u/Friendly-Kangaroo575

I’m trying to decide between partial planning and month-of coordination. I’ve already booked my venue and don’t mind researching and choosing vendors myself. Month-of already covers the timeline, vendor confirmations, rehearsal, and wedding-day coordination, while partial includes more help with vendors, design, and decor. For those who chose partial planning, was the extra help worth it, or was month-of enough?

Also I like a photographer, but the photographer already has another wedding the day before mine. I know back-to-back weddings are maybe common in wedding photography, but would this concern you? Has anyone had a similar experience?

Thinking about getting the Venture X and have a couple questions 😂

Has anyone booked international flights through the Capital One portal? Did everything go smoothly, and was the ticket actually issued/ticketed successfully with the airline? I usually book directly with the airline, so using a portal for an international flight makes me a little nervous. Does it also clearly show things like how many checked bags are included before you book?

Also I might need to spend around $3,500 pretty much right after I get approved. If I get access to the virtual card before the physical card arrives, I’d probably use it for that purchase.

I’ve heard Capital One can be pretty sensitive with fraud and security, so I’m a little worried that putting a ~$3,500 charge on a brand new virtual card could get flagged or lock the account 😂 Has anyone done something similar right after approval? Any issues?

Thanks!!

I have a ~$3,500 wedding venue payment coming up and figured it might be a good time to open a new card for the SUB.

I checked both cards and got the offers: 100k MR for Amex Gold and 75k miles for Venture X.

I’ll have more wedding expenses coming up over the next few months, so meeting either spending requirement shouldn’t be an issue. I currently have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase United card, Chase Freedom Unlimited, and a Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards card.

Which one would you pick? Thank you so much!!

Hi everyone,

I have a quick question. For HMO plans that require referrals to see a specialist, does the referral generally have to come from your PCP? Or can one specialist refer you to another specialist, and would that count as a valid insurance referral?

Thanks in advance!

Looking for a great OB/GYN in the Montgomery County/DMV area! I'm planning to start trying for a baby next year and would like to establish care with an OB/GYN now. I also have a few minor gynecologic concerns I'd like to address before pregnancy. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with a 4 mm prolactinoma last year. My prolactin was several times above normal, but after 6 months of bromocriptine and 6 months of cabergoline, my prolactin has been normal on my last 3 blood tests. My periods are also completely normal.

I just had a follow-up MRI, and the tumor is still 4 mm, exactly the same size as last year.

Has anyone had a similar experience? How long did it take for your prolactinoma to shrink, or did it stay the same size even though your prolactin normalized?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I recently had a pituitary MRI because of a pituitary microadenoma, and the radiologist also noted some unexpected craniocervical junction findings.

My report includes:

• Clivo-axial angle: 126° (report reference: 150–170°)
• Grabb-Mapstone-Oakes: 1.2 cm (report reference: <0.7 cm)
• Horizontal Harris: 1.0 cm (report notes that ≥1.2 cm may suggest ligamentous failure/instability)
• Cerebellar tonsils extend 3 mm below the foramen magnum
• "Odontoid impinges upon the cervical medullary junction."
• "There is CSF dorsal to the cord at the C1 level."

Impression:

"Abnormal metrics of the craniocervical junction; capsular ligaments at the odontoid impinge upon the cervical medullary junction."

I don't have neurological symptoms such as limb weakness, balance problems, swallowing difficulty, numbness, or bowel/bladder dysfunction.

This finding was completely unexpected, and I'm waiting to see a neurosurgeon.

I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar MRI report or similar measurements, and if so, what your neurosurgeon thought about them. Did they recommend simply monitoring them, or did they suggest additional testing or treatment? I'm also curious whether these findings turned out to be clinically significant even if you had few or no symptoms.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thank you!

https://preview.redd.it/iyqgtcxzovfh1.png?width=2014&format=png&auto=webp&s=8dea4da1477b4c0e75cc899de21d9f6b37103408

https://preview.redd.it/z4yvepx0pvfh1.png?width=2028&format=png&auto=webp&s=075478541fd3f9236903ee5852d8a6d3e15a5082

Hi everyone,

I'm still pretty new to the U.S. healthcare system, so I apologize if this is a basic question. I have an MRI scheduled for next week. It was ordered by a specialist, not my PCP. My prior authorization has already been approved, the imaging center confirmed the approval and told me how much I'll need to pay at my appointment, and they also have my doctor's order on file. I assumed that once I had the doctor's order and the approved prior authorization, everything was all set.

However, I was talking to a friend today who is also getting an MRI, and she mentioned that she needed a referral. That completely surprised me. My insurance is an HMO plan, so now I'm wondering if I also need a referral since the order came from a specialist rather than my PCP. Is a doctor's order the same thing as a referral, or are they two completely different things? If a referral were required, would the imaging center or insurance company usually have caught that before approving the prior authorization and telling me my estimated payment? Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Thanks so much! 😊

I have an MRI scheduled at an independent imaging center. My prior authorization has already been approved, and the imaging center is in network.

I haven't met my deductible yet. When I called, they told me I would need to pay my estimated patient responsibility when I arrive for the appointment. I always thought medical bills were usually sent after the insurance claim was processed, so I was a little surprised they wanted payment before the MRI. Is this common? If they collect an estimated amount up front, do they usually refund the difference (or bill me for the remaining balance) after the insurance processes the claim?

If I pay the amount they ask for at check-in, could I still get another bill after insurance processes the claim?I'd appreciate hearing about others' experiences.

I have a question. Today I received a letter from eviCore saying my MRI prior authorization was approved. It says: "This letter is to confirm authorization for the following service..."

It includes my name, insurance member ID, referring physician, the MRI CPT code, and the approval and expiration dates.

My insurance is CareFirst, so I'm a little confused. Does this letter from eviCore mean my prior authorization is officially approved and legitimate, even though I never received an prior authorization approval letter directly from CareFirst?

If for some reason, CareFirst later claimed that my MRI was never prior approved, could I use this eviCore prior authorization approval letter as evidence when appealing the decision?

Thank you so much!

Prior authorization was approved even though I never uploaded my MRI order? I'm just curious how this usually works.

When I scheduled my MRI, I provided my name, DOB, health insurance member ID, group number, the type of MRI I needed, my doctor's name, and the diagnosis codes from the MRI order over the phone.

However, I never uploaded my insurance card or the MRI order itself. My prior authorization was later approved.

Is it common for the imaging center's authorization team to contact the ordering physician directly to obtain the MRI order, clinical notes, or any other documentation they need? Or is there another way they typically process the authorization?

Hi everyone, I've recently been getting conflicting answers about whether a provider is in network, so I've started asking for a call reference number whenever I call my insurance.

I have a general question about documenting calls with health insurance. When I call my insurance company to verify benefits or in-network status, I always ask for the reference number for the call in case I ever need to file an appeal in the future. I got the reference number, but I forgot to ask for the representative's name.

Is that generally okay? If the insurance company can look up the call using the reference number, is the representative's name still important, or is the reference number usually sufficient?

Thanks!

Hi! I had an MRI appointment at an imaging center, but I had to cancel it because of a scheduling conflict. My prior authorization had already been approved before I canceled.

If I reschedule the same MRI at the same imaging center, would the existing prior authorization usually still be valid, or would the imaging center need to obtain a new one?

Thank you so much!!

I scheduled an MRI at an in-network imaging center.

Can I generally assume that the radiologist who reads the MRI is also in-network if they work for the same imaging center? Or is it possible for the imaging center to be in-network but the interpreting radiologist to be out-of-network? Just wondering what is usually the case. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m new to dealing with prior authorizations and I’m a little confused about the process.

I scheduled an MRI at one imaging center and my insurance already approved the prior authorization. The authorization is valid until September 2026. I’m now thinking about switching to a different imaging center. It would be the exact same MRI and the same ordering doctor, just a different facility.

I was wondering how this usually works. If the authorization is attached to the original imaging center, does it need to be canceled or withdrawn before the new facility can submit a new authorization? Or can the facility on the existing authorization usually be changed?Also who normally handles this process — the patient, the ordering doctor’s office, the original imaging center, the new imaging center, or the insurance company?

I just want to make sure I don’t accidentally create an issue where the new imaging center can’t get approval because there is already an existing authorization.

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I’m new to the U.S. healthcare system and scheduling my first MRI, so I’m trying to understand how to correctly verify network status.

I have CareFirst BCBS HMO and scheduled my MRI with Washington Radiology. CareFirst’s provider directory shows my exact location as in-network:

Washington Radiology Associates PLLC
3301 New Mexico Ave NW Ste 132
Washington, DC 20016

I called CareFirst and multiple reps confirmed that Washington Radiology is in-network. One rep was able to find this exact address and confirmed this specific location is in-network (gave me a reference number). However, a few other reps could confirm Washington Radiology in general as in-network but could not locate this specific address in their system.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Since different reps seem to find slightly different information, is there anything else I can verify to make sure this specific location will be processed as in-network?

Thank you!