Hi, my GP referred me to an endocrinologist on an urgent basis but that endocrinologist does not have anything available till late September!!! I need to see one ASAP! So, I was wondering if I can find a good endocrinologist myself and make a direct appointment without a GP referral in Melbourne?
You can find and see any endo you like. You will still have to back to your GP for a Referral to this new endo.
make a direct appointment without a GP referral
be prepared to pay a lot for no referral. Most specialists won't see you without referrals.
Get a few other names from your GP and ring, and if it is really urgent, your GP can make it happen. What is the problem that is so urgent anyway?
When I had to see a specialist, who was also unavailable for months, my GP said I could source my own, and just the original referral would be sufficient. This turned out to be the case, and the specialist I ended up seeing just crossed out the original specialist’s name and wrote his own.
Can you call your GP and ask if this would be the case with you?
On a separate note, my BF needs to see an Endo regularly and he has to wait 4-6 weeks each appointment, so you may struggle to see one ASAP
Hi cosmic-Counter – If you GP referred you then the endocrinologist would have read the referral and test results and decided your issue is not as urgent as your GP makes out... IMHO and based on past personal experience GPs tend to panic if they get a bad result from a test that you have had whilst the specialist is a little more level headed
So, I was wondering if I can find a good endocrinologist myself and make a direct appointment without a GP referral in Melbourne?
You can make an appointment, but you will need a referral from your GP. Ring some endo's in your area, find out who has the shortest wait. Make your appointment, then either use the referral for the first guy (if his office will take it), or make a quick appointment with your GP to have a new referral printed up.
that endocrinologist does not have anything available till late September
A 4 week wait to see a specialist is actually not too bad! I had to wait over three months to see the endo I wanted to see – however I chose that endo for a specific reason and her areas of expertise.
As others have said you should be able to ring around if you'd like to try and get in somewhere else sooner, and you may be able to use the same referral your GP gave you.
Hi, my GP referred me to an endocrinologist on an urgent basis
If it was actually really urgent you'd have been sent to hospital/emergency. It's not going to be urgent; it just needs dealt with in a timely manner and can't be forgotten about.
My advice (as someone who has seen many endos), take the first appointment you can get in September and carry on.
based on past personal experience GPs tend to panic if they get a bad result from a test that you have had whilst the specialist is a little more level headed
This.
Yep I've had a GP freak out when a test came back a bit elevated... and I told them it's ok. Things go up and down and as long as it doesn't go too high it's still acceptable if not ideal.
The flip side is I had a specialist GP (yeah weird thing that exists) totally calm and not panic about a genuinely bad result. She just said "let's get that done again before we start looking further into it". Sure enough it was a bad test result the first one. Heh my normal GP would probably have had an aneurysm given the over the top reaction to slightly elevated other results.
not necessarily.
They are not going to let a patient with a significant risk wait that long, they would squeeze them in somewhere (specialists normally reserve some time for urgent matters each day). The fact that the OP is waiting a month means it is likely not as immediately serious as you think.
Hi, my GP referred me to an endocrinologist on an urgent basis
I had an urgent issue too and my gp called the endocrinologist she referred me to and they agreed on what meds to give me. The gp then prescribed them to me to alleviate the condition because it was also a 4 week wait to see the endocrinologist.
Go back to your gp and tell them the issue and if it's really urgent they should be able to expedite things.
Non- urgent cases the patient is holding the referral letter and the specialist would have no idea of the case until arrival and open up the letter.
Urgent case the GP should facilitate the appointment by ringing and explaining the urgency.
Since we don't know OP's condition why OP perceive as urgent, it may not be so.
As many said, 4 weeks is not that bad for general appointment. First consult is "long" and they have to set aside 30-45 minutes for it.
The worse time is if all endo in town has gone to an overseas conference. Like now...
When my GP suspected I was diabetic and I was in serious danger of losing my sight, I got to see my Endo 2 days later.
They maybe busy but I was an emergency patient so they managed to squeeze me in.
As others have said, you should get your GP to make the appointment for you and explain the urgency. They will always squeeze you in if it is critical you see them straight away.
Having elevated levels over the short terms is fine unless you go too high and run the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis.
In the meantime get yourself a blood glucose meter and keep an eye on your levels yourself if you have to. Stay away from sugary things and excess carbs.