I don't hate doctors. I hate the process.
I move small mountains to get a Primary Care Physician who will see me on Election Day, when I have time off, so she can give me a referral for my shoulder, which has hurt for eight months. I couldn't get in with the new doctor for three weeks, because he only sees new patients on Thursdays and because one of those Thursdays was Thanksgiving. I make an appointment for 1:40 today, so I only have to miss two classes that are pretty easy to cover. I get there at 1:35. The nurse calls me in at 2:15 to see the doctor. The doctor looks at me and talks with me for ten minutes, then says I need to get an MRI. The MRI needs insurance approval. They're working on that. I have no idea when I'll be able to have one, but wouldn't be surprised if it were weeks away.
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3 comments:
Sorry your ordeal is so dragged out. I know people knock HMOs, but I have to say that joining Kaiser when I was a city school teacher was the best health care decision I ever made.
I busted up my knee playing raquetball a few years ago. Got in to see the primary care person within two days. Got the referral to the specialist the day of the primary care appointment. Got the MRI the next week and got approval for the arthroscopic surgery to clear out the cartilidge within another week. They paid for a first don-joy brace that I wore out because I used it so much and paid for a second brace.
I think I may have racked up $40 - $50 in co-pays for the entire thing. It was amazing. Again, there are probably people out there with HMO nightmare stories, but I remain a Kaiser fan...
I'm part of an HMO - Optimum Choice. I've just had issue after issue with finding a reliable Primary Care Physician. I think I may have found a good one now, but the referral process has been slow - partly because the HMO only approved for me to go to this doctor's White Marsh facility, and he's only there on Thursdays, and one of the last three Thursdays was Thanksgiving.
Oh well.
I grew up in a house with parents who had HMOs. But in a small town, having an HMO means you call the same doctor you've had for ten years, say, "Doc, my shoulder hurts, could you write me a referral?" and the doctor does that without waiting to get into to see him and then waiting to get into to see the specialist and then waiting to get in to see the next one.
it sounds like all they have to do is get a precertification for the MRI. that should be approved quickly and with any luck they can get you in soon.
when i worked for precertification a gazilion years ago, people used to call it in themselves and we'd approve it. it was a major pain in the ass because most docs won't ask for an MRI without good reason.
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