[wakegirl]

as part of a research paper on universal health care i need some information from various countries as well as from within the united states. i thought i would focus on the ability to attain specalized care in the field of pain management and figured that the best place to get honest answers is from patients themselves. if you have the time could you please answer the following questions
1)where do you reside
2)how long did it take for you to see a physician who could and was willing to provide adequate long term care
3)how long does it take for approval for procedures (mri, catscan, bone scan, blocks)
4)if for some reason you have to go to the emergency room for care how long does it take to go through the visit process (be taken to a bed, seen by a physician, recieve care, and head home)
5)are there a lot of options to chose from when deciding on a pain specialist
6)did you find it challenging to become a patient of a physician who was willing to provide opiods
7)have you ever traveled to a different country for care, and if so why

thanks in advance
there is a great deal of argument and confusion about the success of universal (social) healthcare in other countries and this uncertainty has a tendency to allow the government to justify the reasoning that it wont work in this country. i live in a fairly small county and a current proposal is to attempt on some level universal care.

[nancy-h]

1)where do you reside (Nevada, USA)
2)how long did it take for you to see a physician who could and was willing to provide adequate long term care (2 weeks)
3)how long does it take for approval for procedures (mri, catscan, bone scan, blocks) (1-2 days)
4)if for some reason you have to go to the emergency room for care how long does it take to go through the visit process (be taken to a bed, seen by a physician, recieve care, and head home) (4-6 hours)
5)are there a lot of options to chose from when deciding on a pain specialist (Usually only in larger cities, populations of 100,000 or more)
6)did you find it challenging to become a patient of a physician who was willing to provide opiods (Not at all)
7)have you ever traveled to a different country for care, and if so why (N0)

. . .and good luck to you!

Nancy-H

[sharky]

1)where do you reside
Northwest Usa
2)how long did it take for you to see a physician who could and was willing to provide adequate long term care
about 1 month dr was booked
3)how long does it take for approval for procedures (mri, catscan, bone scan, blocks)
if you can pay or insurance covers fast ( 1 day to a 1 week
4)if for some reason you have to go to the emergency room for care how long does it take to go through the visit process (be taken to a bed, seen by a physician, receive care, and head home)
lol... not me but mom ... about 6 hours
5)are there a lot of options to chose from when deciding on a pain specialist
my were all just reg specialist drs... last pain specialist was military 10 yrs ago
6)did you find it challenging to become a patient of a physician who was willing to provide opiods
He was willing to file disabilty papers the day he met me ... he offered but I didnt feel I needed them... I use some for breathing issues ... the reg drs and urgent cares here try NOT to give opiods
7)have you ever traveled to a different country for care, and if so why
no

[fiberowendy2000]

1)where do you reside (Massachusetts, USA)

2)how long did it take for you to see a physician who could and was willing to provide adequate long term care (3 years)

3)how long does it take for approval for procedures (mri, catscan, bone scan, blocks) (immediately)

4)if for some reason you have to go to the emergency room for care how long does it take to go through the visit process (be taken to a bed, seen by a physician, recieve care, and head home) (2-3 hours)

5)are there a lot of options to chose from when deciding on a pain specialist (no only in Boston)

6)did you find it challenging to become a patient of a physician who was willing to provide opiods (yes, still don't have one)

7)have you ever traveled to a different country for care, and if so why (no)

Good luck on your research.