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I have concerns that they are forcing unnecessary appointments on my parent.



About 2 weeks after seeing a neurologist, I, the invoked health care proxy, sent a question via the patient portal regarding questions related to the appointment. The front desk staff demanded we set up another appointment with the aging parent to get the question(s) answered.



The parent though struggling with cognitive disorder did not like the neurologist so I really do not want to expose her to another appointment so quickly. I am used to my doctors who easily answer questions via the patient portal. If I have too many questions my doctors may demand an appointment but will do their best to answer the questions first via the portal first.



Perhaps finding a better neurologist and office might be the better choice. I am concerned my parent is being force to an unnecessary appointment and thus her Medicaid is being used wrongly.



I had other concerns about this office. They wanted me to sign a blanket, general consent allowing them to do an array of tests and procedures as opposed to asking for consent for each individual test or procedure. The neurologist seemed honest and did not order unnecessary tests but was upset that I would not sign a blanket, general consent. When I told this to my elder attorney, she also expressed concern and dismay regarding the blanket, general consent.



Sadly, this neurologist was highly recommended by a health care provider I greatly respected and trusted. We waited about 2-3 months to get an appointment.

Just want to say, I took my neohew to a recommended Neurologist that took Medicaid and she was awful. Never smiled. Talked in a monotone voice. Just so unfriendly. She too was not liked by my nephew or my grandson. My RN daughter agreed. TG when nephew went on Medicare he was able to see a doctor closer and so much nicer. Now he has passed, we will be looking for a new one. Those who except Medicaid are now part of Hospital groups and guess who is associated withvthe closest one. No, we will not be going to her.
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Doctors and clinics (and dentists) do no have to accept Medicaid patients in MN where I live. All the more challenging to find a specialist that accepts it.

"Access to primary care for Medicaid patients has long been a concern among patients and policymakers. Previous research has demonstrated that up to one-third of all physicians refuse to accept new Medicaid patients, and these percentages have not changed significantly over the past decade."

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9924217/#:~:text=Access%20to%20primary%20care%20for,concern%20among%20patients%20and%20policymakers.&text=Previous%20research%20has%20demonstrated%20that,significantly%20over%20the%20past%20decade.
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JoAnn29 Jul 13, 2024
No one has to except Medicaid. We are now having problems finding an eye doctor and neurologist for nephew. Specialists rarely except Medicaid some not Medicare either.
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I was told by a Doctor's office that Medicare will not pay for appointments unless the patient is present. I understand that Skype (what ever its called) was used during COVID and Medicare must have allowed it but COVID cannot be used anymore ascan excuse. My understanding of Portals is to be able to see your health info and be able to ask questions by the patient.

Is the office aware of you invoking the heath proxy? If not, then the office cannot talk to you. You will need to supply them with a copy. They do not have to talk to you until you prove you are now Moms proxy.
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cwillie Jul 11, 2024
Of course there are difference in systems there JoAnn, but it's worth looking into. My appointments were listed as consultations, and of course I was known to be the healthcare proxy 🤷‍♀️
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Since this is about getting results and is not an examination see whether you can make an appointment and attend without your parent (or maybe just leave the part about attending without them out until you are face to face with the doctor). I had a doctor that frustrated me to no end until I tweaked on to this strategy, which I had to use several times. IMO it was all about the money and them being paid for the appointment.
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The Patient Portal is a very handy tool. But it isn't always the only way to communicate with the doctor or his staff. Especially if your parent wasn't super comfortable with this neurologist - I would suggest calling the office and asking to talk to the neurologist's nurse - make sure they know you have an invoked health care POA. You'll likely have to leave a message, so just tell them you had a quick question.

Then ask your questions when the nurse calls back.

Sometimes the ones answering the portal messages are following a script and told to do B if the request is A - for all messages. This way you speak to a person directly. They may still tell you that it requires another appointment - but describe it as "appointment follow-up questions" and see where that gets you.
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