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

Hey everyone, I have two quick questions if anyone happens to know the answer. I have a referral for T3, T4, and TSH testing issued on December 7, 2016—does that still hold up? I was reading online that under the new rules, referrals are only valid for 90 days. Second question: can I just walk into the Mayo Clinic in Washington, D.C. and get this done without an appointment?

Laura Stewart34 said:Hi everyone, I have two questions if anyone can help. I have a referral for T3, T4, and TSH testing issued on December 7th, 2016. I’m wondering if it is still valid, because I read online that under the new rules, referrals are only good for 90 days. My second question is whether I can just walk into the Mayo Clinic without an appointment to get this done.

The referral is still valid, though you will need to schedule an appointment if it is your first time having those specific tests performed at their facility.

Does an e-manual issued back on October 24th of last year still hold any weight if I haven't even managed to book an appointment yet?

I’d say three months is the window you should be looking at to secure an appointment..

One really ought to finalize the order within a three-month window. Of course, there is also the separate matter of deciding on the specific date for when that order should actually be placed. 😁

Don't we need to get the order in within a month?

Grace Davis77 said:The referral is valid—but if they haven't run those specific tests there before, you’ll definitely need to schedule an appointment first.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Maria Fowler15 said:don't you have to schedule an appointment within a month?

That used to be the case, I suppose.
Nowadays, you actually have 90 days from when the e-manual is issued.

I'm jumping into this existing thread because I really don't feel like starting a whole new one.
Today, I finally got my referral for blood work. But since my doctor moved, they sent me to a clinic nearby instead. Apparently, the Community Health Center won't pull my blood anymore since I'm no longer officially under their care. So, does anyone actually know what this referral means for me now?
Am I going to have to pay out of pocket for this blood draw, or is it covered?
This might sound like a stupid question, but I honestly have no clue. I’ve only ever had blood drawn once before, and back then it was just at the Community Health Center where my doctor was located. Now, I'm completely lost on how this works.
If I am stuck footing the bill, I'd at least like to avoid running all over town to get it done. Any info would be appreciated. 🙂

Is it actually true that under my Medicare coverage I have the right to request a second opinion? Specifically—if I’ve already seen one specialist, can I just ask my primary care doctor for a referral to someone else for a second look, or are they required to give me one if I ask?

An A4 referral for a second opinion.
I suppose I'm not entirely certain if the doctor is strictly obligated to provide one; it seems more likely that if they decide a second perspective is necessary, you'll receive it.
That said, if you haven't had any issues with your physician thus far, I don't see much reason why they wouldn't just issue the referral.
P.s. Just so you know, the window to fulfill the order is 90 days from when the referral is issued. 😉

If I don't currently have supplemental coverage, how do I go about starting payments—and realistically, how long is the wait between my first payment and actually being covered?

Once you've signed the contract for your policy 😉
I suppose it might stay valid for about 30 days after the signing date, if I recall correctly.

State Farm coverage kicks in just 15 days after you sign the contract.
Medicare takes about 30 days to go live.

Medicare will also be active in about 15 days; I actually finalized the contract just a few months ago.

Sandra Green38 said:Medicare is also doing 15 days, she set that up a few months ago.

They actually changed the rules, I'm pretty sure it used to be 30 days back in the day...

Kate Morgan66 said:State Farm coverage kicks in 15 days after you sign the contract.
Medicare takes 30 days.

I had no idea private insurers offered that—didn't realize it was an option. Honestly, what’s the actual difference between sticking with Medicare versus going with State Farm or some other provider?

Joshua Wood2 said:I had no idea you could pick up that kind of coverage through private insurance companies. Honestly, what’s the actual difference between using Medicare versus going through State Farm or some other provider?

From what I gather, most medical facilities besides Medicare only take supplemental plans from State Farm, whereas with any other provider, you basically have to shell out the cash upfront, pay the bill yourself, and then file a claim with the insurance company to get reimbursed—correct me if I've got that wrong.
As for any other perks, I'm not really sure, but I personally went with State Farm because I needed that extra coverage within a 15-day window, and back then, Medicare was taking a full 30 days to process things.

Kate Morgan66 said:I think most healthcare providers besides Medicare only take State Farm for supplemental coverage—with everyone else, you basically pay out of pocket first and then file a claim with the insurance company to get reimbursed (correct me if I'm wrong).
As for other differences, I haven't looked into them much. I went with State Farm because I needed my supplemental coverage within 15 days, and back then, Medicare was taking a full 30 days to process things.

Thanks!

Kate Morgan66 said:I think most medical facilities besides Medicare only take State Farm—for everyone else, you basically pay out of pocket first, then file the receipt with the insurance company to get reimbursed (correct me if I'm wrong).
As for other differences, I don't know much—I just went with State Farm because I needed my supplemental coverage within 15 days, and back then, Medicare was taking 30 days to process.

That’s spot on. Medicare and CZO basically hold a monopoly, so their supplemental cards are the only ones accepted directly as payment. With any other provider, you have to cover the bill yourself, send over the receipt, and then wait for the reimbursement to hit your account. Specifically, I know with UNIQU, if the bill is under $33, you can just email it—but if it's higher than that, you have to mail the physical original, and then you're waiting about 15 days for the money to land in your checking account.