It suddenly occurred to me to wonder if I need a referral for my breast surgeon appointment next Friday?
I called the Breast Center to ask. I left a message, and someone called me back first thing the next morning. She said from their office's perspective, I am all set. However, she suggested I call my insurance company, since they may require a referral for their own reasons.
I called my insurance company. They confirmed that yes, I do need a referral from my PCP to the breast surgeon. My existing referral (good for 6 visits in 1 year) to see my NP in the Breast Center uses my NP's "NPI number". I will need a separate referral to see the breast surgeon using the breast surgeon's "NPI number".
I called the Breast Center to request the breast surgeon's NPI number.
I called my PCP's referral line to request the referral (also good for 6 appointments in 1 year).
Then I suddenly wondered if I should have had a referral for yesterday's appointment with the genetic counselor.
I called the genetic counselor's office. I felt sheepish when I realized that I had called her direct line, instead of an administrative line. I figured since I had her on the phone, I could ask one question that had occurred to me: If I test positive for genes related to breast cancer, will the results be able to tell me if the gene came from my mother's side or my father's side? The answer is no.
Anyway, she gave me the NPI number for her supervising doctor (a medical oncologist).
Finally, I called my PCP's referral line again. I explained yesterday's unexpected and urgent appointment, and he was able to put in a referral (presumably back-dated) that would cover yesterday's appointment (again, good for 6 visits in 1 year).
What a lot of hassle. I'm not even 100% sure the genetic counseling referral was needed, but I figure better safe than sorry.
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