can he deny me?

Hi all,

I finally have an appointment with my GP next week and i'm wondering... can he refuse to refer me?

I meet the 'need' (from what i've read online) but my GP has been a jerk in the past and i'm wondering: Is it my right as a patient for a referral??

Sorry.. just anxious and nervous.

yes he can, however if you make a good argument and are confident and knowledgable in you request and have done your homework.. he is less likely to.

Agreed, he is unlikely if youa re well informed. However, if you find that he doesn't agree, there is nothing wrong with you approaching a different doctor with the same information and asking them to refer you - even a doctor at a walk-in clinic can make the referral for you!

Hey there.
Yes, he can refuse to refer you. My doctor was a jerk about the whole thing. I'm not real good at confrontation, so after every appt over two years, when i'd ask and he'd refuse, i'd slink away, embarrassed because i was such a failure,  and try to do it on my own.

I finally went behind his back, and made an appt with another doc on the family health team, and got the referral from him.

I think it is your right to ask for a referral. What i would have done, if i were stronger, was stand up for myself and tell him its not his decision to make.

You can also be referred by a nurse practitioner.

Good luck. Let us know how this works out.

Hugs

Mon

i just read the other posts, and i agree, he is less likely to refuse you if you know what you're talking about, but if he's a jerk, he's a jerk. Go in armed with info, but also with the knowledge taht you might have to seek your referral from somewhere else. Eitehr a walk in clinic, or a nurse practitioner.

Sorry to hijack, but what's he saying now, Monica, with such good results?

Hey Sam, actually, there's been some restructuring in his office, and he's no longer my primary care physician, and I haven't seen him around to let him know. i have an appt with my doc tomorrow morning. i'm hoping to run into my old family doc, and show him how healthy i am. His concerns were about the malabsorption and risks to my health that way, not concerned that i wouldnt lose weight.

I do want to see him and just say 'hey, jerk, look at me now!!' lol

Hey Monica, good for you for pursuing it even after he kept telling you no!    Look at where you are sitting now, huh?

Oh, I know that it sounds petty but I so hope that you run into him just so that you can strut your stuff and let him see how well you're doing today!!! 

Deb

oh deb, i am so ready to run into him today (have an appt with my new doc today, but he's in the same office). I look freaking awesome.

you are your own ADVOCATE..if you can't get him to see things your way..then find someone else....