Fwd: Know What: Referrals to a Specialist

[Guest guest]

Just got this email- thought it might be helpful to some of you starting out!

' Mom

rella1234@... ()

From: knowwhat@...

Subject: Know What: Referrals to a Specialist

Date: Thursday, March 21, 2002

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Here is today's Know What topic:

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Referrals to a Specialist

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When should your child see a specialist? Unfortunately, for some children, it is

only when your doctor or insurance company says that you can.

Personally, I think that there are two main reasons for a child to get a

referral to a specialist. The first reason is because I, as their Pediatrician,

think they should. It may be that I don't know what is wrong with the child, or

I know what is wrong and he just needs a specialist's care for further

management.

The second reason is because a parent thinks that their child should see a

specialist. It may be that you are uncomfortable with what your Pediatrician has

said or you may just want a second opinion.

For example, you may have a child that has had a lot of ear infections, say 6 or

9 in the past year, but you have a doctor that 'doesn't believe in tubes' and

won't send you to a specialist. In this case, since many other doctors would

think that ear tubes were indicated, a second opinion or referral to a

specialist would be a good idea. In contrast, I recently saw a patient who has

had a lot of ear infections in the past month. Since spring was coming and he

was getting older and would be less likely to get more infections, I didn't

recommend that he get tubes. The mother thought he might need them though, so I

referred him to an ENT specialist for a second opinion.

So what should you do if your Pediatrician doesn't offer to send you to a

specialist? The first thing is to simply ask if you can get a referral. If you

explain that you would be more comfortable getting a second opinion, I think

that most Pediatricians will give you the referral. At the very least, you could

ask your Pediatrician to call a specialist on the phone and discuss the case

further with them.

What if your Pediatrician refuses? Depending on your insurance, you may just be

able to get an appointment yourself. Your other options are changing

Pediatricians, or appealing to your insurance company.

Even if you don't need a referral, it is usually a good idea to ask your

Pediatrician for one anyway. That way you can be sure to see someone that your

Pediatrician knows and trusts.

What type of specialist should you see? In most cases, you should try to see a

Pediatric specialist, for example a Pediatric Neurologist if you toddler has

seizures instead of a general Neurologist. Pediatric specialists have special

training in taking care of the problems of children and many, except for

surgical specialists, are also Pediatricians.

For more information:

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[Guest guest]

Thanx ! Good advice!

Kendra

Fwd: Know What: Referrals to a Specialist

Just got this email- thought it might be helpful to some of you starting out!' MomFor more plagio info