Originally Posted by Oink

People deride the US system but the only time I've needed an MRI, I saw the doctor around 10ish the morning and had the MRI and hour later and it only took that long because they didn't have one at that medical centre where my GP was so I had to go across the town to have it done.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

Yes, plenty thanks, but as the US healthcare system is substantially privately funded I don't see the relevance to this thread.

I can't control the per capita cost, but I can control what comes out of my pocket, and that is less than $3,000 per annum for my family, $3,000 in total - insurance, copays & deductibles, plus prescriptions. We also benefit from significantly lower taxes than I paid in the UK (total taxes, that is - income, property, and sales/VAT, and including health care costs as a de facto tax). Apparently many people are not very good at managing their relationship with the healthcare system in the US.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

In the US there is no unemployment pay in most states (unemployment pay is provided by states, not the federal government) except to the extent that you have "paid in to the system", so young people don't get it, and it runs out for most people after just a few months (less than a year). Social housing is extremely limited, even if you have young children - I knew a young woman who had two children, one listed as disabled (autistic) and she was on a waiting list for over a year to get any housing assistance. Another couple, both of them disabled couldn't even get onto the waiting list!

In short, life sucks if you're poor in the US, but not having health insurance is far from the only problem the poor face.

Originally Posted by Stinkypup

I was originally going to try and multiquote, but then lost the will to live-I will read up exactly how one can do this for next time!
This might fit say when patients go private in the UK-relieving the NHS of the space to be used up but not in Canada. I didn't suggest it was anything to do with customer loyalty, when we get faxes about walk-in clinic attendances, we can't ignore them, we actually have to act on them to ensure that these patients don't slip through the net-we haven't been able to assess these patients ourselves and often they see a walk-in clinic doctor for about 2 min. and then turfed out of the door-we are often left to pick up the pieces. I would agree that patients need to be able to access care, no one should be denied this but they don't always get equivalent care if they attend a walk-in clinic versus a GP office.

Originally Posted by Jsmth321

..... I've never lived in a state that didn't have unemployment so no idea it didn't exist everywhere.

Originally Posted by Stinkypup

I am not sure how your GP can request an MRI scan covered by MSP-this doesn't make sense-we cannot do it and I cannot see how he can. RICH you are presuming that you will have to see an orthopedic specialist. 95% of rotator cuff problems are dealt with without needing any surgical intervention nor orthopedic assessment. I find it surprising that your GP did not suggest physiotherapy input as per worldwide guidelines which cover rotator cuff/soft tissue shoulder injuries.
If after a trial of fairly aggressive physiotherapy there was no improvement then as you run your own business, I would seriously consider getting a private MRI scan so that you can function.Yes it is irritating and expensive but it may save money in the long run. An early MRI scan will ensure that an early complete tear of a rotator cuff can then be referred on urgently if surgery is anticipated. I have to say that this happens incredibly infrequently though. Typically there are partial tears which are not dealt with by any surgical intervention.
As I think Bristol said, and I would agree with we can and often do pick up the phone and talk to a specialist ourselves if we felt that there was urgent need and get you seen typically very quickly once they have the information. You would not need to wait another two years.

Originally Posted by R I C H

I don't know how the referral process is supposed to work, but I have a suspected neuroma in my foot that my GP diagnosed 5 months ago. He said I'd need an MRI to confirm. I've seen nobody else since then and have the MRI scheduled for Feb 22nd.

Regarding my shoulder, nothing has been offered. He suggested seeing him again next month if the pain hadn't improved. I've presumed nothing, just taken his word and advice.

Originally Posted by Stinkypup

Re the MRI scans, I have delved deeper and it seems that we can now request MRI scans on joints though not spines, organs- liver pancreas etc) I never knew that- nice of them to tell us!!

Re your shoulder, you are clearly having problems, you need physio- I wouldn't hang around and wait til you see your GP- you may well need him however to write a note for your treatment to be covered on the presumption that you have an extended benefits plan

Originally Posted by Stinkypup

It would make sense to increase the hours so scans were done in the evenings and weekends- not sure about overnight- often is a bugger to get into hospitals at night (security is quite rightly tight.)In the UK, in Cambridge they leased out MRI scanners in the evenings to vets and dogs were getting them !! The hospital got well paid for it and the "patients" only left a few "gifts" around the corridors of the hospital!

I'm not sure whether having a large health authority would make it any easier- each area has it's own unique set of problems.

We really need one here in Vernon, our nearest is about 50km in Kelowna and like anywhere else takes forever. The advantage of MRIs is that they don't irradiate the patients like CT scans - I worry about the number of CT scans some of my patients get when they go in and out of the ER - we don't need street lighting here when they leave the building!

Oh and why no avatar?- get Charlee something to wear- I would never dress my dog up though

Originally Posted by Oink

How much are they? $500k? You should ask your local Legion or Rotary club to do a meat raffle or a sponsored karaoke.

Originally Posted by Stinkypup

It would make sense to increase the hours so scans were done in the evenings and weekends- not sure about overnight- often is a bugger to get into hospitals at night (security is quite rightly tight.)In the UK, in Cambridge they leased out MRI scanners in the evenings to vets and dogs were getting them !! The hospital got well paid for it and the "patients" only left a few "gifts" around the corridors of the hospital!

I'm not sure whether having a large health authority would make it any easier- each area has it's own unique set of problems.

We really need one here in Vernon, our nearest is about 50km in Kelowna and like anywhere else takes forever. The advantage of MRIs is that they don't irradiate the patients like CT scans - I worry about the number of CT scans some of my patients get when they go in and out of the ER - we don't need street lighting here when they leave the building!

Oh and why no avatar?- get Charlee something to wear- I would never dress my dog up though

Originally Posted by Stinkypup

Re the MRI scans, I have delved deeper and it seems that we can now request MRI scans on joints though not spines, organs- liver pancreas etc) I never knew that- nice of them to tell us!!

Re your shoulder, you are clearly having problems, you need physio- I wouldn't hang around and wait til you see your GP- you may well need him however to write a note for your treatment to be covered on the presumption that you have an extended benefits plan

Originally Posted by Oink

Man walks in to a doctors office and says "Doctor, I feel like a pack of cards."
Doctor replies, "I deal with you later."