Re: Anyone here do hospital appt scheduling?

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@Kalli wrote:
@Still Raining @suzyQ3 , This happened last Sept.(2019). I actually was able to get an appointment after trying several times, asking different schedulers and pleading my case. Spent what seemed like hours on the phone. Finally someone did schedule my appointment for this Fall, which is in a few weeks, however the person who got me in asked that I not tell anyone else what she did!

I hadn't thought about this for months and just assumed that the appointment office had adopted a new procedure by not allowing anyone to schedule for the next year. However, when I found out my friend had her 2020 appointment a few months ago I happened to ask her by chance if she was able to schedule for next year and she told me, "of course" which made wonder about them denying me due to Medicare.

I misunderstood and didn't realize you have an upcoming appointment. So I would definitely do as @Venezia suggests and wait until after you've been seen by the practitioner and tried to schedule another appointment before bringing up the subject while you're still in the office, if you have a problem doing so, that is.

Frankly, after reading the portion of your post that I bolded, being told "not to tell anyone" about getting an appointment sounds a little fishy to me.

Mz iMac · ‎07-26-2014

@ahoymate wrote:
@noodleann @Kalli

It's illegal & the medical practice should be reported to the State Medical Board.
MD's have the right to not accept medicare patients. Today, most want cash. No insurance of any kind. It's legal.

@ahoymate That is NOT the op issue. She is a long standing patient. What they are doing is illegal if she is correct in how she is being treated.

BTW: Yes a medical provider can refuse accepting NEW Medicare patients. Under the law, they must continue to treat their "current" Medicare patients. Cannot "kick them to the curb" so to speak.

"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."

Kalli · ‎03-11-2010

Thank you everyone for your responses. I'm finding out stuff I didn't know, which is great!

Yes, I'll certainly wait until my next appointment to ask more questions in person. Don't want to jeopardize anything. As I said, I thought this was a new protocol and didn't find out otherwise until recently. And I'm very thankful for the person who did schedule me so won't cause any waves in that regard.

Kalli · ‎03-11-2010

@hckynut wrote:
@Kalli

Know nothing about scheduling other than what my nephew-in-law, a PCP, has told me about why he left his last practice. It was for "over scheduling patients", and "time per patient".

I have been on Medicare now since 2004, and my serious health issues started with PE in 2002. Nothing has changed with any of my many doctors over those years, other than 1 specialist that decided to work at our VA

My doctors, the ones that want to see me annually, call me to set up the appointments, for my annual visits. Even my monthly Hemotolohist's office calls to remind my wife and myself for our monthly visits.

My wife and I are leaving within the hour to see our PCP. Her for a flu shot, myself for my annual physical/flu shot, and whatever tests he thinks I need have done.

Those have been my experiences before and after going on Medicare.

If you are the @Kalli that rides horses and knows my sis! Dang I didn't know you were such a youngster! =^..^=

hckynut

@hckynut , hahah, yep, it's me! BTW..how's your sis doing? I think of her now and then and I'm still thankful for her encourging words about learning to ride and not allowing fear to prevent us from doing what we enjoy. She was SO right! I recently purchased my second horse. Like potato chips...you can never have just one!

DiAnne · ‎09-22-2010

My primary care doctor has complained that she is having trouble referring Medicare patients to specialists because of the low reimbursements.

Peaches McPhee · ‎04-19-2010

I just hope they are NOT scheduling patients according to their medical insurance status. I just can't even go there . . . it is SO wrong!

-- pro-aging --

Rochester, New York

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

Medicare does not cover a yearly preventative GYN exam. It only covers one every 24 months.

All providers have appointments for well visits, but they have to keep appointment times open for people who have an urgent need.

If you have no medical issues, you don't have an urgent need.

No preference is given to anyone based on their insurance, but if your yearly preventative exam was denied as not covered because of the time period, you would be upset that they didn't tell you when you made the appointment.

I would make an appointment at the first available date and be done with it. Your younger friend probably has coverage for a yearly exam.....you don't.

noodleann · ‎06-10-2015

@Peaches McPhee wrote:
I just hope they are NOT scheduling patients according to their medical insurance status. I just can't even go there . . . it is SO wrong!

It may be wrong, but is it a violation of any law? No one's cited a law. The OP hasn't been refused service, and the practice could claim that it was booked up. The practice cannot discuss other patients with the OP, or it shouldn't.

The OP needs to contact Medicare to see what they advise. She might just need to ask her PCP to make the appointment for her, but regardless, Medicare (or the company running the Advantage plan, if that's the case) has the last word on their procedures, recommendations, and the law.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@Kalli

Rose is doing good. She had a Partial Knee Replacement and recovered pretty quick. She got her range of motion months quicker than my wife, but my wife did have the Total Knee Replaced(TKR right knee).

Know she wasn't riding for awhile because of her knee, but she got back to it as soon as her surgeon gave her the OK! Gotta call and get the latest with her soon. She has a birthday day in December and she will be 87. And depending on the weather, I'm guessing she rides every day.

Hope you got the answer(s) you were looking for in this thread. Wife and I did get our flu shots earlier today, and my physical with my PCP? He told me "I cannot believe you are 81 years old". Everything is fine!

Now if i can just get my balance back ice skating to where I was in March when everything got shut down. I sure hope I don't have to go through the broken rib thing like I did the last time I restarted skating. Ouch! But if I do, I will.

My best to you and yours, stay well.

hckynut

hckynut(john)

Kalli · ‎03-11-2010

@Carmie wrote:
Medicare does not cover a yearly preventative GYN exam. It only covers one every 24 months.

All providers have appointments for well visits, but they have to keep appointment times open for people who have an urgent need.

If you have no medical issues, you don't have an urgent need.

No preference is given to anyone based on their insurance, but if your yearly preventative exam was denied as not covered because of the time period, you would be upset that they didn't tell you when you made the appointment.

I would make an appointment at the first available date and be done with it. Your younger friend probably has coverage for a yearly exam.....you don't.

@Carmie It was after my last appointment that I aged into Medicare. So this year’s appt is the first that will be covered by Medicare. During last yr’s appt my NP discussed that this first Medicare appt will be very important, with regard to certain assessments or tests that are easier to cover now than later.

For an urgent situation, I always accepted a time with whomever had an opening.

This is not an urgent situation. It is a check-up for which I qualify. Why should I give it up?

Good to know that no preference is given to anyone based on their insurance. I started to wonder because my friend was able to schedule a year in advance when I was told they couldn’t schedule any appointments that far into the future.

I do have an appointment for this year but that only happened because I was persistent and a kind person helped me.