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

Does anyone happen to know which facility might be able to schedule an MRI relatively quickly using a Medicare referral? I'm hoping to get it done within a month or so.
Thanks.

Sean Barrett35 said:Does anyone know of a facility where you can get an MRI done relatively quickly using a Medicare referral? Like, within a month?
thanks for trying

I'm not entirely sure if it happens within a month, but they're actually pretty quick at the hospital in El Paso.

I have a question of my own...
My boyfriend is having surgery in a few days (it's for his spine, under general anesthesia) over in Washington, D.C. at Rib, and I was just wondering what the protocol is for getting updates once the surgery is finished? Am I allowed to wait somewhere nearby while the operation is actually happening? I'm just not sure what the standard procedures or rules are in these kinds of situations.

It might be best to just ask for that information in the morning on the day you're admitted😉

wearysailor3 said:I'm not entirely sure if it's within a month, but they tend to be pretty quick at the hospital in El Paso.

I have a question of my own...
In a few days, my boyfriend is heading in for surgery—it's for his spine, under general anesthesia—at the major hospital in Washington, D.C., specifically at the Rib, and I was just wondering what the typical procedure is regarding getting updates right after everything is finished? Am I allowed to wait somewhere while the surgery is actually happening? I honestly have no idea what the standard protocols or rules are for situations like this.

You can definitely wait there. Maybe ask a nurse to let you know once the operation is done, and see if they'll let you speak with the surgeon or if they might allow you to step into the room for just a few minutes once he's been moved back.
It might also be a good idea to get a rough estimate of how long the surgery takes, just so you aren't stuck waiting there for six hours.

Sean Barrett35 said:Does anyone know of a facility where I can get an MRI done relatively quickly using a Medicare referral? Ideally within a month...
Thanks

Maybe try checking with Quest Diagnostics

Sorry if I’m totally off-topic here.

So, I graduated college just under four months ago and officially opted out of my student health coverage, and I actually landed a job in the meantime too. By all logic, I shouldn't have any supplemental coverage anymore, right? But weirdly enough, I haven't had to pay any copays for the two doctor visits I've had since then. The second time around, I even went out of my way to tell them, "Hey, I don't have supplemental insurance anymore," but after they poked around on their computer for a bit, they told me I was still exempt from the copay. Does anyone know if I'm still covered because of my recent graduation/new job status, or did I maybe just forget to unregister somewhere? I really don't want the folks at Medicare to come knocking in a few months saying I owe them all this money, especially if they start tacking on interest.

You might have better luck asking in this thread

So, I was scheduled at Rib for my rib for spine surgery back on November 27th. I went ahead and did all the tests they asked for, and then I gave them a call to see when I should head up there. They told me, "Just call us back on November 30th."
I called on the 30th, and suddenly they’re telling me to call back on December 2nd.
Then I call on the 2nd, and this woman tells me to just have my bag packed and ready, because she'll call me whenever a slot opens up. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a month—who knows.

Honestly, I don't know how I'm supposed to explain this mess to my boss. I already cleared everything so that I wouldn't be working starting on the 26th, and now these people keep pushing the date back.

I really wanted to ask—is it normal for them to give you a concrete appointment for a procedure, only to toss you around like you're some kind of idiot afterward?

Yeah.
Why not just stop calling and showing up every other day to be a nuisance?

Hey

I got my referral for an exam about six months ago and went straight to the hospital’s central scheduling office. They gave me an appointment for six months out and handed me some printed confirmation. Basically, do I need to get a new referral, or am I good to go with the one I already have?

Officially, A1, A2, A3, and A4 are valid for 180 days from the order date.
As for C1, C3, D1, and D2, those are good for 365 days.
But I suppose it isn't really your fault that they categorized them this way without mentioning it to you.
Maybe try sending an inquiry to the email address listed on your order confirmation, then just wait for their response and hang onto that email, just in case any kind of bill shows up at your door.

mistywolf15 said:Hi

About six months ago, I got a referral for an exam and went straight to the hospital's central scheduling department. They gave me an appointment for six months from now and handed me some printed confirmation. Basically, do I need to get a new referral, or can I just go with the one I already have?

My doctor told me that if the referral is already on file, it’s still good. When I went to the hospital, nobody even asked about it.
But maybe double-check just to be safe.

Quick update

Stopped by my primary care doctor today since my appointment is tomorrow and I couldn't get anyone to pick up the phone. Of course, I rolled in just a minute after they closed. Turns out my referral is only valid for six months and I need a new one. I won't even get into the insults and sheer rudeness the nurse threw at me. She was clearly halfway out the door already. Honestly, I don't know what I did to deserve being treated like that, especially by a healthcare professional.

Fun fact: when I booked the appointment, nobody bothered to mention I’d need a new referral, even though the dates clearly showed the old one wouldn't cover it. Not that the doctor mentioned it either while handing me the paperwork, despite knowing how long the waitlist for this specific procedure is. To top it off, the clinic called me two weeks ago just to remind me about the appointment, and naturally, they said nothing about the referral status.

Now I'm just hoping everything goes smoothly so I don't have to deal with any more of the absolute nonsense in our healthcare system. 🙂

Does anyone know which clinics take red referrals for a brain MRI? Thanks!

So, here’s my dilemma: my physiatrist prescribed a treatment plan for both my lumbar sciatica and some heel pain. The issue is that my primary care doctor only gave me one referral covering both diagnoses, but over at the Božidarevićev clinic, they’re telling me I need a separate referral for each specific diagnosis to get physical therapy covered.
Who’s actually right here?!

Just another genius trying to fix sciatica with endless physical therapy without even bothering to ask *why* the sciatica started in the first place?
In my case, they just kept shuffling me from one treatment to another until I finally bit the bullet and paid out of pocket for an MRI. Once those results actually hit my hands, then—and only then—did they finally start acting like they knew what they were doing.

If you’re dealing with something serious, don't let them brush you off—insist on getting an MRI.

I spent most of my life living abroad, so even though I’m an American citizen with residency here in the States, I’ve never actually had a Medicare card.
Now that I’ve enrolled in college here in the US, I need to know how I go about getting my Medicare coverage set up. Also, is it going to be a massive headache or cause any issues because I didn't have one previously?

Lisa Barrett22 said:I think there are condoms made from some other material that doesn't cause allergies like latex does. I can't remember what that other stuff is called, maybe someone here knows and could let me know? By the way, I'm allergic to condoms, so that info would be super helpful.

Polyurethane.

I have a question regarding sick leave pay stubs and the privacy issues that come with them. How much information can actually be gleaned from those documents? Specifically, I’m scheduled for some gynecological surgery soon. What exactly will be listed on the paperwork? I know my gynecologist has to issue and sign off on them, but will they just simply circle "illness," or will it be explicitly clear that I had surgery?
Thanks.

Benjamin Booth2 said:I’ve spent most of my life living abroad, so even though I'm an American citizen with residency here, I've never actually had a Medicare card.
Now that I've enrolled in college here in the States, I'm wondering how I go about getting my Medicare coverage set up. Also, do you think they'll give me any grief because I haven't had it before?

Your best bet is to read through the actual law to see what qualifies you for coverage, or just give Medicare a call and ask them directly.