, USA, or Madison, expect a wait of four to eight months. Since the doctors are still on strike, they aren't taking new orders—or if they are, they won't see you until the second half of next year.

Your best bet is to go to Quest Diagnostics. You can get seen in just a few days. The only catch is that you'll have to pay roughly $183 out of pocket, as they don't accept Medicare referrals.

neontrucker12 said:Help

Does anyone know where I can actually get tested for that John Cunningham virus JCV? The specialists at Mayo Clinic, the local infectious disease center, and even over at the Breyer clinic told me they don't handle it.

I really need to find out where to go ASAP, thanks in advance.

Man, what did those neurologists at Mayo who deal with MS end up telling you?

Edward James71 said:I don't know exactly where you're located, but if you're hanging around Savannah, Des Moines, some small town, USA, or Madison, you're looking at a 4 to 8-month wait. Since those doctors are still basically on strike, they aren't taking new orders, or if they do, you won't be seen until the second half of next year...

Honestly, your best bet is just heading over to Quest Diagnostics. You can usually get an appointment within a few days! The only real catch is that you have to shell out about $183 because they won't accept your Medicare paperwork!!!

I'm from the city, I forgot to mention

it’s actually pretty terrible—waiting a whole year just for one single test😢
so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that all the private clinics, like Quest Diagnostics, Sun, and the rest, are always absolutely packed...

Elizabeth Brown90 said:I'm from a major metro area, and I forgot to mention

It is frankly appalling that a single diagnostic test can require a year-long wait.😢
One shouldn't be surprised that private facilities like Quest Diagnostics, Sun, and others are perpetually overcrowded.

For instance, I scheduled a Color Doppler ultrasound for my carotid arteries back on June 9, 2013, at a hospital in Savannah, and my appointment wasn't set until October 31, 2013—which was supposedly the fastest option available at the time. Naturally, I didn't even go through with it, because when I asked if I could proceed, the clerk simply replied: "Just leave your phone number and we'll call you for a new date once the strike is over."

Essentially, the logic follows this pattern: if the strike ends within two months, just tack those extra days onto your existing appointment.

So, I am left expecting a new date sometime in late December or early 2014.

Stay healthy; try not to get sick, because it seems no one will actually examine you.

Meanwhile, Secretary Ostojić continues his rhetoric, lying to the public by claiming that waiting lists are shrinking and that only a negligible percentage of doctors are striking. It is enough to make one lose their appetite...

It’s not just what you’re saying, though. I think mortality rates actually go up during these strikes, especially over at the Mayo Clinic. There, patients and their families are just sitting there on the wards, waiting right alongside the metal coffins. I remember one time, back when my mom was still healthy enough to run around, I was following behind a casket being wheeled into the nephrology unit where she was staying. It felt like they were stripping away every ounce of human dignity from her during her treatment. The atmosphere was just... incredibly morbid and heavy. It felt less like a hospital meant to help people get better and live their lives, and more like a morgue—just a place for dying.

I haven't seen coffins being moved around other hospitals in Washington, D.C. I assume they handle things differently there, maybe in a way that's actually more humane.

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velvetmoose9 said:So, what did those neurologists at the Mayo Clinic who specialize in MS tell you?

They’re just sending me all over the place for testing. It's like they don't even have the kits on hand to do it right there.🙂

Is there a strike happening over at the Mayo Clinic? Or does it just depend on which doctor you're seeing?
I've been waiting about ten days now for my appointment with the neurosurgeon, and since I've been waiting for such an incredibly long time already, I can't help but wonder if this strike might finally wrap up soon so I can actually get my exam done.

bluecrane16 said:Are they striking at the Mayo Clinic? Or does it just depend on which doctor you see?
I’ve got a neurosurgeon appointment lined up in about ten days. I've been waiting ages for this slot. I kept hoping the strike would wrap up soon so I could finally get seen.

Not sure myself. I had a neurology appointment scheduled at the Mayo Clinic for October 17th. I called a few days ahead to check, and the nurse told me everything was running as usual. Best to call and verify before you head out.

Can anyone tell me for sure how long these referrals actually last now? My dentist just handed me one for an oral surgeon, and I know they used to be good for a month, but I'm not sure if anything shifted with that new Law... thanks in advance

If there's a date, you get a month. If not... you get nothing. 🙂

For some reason, they don't bother putting a date on my payment slips. Honestly? Thank goodness. 😁

Sandra Brooks91 said:If there is a date listed, then you have a month to use it; if not... you have nothing. 🙂

As for me, I always receive my referrals without any specific date or deadline attached. Apparently, they're valid indefinitely...

My dentist always makes sure to include the date on my referrals, which can actually be a bit of a headache. You have to go back and get the referral extended if those thirty days pass. My primary care doctor usually doesn't bother with the date, so I ended up using a referral a whole year later once. Even then, I still had to circle back to my doctor because they rolled out some new billing codes that they started adding directly to the paperwork.

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Are they just throwing donuts at us or what?

I need to see a urologist—what's the drill for booking an appointment? Do I just call my primary doctor to get a referral and then hit up a hospital to schedule something, or how does it work?
Or is that whole process totally stalled because of the strikes?