How do I change NHS midwife (UK)?
I'm not really happy with the information given by the midwife at my Doctor's surgery and desperate to change. However, when I spoke to the doctor about this, I was told that she is the only midwife at that surgery and if I want to see anyone else I have to change doctors. This would mean changing GP, Surgery location and a lot of effort. Also, she warned it could cause a gap in my antenatal care. Is this correct? Who else can I ask if I want to change? Is there any way of being referred to another midwife at another surgery without actually having to change where I am registered? Or even a midwife at the hospital? I would really prefer not to have to start seeing another GP, it's just the midwife thing that's an issue. Please note that I live in the UK and this is a question about the NHS - we are allocated midwives rather than having a choice. Thanks for any help you can give!
How long does it take to get CT scan results?
By ‘results’, I am assuming you mean the ‘radiologist interpretation of the images’. Modern CT scanners have remarkable hardware that allows them to generate the images from the acquired detector data extremely fast and the images are available for viewing on the CT console within a minute or two. There may be multiple acquisitions and some reconstruction of the different views. There needs to be some quality control of the images by the technologist, and then the images are sent to a Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS) where they can be interpreted by a radiologist. Typical would be 5–7 minutes after the completion of scan.As for radiologist interpretation, it depends, typically on urgency. An acute stroke protocol CT in an Acute Stroke Center might be interpreted within 5 minutes of being available including a phone or electronic notification of result to the ordering physician. A regular ED study at night, absent on-site radiologist, might be given a preliminary interpretation by the ED physician within 20–30 minutes of completion while it is sent to a teleradiology company for a radiologist interpretation (preliminary or final) within 45 - 60 minutes or so. In an ED with radiology residents on on-site radiologists, final interpretations might be within 30–60 minutes. Inpatient CT studies might be interpreted within 2–4 hours. Routine outpatient CT studies might be interpreted on average in 12 - 18 hours with many sites shooting for no longer than 24 hours, though there is still significant variance in this. Of course, marking any study ASAP or STAT bumps up its priority with concomitant reduction in turn around time.Once the study is interpreted, there may be some delay before you, the patient sees it. Many institutions delay the release of lab and imaging results for 2–4 days to allow the ordering healthcare provider time to review the results before the patient sees the results. The provider can (and often will) release the results earlier upon review.
How can I get a FREE MRI scan?
Sorry, but nothing in this world is free. The only time I can think of that a MRI would be free to a patient would be if you had a workman's comp case. Has a doctor told you that you require a MRI scan? Sometimes, a MRI is not needed to diagnose a problem or help set up a treatment plan. If you do really need a MRI, and you live in the states, here are some ideas. My best advice would be to look in your local yellow pages, and make calls for estimated costs at facilities in your area. Prices will vary depending on which state you are in....in fact, the prices can vary quite a bit between facilities in the same area. I work in a free standing imaging center, and we charge about half what the hospital (located in the same town!) charges. Look in the yellow pages under "x-ray" or "physicians - radiologist" and start calling facilities. If you call the imaging department of a hospital, make sure you get both the technical fee (for the cost of the procedure) and the professional fee (for the radiologist's reading). Most free standing imaging centers combine those costs into one fee. Other things to think about.....find out if the facility offers a cash discount for uninsured patients. Where I work, we offer 40% off the cost of CTs and MRIs for uninsured patients, if they pay the total on the day of service. Also, find out if they can make a payment plan for you, if you cannot come up with all of the money at the time of your procedure. We ask for 25% down at time of service, and then we do a payment plan, mapping out monthly payments for the balance. Sometimes the monthly payment is fairly low.....$50 even. A little bit of research can save you some money!
Why do you love the NHS?
My mum was really ill with sceptizimia a few months ago they gave her a quick diagnosis and kept her in the hospital for 4 weeks until the infection had gone,she is also required to go for regular weekly check ups and is now completely better. I can't imagine us been able to afford the health-care she recieved if we had the american privatised all profit system,especially in a recession. God bless the NHS envy of the world and one of the very few things our country has kept on the right path.
How do I overcome claustrophobic fears of MRI's and Pet Scans?
I have experienced this before. I had to get a 1 hr. PET scan last month to see if my cancer treatment worked, but I ended up having a full blown panic attack and made them stop it. My family came with me, so I was able to talk to them and they were able to sit in the room with me during the scan...but I still was nervous. I try to do deep breathing to slow my heart rate down...clearly it didn't work. I brought an ipod to listen to my music, but that didn't help either. I would try to take relaxing deep breaths, think good thoughts, try and close your eyes and take a nap if you can. If none of that works, you might want to ask your doctor to give you an Ativan or Xanax to keep you calm.
American Healthcare vs British Healthcare?
So to start this off I want to say that I don't want this to turn into some "We're better than you" thing...we all know British think they are better than American's and American's think they are better than British (even if they don't admit it) so just ignore that. I want to hear what you think honestly, taking into consideration BOTH sides of it!! The NHS is a mess...we all know that. Alternatively, the US healthcare system is also failing in many ways! What do you think makes one better/worse? Or do you think that they each have their fair share of good and bad aspects? Some links I looked at: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkkqyE0JGJq3wwSAlbeqBtcjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070406193742AAG3EJL http://www.honestmedicine.com/2007/07/michael-moores-.html http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=482678 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/health/2006/inside_the_nhs/default.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States