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

Hello there. My gynecologist gave me a referral for some blood work related to my birth control. Since I’m currently away from Chicago and don't have the luxury of traveling back home right now, where can I actually get this done?
The referral is listed on my insurance card, and I am more than willing to pay out of pocket to get it sorted—that was the nurse's suggestion.
The issue is that I've already called several private labs, and they can't access my referral because they aren't integrated with the Medicare system. 😵

You should be able to get seen at a local clinic or a hospital. Private practices won't take your referral unless they have a contract with Medicare.

Ashley Martin78 said:I got my referral for an exam at Johns Hopkins Hospital back in March.
The two phone numbers they gave for central scheduling don't even pick up.
You have to email a photo of the referral instead.
So I did that.
They finally scheduled me for September of this year.
Now I'm reading that these referrals only last three months.

Let's try this again. 😁

When you get a referral from your primary doctor for a scan, follow-up, or checkup, you're supposed to BOOK IT within 3 months of the date it was issued. That’s standard practice here—they actually bumped it up from one month to three recently. Once you've officially booked that appointment, the referral stays valid until your actual visit, regardless of how long the wait is, as long as it doesn't exceed a year.

Basically, that referral would still be good even if your appointment ended up being way out in January. 😉

So, my doctor sent me off to get tested for inhalation allergies and mentioned I should head over to the area across from the Mayo Clinic to get it done. She reckons they don't take appointments there. I'm just wondering, where exactly am I supposed to go and who can I actually call to figure this out? (Apparently, it's that old health center building). Since we just moved to Chicago, any bit of info would be a lifesaver. Is that part of Mercy Hospital, or am I just totally tripping?

That’s the Pulmonary Clinic over on Barun Filipovica Drive.

I’m not entirely certain if I’ve landed in the right forum thread here, but I have a question regarding switching my primary care physician.

Is it actually possible to transfer my care to a doctor located outside of my immediate residential area?

frozencanyon10 said:I'm not entirely sure if this is the right thread for this, but I have a question regarding switching primary care physicians.

Is it actually possible to transfer to a doctor who lives outside of my immediate residential area?

It 🙂

Brenda Hughes2 said:Is 🙂

Is that coming from a reliable source? Because, if I recall correctly, they overhauled some of those laws back in 2014, so maybe that isn't even an option anymore. Plus, my legal residence is quite a distance from 155 miles where I'm actually staying right now.

How on earth would I even go about doing that? I mean, I don't even have a registered address in the area I'd be looking to move it to.

The supplemental drug list is organized into several columns with various price points. Is the amount someone with supplemental insurance actually pays the final figure listed under the co-pay column?

For example—if we look up Anacin Forte by its brand name—someone with supplemental coverage pays $0.67. Meanwhile, someone without coverage pays 18? Am I reading this right?

coastalskipper38 said:The supplemental insurance drug lists contain various columns and price points. Is the amount an individual with supplemental coverage actually pays the final figure listed under the co-pay column?http://www.medicare.gov/drug-coverage-search

For instance, if we look up Anacin Forte by its brand name, someone with supplemental insurance would pay $0.67. Meanwhile, someone without supplemental insurance would pay 18? Did I interpret this correctly?

You have grasped the general concept correctly.
Supplemental insurance does not cover drugs on the "B-list" (standard Medicare supplement), so in those cases, you still pay $0.67.
Even if you don't have supplemental insurance at all, you will still be responsible for paying $0.67.
That price of $6.00 for Anacin—which is actually about 35 percent higher than that—is what people pay when they use a private prescription, or a "cash" prescription.
However, even though supplemental insurance doesn't waive the small co-pay of 2 dollars, it does exempt you from the $3.25 you typically pay at the pharmacy, since every prescription carries a processing fee of $3.25, except for certain specific diagnoses. Furthermore, if a prescription calls for two boxes, you still only pay $3.25 rather than 20.
I hope that clarifies things: with supplemental insurance, you pay 2 dollars at the pharmacy; without supplemental insurance, you pay $4.00 at the pharmacy plus $3.25 if you had an in-person doctor's visit.

I actually have a unique plan where my coverage is completely free!
So, you should definitely check in with all your insurance providers to see what their premiums look like and exactly what kind of benefits you're entitled to.

jadesailor14 said:I have Uniq and my B-list coverage is totally free.
So you really ought to check with all the different insurance providers to see what their premiums look like and exactly what kind of coverage they actually offer.

Don't mess with me. 😮 They already pulled mine away back here in America. 🙄

I'm totally serious!
It covers the B-list, all the checkups, and $22 monthly.
The only tricky part is that you have to pay upfront and send them the pharmacy receipts so they can reimburse you directly, or you can just offset it against your pay.
But hey, there's plenty of cash flowing in the game, so I don't mind at all!

coastalskipper38 said:So, looking at the lists for supplemental insurance coverage, there are all these different columns and price points everywhere. I guess I was wondering if the actual amount someone with extra coverage pays is that final number listed under the co-pay section? http://www.medicare-gov-search.com

Like, if we were searching for Anacin Forte by its brand name, I assume someone with supplemental insurance would pay $0.67. But then someone without any extra coverage would end up paying 18? I mean, maybe I'm reading this right, but did I get that part correct?

Well, personally, I take Anacin—and yeah, I've got that supplemental coverage—and I don't have to pay anything at all for it...

rapidnomad322 said:I take Anacin (I have supplemental insurance) and I don't pay a dime for it...

The 20-count pack of Anacin Forte is on the basic coverage list, so it's free. However, if you go for the 30-count pack of Anacin Forte, that's on the supplemental list, meaning you'll have to pay an extra copay $0.67 per box.

rapidnomad322 said:I take Anacin (I have supplemental insurance) and I don't pay a dime for it...

Lisa Alvarez58 said:The Anacin forte in the 20-count packs is on the basic formulary, so Medicare covers it entirely. But if you grab the 30-count packs of Anacin forte, those are on the supplemental list, which means you’ll have to pay an extra copay $0.67 per box.

Thanks so much for clearing that up for me—honestly, I didn't even realize they even made that 30-count version...

Hey there... anyone know where I can get an echocardiogram done over on Barun Filipovica Drive? I've got an appointment early tomorrow morning and I really don't have the bandwidth to go hunting for a spot... thanks in advance🙂

Does anyone actually know why an online order takes five days just to get a response?
... meanwhile, waiting for an eye exam at Johns Hopkins Hospital takes five or six months??
... and they aren't even taking orders for abdominal ultrasounds anymore (supposedly because there’s no doctor available for
work)?

Because we live in America and have to pay for those overpriced suburban mansions? I mean, come on—I'm just saying.

silvermason7 said:Does anyone actually know why it takes five days just to get a response after ordering something online?
... and then you're looking at a 5-6 month wait just for an eye exam at Johns Hopkins Hospital??
... plus, I hear they aren't even taking orders for abdominal ultrasounds anymore? (presumably because there isn't a doctor available for
work)?

1. I suppose it’s likely because once an order goes through the central system, it has to be routed to the specific department, I guess.?

2. My assumption would be that they don't just handle tertiary care? (An ophthalmologist near where you live might handle it, whereas a general hospital would probably have to request a referral to the Mayo Clinic)

3. It's much the same as the other issue. Most local Health Departments have ultrasound machines, yet somehow people living 80 miles away 62 miles are still being scheduled for ultrasounds in Chicago.