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

Hi there. We moved from the suburbs into downtown Chicago, and we’re trying to transfer our doctor here. My gynecologist wants me to get some tests done, but since my primary care physician is still back in the old town, I have to travel all the way back there. I read that changing doctors is allowed if you have a new address OR if you’ll be away from your permanent residence for more than three months. For the second option, what’s actually required? Do I just show up and say so, or do I need some kind of proof of residency? Thanks. 🙂

Honestly, you can totally do it even if it’s been over a year since your last checkup—like, if you've been seeing that same old doctor for a long time now, I don't think you'll even need to hunt down extra paperwork or anything...

Honestly, you just have to hunt down a primary care doctor who’s actually taking on new patients with insurance. It’s a total headache, though.

dustymaker642 said:I have a question; my dad had a positive fecal occult blood test and was referred for a colonoscopy. He’s planning on doing the exam privately, but if he ends up needing surgery, will the hospital actually respect the results from a private clinic? Or are they just going to pester him with another colonoscopy or some other tests?

Honestly, nobody can give you a straight answer to that. I've seen it happen so many times where hospitals won't recognize each other's paperwork, let alone stuff from a private clinic. You’d need to find a high-end specialist whose work is universally respected. But then there's the next hurdle: will that private doctor (and will they actually bother?) send the tissue samples for pathology? If they don't, the whole colonoscopy is basically a waste of time. You don't really know what's happening inside those guts until the pathology report comes back. Good luck!

Sarah Morris57 said:Even if it’s been over a year since your last update, if you've been seeing that same doctor for a long time, I don't think you really need to bother with extra certifications.

placidorca24 said:You just need to find a general practitioner who’s actually accepting new patients under the insurance plan.

Thanks. I'll start my search now.

I’m looking to get some testing done to rule out HIV and hepatitis. I have my standard health insurance plus supplemental coverage... Should I be paying anything out of pocket for these tests, or can I just show up with a referral from my doctor? Also, if I'm in a major city like Chicago, can I just head over to a clinic like Northwestern or a local hospital with my referral to get this sorted out?

At the local county health clinic, you can get tested for HIV for free, and it’s totally anonymous too. I'm not positive about the hepatitis situation, but honestly, if you're already making the trip down there for an HIV test, just bite the bullet and ask them about testing for hepatitis while you're at it.

Hey everyone—so, I saw a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic back on March 4th, and they told me I need spinal surgery. I scheduled everything with the head nurse that same day, and she set my admission date for April 30th. Fast forward to today: I call her up just to confirm the plan, and she tells me I should check back in on Wednesday, March 29th, because there might be a shortage of available beds. My question is: if I’ve already been given a confirmed date for April 30th, can they actually just send me home because they ran out of room? It makes zero sense to me—if you schedule someone, you should know you have a bed for them. Why bother setting a date at all if you're just going to tell me to call back later to see if they can actually fit me in? I've already been out on medical leave for three and a half months now, and honestly, I can't deal with this kind of guesswork.

Jose Ruiz68, I hear you. I’ve been pushed aside more than a few times myself, which doesn't necessarily mean they'll eventually come around, does it?

And how long was the gap between the initial order and the actual operation?

If you need urgent ENT care at St. Jude’s, you can head straight there without a referral... just make sure you go to the main building on the upper floor; it's separate from their standard ER wing.

Thanks so much! I’m actually just heading out to the Holy Spirit clinic now... hoping they can finally clear up this ear issue...😍🙂😁

😘

It could just as easily be done at the local steakhouse.

Man, my doctor here is being so vague. He's basically telling me there's nothing to worry about, that I'll be fine even if things take a turn... but then he tells me to just wait and see if the symptoms subside 🙂. They really make things unnecessarily complicated 🙂—like, they won't even bother rinsing the earwax out of my ear at the ER. What if I actually pass out or something?! Now I’m terrified I'll wake up tomorrow still feeling like this. Honestly, I'm just sitting here tearing up from the anxiety 😂 😂

So, I'm hearing 😍 again, but it doesn't seem to be working here. And I honestly thought it would. I mean, if you're as hard of hearing as I am... For me, this falls under the category of an emergency 😁 I'm just so happy, thank you all!! 🙂 This whole crowd really gave me a laugh 😂 and the doctor was actually quite charming and kind. Uhhh. I just figured I could wash it away with some warm water and call it a day. That's what I used to do with my doctor back in the day 😁 mostly, though it doesn't technically qualify as an emergency 🕺

dustymaker642 said:I have a question; my dad had a positive fecal occult blood test and was referred for a colonoscopy. He’s planning on doing the exam privately, but if he ends up needing surgery, will the hospital respect the results from a private doctor, or will they just pester him with another colonoscopy and/or other tests?

I suppose they should honor it, since a colonoscopy is such an invasive procedure.

For some reason, I can't for the life of me Google what hemoglobin electrophoresis actually is or where I'm supposed to get it done. Do I have to go to the hospital for a blood draw, or is this something I can handle at a local clinic? My doctor didn't really explain anything—she just handed me the referrals and left me to figure it out while my computer is basically on its last legs.

Jessica Chavez4 said:For some reason, I can't figure out what hemoglobin electrophoresis actually is or where I go to get it ordered. Do I have to go to a hospital for bloodwork, or can it be done at a local clinic? My doctor didn't really explain anything—she just handed me the referrals and left. Now I'm stuck googling everything while my computer is practically dying on me.

Yes, they need to draw blood. These specific tests are handled by hospital labs, not your neighborhood family practice. You'd typically head to a major center like Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins; I'm not sure which local hospitals are currently running that specific panel.

Thanks! Just one more thing—should I go shirtless for this?