 Immigrant Health Collaborative of BCWorking towards better health for you |
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Immigrant Health Collaborative of BCWorking towards better health for you |
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Immigrant Health Collaborative of BCWorking towards better health for you |
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Practical Tips For Your
Health Service Experience
Specialist Referral Tips:
1) Your family doctor may refer you to see a specialist.
2) The specialist will call you for an appointment time.
3) If you feel you have waited an appropriate amount of time for the specialist appointment, it is reasonable to call your family doctor to enquire about the referral and the specialist's contact . to directly get the appointment information from the specialist.
4) Arrive at the specialist 15-20 minutes early to register. If possible, have as much of your medical
history available as possible.
5) Lastly, it is advisable to talk to your family doctor to review the specialist's report when it becomes
available so you understand the recommendations from the specialist.
Important tip : Please make sure your doctor has your most up to date telephone contact, also ensure you have voicemail on your phone. This is important because phone contact is typically how specialists contact with you with the appointment time.
Q: What if I do not hear from my family doctor or specialist about the appointment?
A: When you are referred to a specialist, your family doctor writes and faxes a referral note to the specialist. In most cases, the family doctor does not know the specialist wait time. When the specialist decides on an appointment time, she/he will contact you or your family doctor. So stay in touch with your family doctor and get the specialist phone number to enquire.
Xray, Ultrasound, CT/MRI, Mammogram Tips:
1) All services are covered. But it is recommended to ask and make sure.
2) Radiology clinics such as Greig's Associates, Westcoast Medical Imaging and Brooke Radiology are convenient options in non-hospital settings do meet most of your X-ray and Ultrasound needs. You will need to make an appointment for ultrasound appointments, X- rays typically do not need appointments.
3) Hospital based Ultrasound, CT/MRI require appointments. Typically the hospital or the ordering doctor will call you for the appointment time.
4) It is recommended to follow up with your doctor to review test results.
Tips for your hospital visit:
1) Every service you get in the hospital is covered by your MSP.
2) If you need to goto hospital, you will need to go through the emergency department.
There will be nurses there at the counter to help you. Don't worry, although the emergency
department seems overwhelming, the staff are friendly and are easily available to help you.
http://www.edwaittimes.ca - tool with up to date emergency department wait times.
3) If you went to hospital and got admitted (typically meaning spending overnight at the hospital), most of the time hospitals gives you a complete new medication list on discharge.
a) Speak to your pharmacist to get instructions on what to do with your old medications.
b) Your family doctor should have gotten a list of new medications from the hospital. If your doctor has not received this list, ask the pharmacist to update your doctor.
4) On the day of discharge, please speak to your hospital doctor or nurse about ALL the follow up appointments you need to go to in the future (e.g. CT, specialists, blood work, etc).
5) Your family doctor should receive in a few days a written summary of your hospital visit sent by the hospital. It is recommended to see your family doctor in a week (or even earlier if you were told) after discharge from hospital.
IMPORTANT TIPS
1) Make sure you have voicemail on your phone and your doctor has your up
to date contact, this will ensure all your appointments will not be delayed.
2) www.edwaittimes.ca - tool of up to date emergency department wait times.
3) After getting a test at the lab, Xray, Ultrasound, CT, etc, it is recommended
that you follow up with your doctor to review the results.
4) After being discharged from the hospital or emergency department, you
should follow up with your family doctor.