Just wondering if anyone knows if I have to be referred to an endo or can I go to one that is listed on the doctor search site as accepting new patients?
I'm from Ontario, and as far as I know you need a referral from your family doctor because he or she will outline the problem and basically explain why the endocrinologist needs to see you.
I would get the names of a few endocrinologists that are listed as accepting new patients and give those names to your doctor. Your doctor may also have endocrinologist he or she regularly refers patients to. Hope this helps!
__________________
Dx'd Oct 2008 & started alternative medicine route after stopping bc pill in June.
Current regimen:
ADHS Dietary Supplement
Testo Quench (w/ Saw Palmetto)
Spearmint tea - 2-3 cups/day
Cinnamon in unsweetened soy milk
No grains, dairy, alcohol, sugar & salt
30 min. cardio & strength training every other day
Yoga once a week
1 week in: acne clearing up, chronic dandruff GONE!, and ovulated for the first time in I don't remember.
No a referral is not actually required for a person to see a specialist(and for those of you that will blast me for saying no, make sure sure you continue reading my post to see the but that follows)
But...
good luck actually getting a doctor to see you without one.
A referral is NOT required to see a specialist in this country, however one is required for the physician to bill the government for your visit.
All provinces have a fee schedule that doctors have to follow. Most specialists have a much larger margin of money that they can charge for visits, without the referral a specialist can only charge the basic fees for a GP. It doesn't matter how much a doctor cares about their patients, no specialized doctor in their right mind will take a paycut for seeing a patient with out a referral. $$$ makes the world go round, and the healthcare system is no different.
If you don't have a family physician to refer you, any doctor(including those at walk in clinics) can do the referral for you. Often doctor's offices are more up to date(than even the college of physicians and surgeons) and can get things arranged for you quite easily. If you find the wait is too long, make sure you request to be put on the endocrinologist's waiting list.
Good Luck!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Appointment times with any doctor can vary.
However, this question might be better asked under one of the Alberta posts.
Call and ask to be put on their cancellation list. It should take some time off your wait.
Good Luck!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Do I have to be referred to an Endocrinologist? 
Even a nurse practitioner can refer you, but they won't take that referral either, because they make less for it. It's sad, but true.
