u/Zealousideal-Big5005

Do you find local specialists tend refuse referrals when another local physician of the same speciality has seen the patient within the preceding 12-24 months?

In these cases, the previous specialist had already signed off months prior and either the patients aren’t improving, or there are new findings. The previous specialist either declined seeing the patient again, or the patient wishes to see someone else. Our physician is asking for specialty involvement because these are situations genuinely beyond primary care.

Can you suggest anything we can do here? The specialists all work out of the same buildings and work closely together.

Background: We are seeing this happen repeatedly. I’m a RN working for a PMD in a small to moderate sized city (pop 200k). We have very few specialists here.

Genuinely sometimes it feels like they are avoiding our practice..(?) is there a social underpinning for this?

Update: thank you so much for your replies lol I really didn’t expect some of those responses! Very interesting

In a young adult female, what may be the causes of persistently (10+ years) of immature granulocytosis (0.2-0.6)? Not related to infection. No diagnoses. If it matters to you she also has persistent microscopic hematuria.

Hello, curious if anyone has any comments for my recent experience at an outpatient diagnostics centre.
I (32F) have kidney stones and see a urologist. In March I had my most recent stone/renal colic. My dr ordered an outpatient pelvic u/s. Sometimes my stones stay stuck in the bladder. I’ve also had a cyst on my ovary recently so my dr was looking to confirm whether this is a stone or a cyst causing me to have 10/10 pelvic pain and blood in my urine. We only have 1 outpatient ultrasound place in my area.

It took 4 weeks, 4 phone calls (20 min each) and 3 faxes for the centre to receive my drs requisition. Then they called and booked me in the next morning at 8:45am and told me empty my bladder at 6:45am and to finish drinking 1L of water by 7:45am. I had to take vacation for the first 3 hours of my work day to accommodate this.

I arrive there and myself and other patients are lost looking for the centre inside a mall. Security helped us and said nobody can find it easily.

I arrive 5 mins early and check in. I told them it was hard to locate them “ya ya everyone complains about that- nobody ever asks us how our morning is going!” Said the receptionist who then snickered with her coworkers. It was very uncomfortable.

I get called back and after they place the ultrasound on my stomach for three seconds I’m told “you didn’t drink enough” and “you have to leave and call back to rebook another time”. I told her I had to take time off work for this test. She didn’t care. I wait 20 mins on hold and I’m rebooked in late JUNE.. for a problem I had in March.

I got a text asking how my experience was. I filled out the survey and the next day I’m called by a manager and she left a voicemail asking me to call her back. I called 3 times and still haven’t reached anyone.

Is this normal practice?