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Getting a Diagnosis for Chronic Pain

Posted by sceman00 @sceman00, Aug 24, 2021

I have a dear friend with undiagnosed chronic pain. She lives in WI. She has seen many different specialists in the area, however there is no continuity or coordination across the Drs. I am wondering if a trip or two to Mayo Clinic in MN with the sole purpose of finding a diagnosis and identifying treatment options is possible. How does someone make this happen? Who coordinates the overall visit and diagnosis? I would imagine someone decides which specialists and/or tests will begin narrowing the list of potential diagnosis.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Sep 12, 2021
In reply to @gcranor "Does the Mayo Clinic treat VA referrals as Medicare? I am disabled and had over 10..." + (show)
@gcranor

Does the Mayo Clinic treat VA referrals as Medicare? I am disabled and had over 10 back and neck surgeries and still live in pain (average 5 on the pain scale). I have a Metronic drug and new stimulator and still have pain. My daughter lives in Jacksonville where there is a Mayo Clinic I would like to try to get in.

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@gcranor, I did see the following article that sounds hopeful for VA referrals. You may want to call them first to find out more information.

Mayo Clinic Expands Commitment To Serving Veterans By Participating In VA Community Care Network Beginning August 1, 2020: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-expands-commitment-to-serving-veterans-by-participating-in-va-community-care-network-beginning-august-1-2020/

You can find the contact information for the Minnesota, Arizona and Florida campuses here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

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grabofsky | @grabofsky | Sep 12, 2021
In reply to @dianecostella "I have a question. I will have to go on Medicare at age sixty because I..." + (show)
@dianecostella

I have a question. I will have to go on Medicare at age sixty because I am on SSD. My husband’s union offered United Health Care Medicare Advantage at no cost to me. It’s a PPO plan and you can go out of network to any doctor who accepts Medicare and they will pay the same if they are in network. Are the PPO plans any good? The union plan sounds great but I have no idea what they pay doctors. I was originally go to get regular Medicare with a part G plan supplement.

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The PPO plan is usually better than your HMO plans but It is preferred Provider, so if the Dr Isn't a provider of that insurance than you will pick up some of the bill or the clinic will say we are not a provider of that insurance. I have plan G, usually take F but I am so happy with it. Never see a bill after one duductible is paid for the year. Barbara

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jenatsky | @jenatsky | Sep 13, 2021
In reply to @johnbishop "Hello @sceman00, Welcome to Connect, an online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hello @sceman00, Welcome to Connect, an online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find support and exchange information with others. I am a Rochester Mayo Clinic patient. I recently read a story about Mayo Clinic's multidisciplinary team approach which I thought best explains how it works.

-- The Mayo Clinic’s team approach saved my life; now I use it to build great software: https://www.scmagazine.com/news/devops/multidisciplinary-teams-saved-my-life-now-i-use-them-to-build-great-software

While a person can self-refer to Mayo Clinic, it can be helpful to have a physician referral, as they can easily transfer clinical findings, reports, etc. If you would like to seek help from Mayo Clinic, contact one of the appointment offices. The contact information for Minnesota, Arizona and Florida can be found here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

@roch and other members may also have some suggestions or information to share with you. Has she tried contacting Mayo Clinic Rochester?

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If you’re a Medicare patient who has straight Medicare coverage you can self refer to any provider who accepts Medicare assignment. Connecting with a nurse coordinator can help direct you to an appropriate Spector program. Yes it is also appropriate to have a referral but it is not always necessary.

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