![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Jonh Kimble on August 28, 2004, at 15:37:25
Hey all. Well arrived in Florida 2 days ago and want to see a specific doc. Can I go to a walk in clinic and just ask to be reffered to a specific doc? WHy do they want 120 bucks for a walk in? Thats crazy. Does this vary? Will insurance cover this if it says $50 sickness and mental coverage per visit times 10? Can I just call the doc and say I was seeing a canadian pdoc and want to see you based on what Ive heard etc... Anything I can avoid and just start to see him would be good. Thanks for the advice.
Posted by chemist on August 28, 2004, at 20:36:11
In reply to How to get a pdoc in the US?, posted by Jonh Kimble on August 28, 2004, at 15:37:25
> Hey all. Well arrived in Florida 2 days ago and want to see a specific doc. Can I go to a walk in clinic and just ask to be reffered to a specific doc? WHy do they want 120 bucks for a walk in? Thats crazy. Does this vary? Will insurance cover this if it says $50 sickness and mental coverage per visit times 10? Can I just call the doc and say I was seeing a canadian pdoc and want to see you based on what Ive heard etc... Anything I can avoid and just start to see him would be good. Thanks for the advice.
hello john, chemist here....i would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the united states and, more specifically, to the healthcare system here. the answers to your questions are contained in hard-to-interpret and small-print-laden documents detailing the wonders of your health coverage. as a general rule, the fancier the package, the better the coverage. another rule is that regardless of coverage, mental health care is likely to be bringing up the rear. you will be confronted with acronyms including PPO, POS, PCP, HMO, and GAYM (gimme all your money). you can walk in anywhere, and do expect to pay for it. if you choose a psychiatrist, expect a 1 to 2 hour initial appointment. you will be faced with ``in network'' and ``out of network'' providers, and limits on how many outpatient mental healthcare visits per calendar year you can embark upon: expect numbers in the hockey-score range up to a number not exceeding 26, as a rule. if you have elected the PPO option, you need to go through your PCP for referals for things like seeing the dermatologist. as for mental healthcare, you will find that many if not all of the in-network providers are not accepting new patients and that you can expect to pay half of the bill for a limited number of visits, or a co-pay. or all of it. in the end, it depends. further, strolling into any doctor's office with medical records from another country - or even from the same country - and asking politely that they prescribe anything at all before first subjecting you to procedures that cost time and money are usually not going to work as expected. the good news for you is that you are in florida, home of the doctors with liberal prescribing habits that eventually end up on a federal Drug Enforment Agency desk. welcome to america, and all the best, chemist
Posted by sb417 on August 28, 2004, at 23:16:22
In reply to How to get a pdoc in the US?, posted by Jonh Kimble on August 28, 2004, at 15:37:25
Dr. Ivan Goldberg's website, "Depression Central," has a link for doctors in the United States who specialize in difficult-to-treat depressions. The problem with that list, however, is that it never seems to be updated, and most of the doctors on that list are so famous and in such demand that it's nearly impossible to get an appointment with them unless you have a referral from another doctor. And, if you do get to see these royal highnesses, it's likely that you'll see them once for a huge amount of money, and then they'll farm you out to one of their associates. Some of the doctors on the list are administrators (chairmen of departments) and some do research primarily, so they have very little time for clinical work. If you can get your previous doctor to help you with a referral, you'll be several steps ahead. Good luck!
Posted by jonh kimble on August 29, 2004, at 16:00:08
In reply to Re: How to get a pdoc in the US? » Jonh Kimble, posted by sb417 on August 28, 2004, at 23:16:22
Hey, Thanks for the welcome. I need it. Im going to school down here by myself with a pretty bad case of social anxiety and add, two of the worst these for a live on campus university!
K I live in Naples and I want to see Dr. Jay Temkin. Could I call my doc in Calgary Canada and say I have found a good doc can you set me up? Do I need the referal down here? And my health coverage is the basic school provided one, I dont know about all those initials. Can you tell me tho. Is it likely basic sickness coverage will cover at least some of a walk in visit? And good to know Florida docs have liberal prescibing habits. Thats just what I need (adderall and klonopin) Thanks
Tom
Posted by sb417 on August 29, 2004, at 21:11:05
In reply to Re: How to get a pdoc in the US?, posted by jonh kimble on August 29, 2004, at 16:00:08
Hi John. You should definitely get in touch with your previous doctor. Tell him what you're going through and remind him (although he should know) how difficult it can be and how long it can take to get an appointment when you're a new patient. Ask him to intervene on your behalf. Perhaps he knows a doctor there that he can refer you to. If not, tell him the names of the doctors you want to see and have him call them.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.