Question about HMO, zocdoc, referrals, and switching PCP’s.

Hello all, thank you for allowing me to join your community!

I have a question regarding my mother’s insurance and an issue we are having. She is trying to find a PCP that will fill her medicine and do his job, as the current one she has seems to only want to sub her out to specialists. Pain management specialists are SO expensive we can’t do it. I found a doctor I am confident can be her doctor and help her with her meds, but when I go to zoc doc to book.. it says since she has an HMO plan that she needs a physicians refferal, as if it’s a specialist we are gonna see! This doctor she wants to book with is going to be her PCP if it works! So my question is, can I call humana and have them help with this, or do I have to get in touch with the useless doctor she has now and get him to make a referral? I’m really really stressed and worried about my mom. She’s 60 years old and has lung cancer, recovering any way. Fibromyalgia. Severe neck and lower back pain. Arthritis. She’s in tremendous pain, and she’s been on pain meds for years to manage it. She’s nearing her older years of life and I just want her to be HAPPY and comfortable. She went without meds for a few days (doctor would only fill a month and then a half month. We tried to find a pain management specialist but like 90% are out of pocket, and insurance ones just wanna push therapy!). I took her to the ER Sunday and they can only give her 10 pills as it’s state law in Colorado. How do I go about switching her primary care doctor? She had called and set up a consultation appt with a different doc she had recommended to her for the 22nd but she will run out of her meds by then and is already miserable. If I can get this referral thing sorted, I can get her into the new doc by Friday!! Please please please.. does anyone know what I can do? These doctors seem to not understand how incredibly hard it is to live in that level of pain. In addition, withdrawals for someone like her who is honestly frail and just very exhausted all the time.. it’s very dangerous. 🙁 Her current doc doesn’t seem to do anything other than physicals, and its a joke. I really appreciate you guys and sorry for kinda ranting. I’m just so scared and want this nightmare to go away! Info: Her plan is a humana gold plus hmo) She is 60 years of age. She is on disability makes a small monthly income. Some of this info may be irrelevant but I am just following the auto mod haha.

Thank you guys! Sorry if this is worded badly! The stress lately is killing me. I chose “plan benefits” as the tag as I honestly didn’t know what to choose!! I hope that is okay!!