Bonfire of the Goddesses
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Today, the ENTIRE front desk of my oncologist's office is going in! Sorry, ladies. Six months ago, when I asked how many visits I had left, I was assured I had one visit. Not! I had one visit, but the damn referral EXPIRED. So last month when I was getting my Lupron, I asked how many visits were left and they told me THREE. It didn't occur to me to ask when the damn referral expires. SURPRISE! Today, while 3,000 miles away from home and nary a thought about Monday's Lupron shot, I get a call that, you guessed it...my referral needs to be renewed before my shot on Monday. Are they kidding me or what? I told the secretary, "You know, you folks did this to me the last time and I specifically asked last month how many visits I had left." Told them to call my doctor and get the referral, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Burn, burn, burn. Their brains are toast anyway!
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voraciousreader - I have never heard of a time limit on a referral. That is stupid and then for some incompetent person to not let you know that well in advance - unacceptable. They are gonna burn for a long time.
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I would like to toss in a couple of my students whoare doing extremely stupid things that are putting their livelihood in jeopardy....stupid stupid!!!and it is sappy my energy too. come on ...get it together!
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Sandee, Don't know what to make of it. Are they scheduling you for an MRI after your mammo and telling you it's going to take 4 months before you can get an appointment? If that's the case start pushing insurance buttons. Ask for the cancer case manager of your case. Someone has been assigned. Tell them you want to speak directly to them. Tell/ask them to get it scheduled----someplace sooner than that. Allot happens when you are proactive with honey in your voice. My sister would MF everyone. With insurance once you point out that if a delay in dx is going to cost them allot more money in the long run b/c an earlier intervention could have prevented a greater expenditure of money they listen.
My insurance company realized this a long time ago and assigns a nurse case manager to each case. They then contact their patients. I signed a consent that she could access my records and contact whomever to facilitate whatever problem, I brought to her. She then ran the gauntlet of problems to be solved with scheduling etc. She was an amazing ear--- in listening to the foul-ups and then helping to troubleshoot things. It's hard for me to conceive how my husband and I would have gotten through things without both are coaches(thats what we called them).
The insurance companies are very interested in "Quality and Outcome" What they do internally is monitor customer complaints and if they track providers as not providing quality level work for their patients which leads to a better outcome-----they will knock them off their list of providers. But unless we as a consumer don't keep them in the loop of what ought to be being done, they don't know that there is a problem. So, our trump card is to involve our insurance company. Providers --meaning docs/ hospitals/freestanding diagnostic centers etc. are dependent on insurance carriers for reimbursement. So, when we as individuals can't get what we need from our providers------the insurance companies can.
Here's the language to use when calling the insurance company. "I would like to talk to the nurse case manager" if they say thats impossible, Then say has there not been a nurse case manager (NCM)assigned to my case?"-----no----then "I'm making a specific request that an oncologyNCM be assigned immediately and I expext a response from you within minimum 2 work days.If this doesn't occur I will go up the chain or please may I speak to your supervisor now." Does shorten things up abit -----why wait 24-48 hours when the supe can have it accomplished in short order.----sheila
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VR. the above also applies to your problem. Yes, each insurance company puts on a referral how long it's good for and if tx after that is needed, the provider needs to send another request and justification ----Standing Modis Operandi----Standard operating procedure. An efficient center will do this without constantly being asked. You can call your insurance company and ask when the referral date expires.-----Obviously you shouldn't have too, but I learned to check on everything. I had one doc that documented in three sets of office notes that something had been submitted for insurance approval. I checked with the insurance and there had never been a request submitted. Changed doc's---sheila-----------------Let him burn too!!!!!!!!!! he lied three times or was negligent on follow thru, but kept telling me it was insurance problem-------well what can insurance do if the proper paper work is not submitted
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re tamoxifen side effects: i just sent a private message to myself ??!! what the..!! needed to share that...into the fire with vagueness...if thats a word lol..
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That's Life ---what a hoot I can see you trying to figuire out why you were reading what you just received. LOL --Please not mocking, I have been their. One time I was holding another nurses phone and forgot it was in my pocket. A patient wanted her called . I did. The phone in my pocket rang. Forgetting it was her phone i said "hello this is sheila" to myself on the other end. LOL's
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lol sas..exactly, i was wondering how the other person responded so quickly..ha ha..here's another one, which i put on the 'chemo brain' thread, though i havent had chemo...i thanked the ATM at the shopping center when it rolled out my money...out loud...god help me lol
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Well maybe Nancy remembers this one too. It was a very hectic day --pocket phone ringing and ringing. I put it away, put my stethoscope to my patients chest and said "hello this is sheila" I'm even laughing as I write it. OMG.. My patient was confused so she didn't get it.
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LOL LOL LOL! that is hilarious sas
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ive actually got tears coming out of my eyes from that visual sas LOL
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Okay one more-----we had glucose monitors that had the look of cell phones. I put the cell phone in my pocket. Wanted to make another call right away---awaiting a return call ----started dialing the glucose monitor. Oh my-----LOL's and roll over!!!!!!!!
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Believe it or not I was a resource nurse for problems LOL
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my daughter just called out 'mum, you're weird, why are you laughing so much?'...
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Oh thank you guys haven't laughed this much -----in awhile.
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One time as a young CNA around 1969 I was humming the Joni Mitchell song while I was giving this very old woman a bath and it came to the line that said "To say i love you right out loud" for some reason I sang that line out loud. My patient looks at me and so sweetly said "Thank you". It took me a moment to put it together as to sequence. But the look on her face was so wonderful. A wonderful mistake. sheila
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this one happened last week, and my excuse is that i was on my way to my onc appointment so slightly more preoccupied than usual...i drove into the petrol station and pulled up at the pump, got out realised that the hose wouldnt reach to the tank as cap was on other side shut the cap, got back in, drove around in a circle and parked on the other side, realised that the cap was on the wrong side again, drove around to the first side again, same problem, thought "am i going mad?"..got out and went in to the servo guy and said "sorry, youre going to think im mad, but i cant work out how to get the tank side lined up with the pump??"..he laughed, and said 'drive forward, and reverse in to the other side'.........i said 'thanks, sorry', laughed...god help us, oh to think clearly again
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That's life_______that visual is priceless-----may be we should start a show
I went to a gas station one time specifically to get the car wash extra with a fill up. I forget now which i forgot to get . it was either the gas or the wash. They honored whichever when I came back the next day. Well at least now I can blame it all on chemo/ traumatic brain injury/mutiple anesthesia/ brain tumor----------frankly, it looks like it's always been there LOL. I do like to able to use one of the four as an excuse
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Actually, Nancy I wish I had kept a diary of the funny /the heart tugging stories/ etc. You can't make this stuff up. It's life
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my message inbox still says i have one new message, which is from me, i have tried to 'read' it, i have tried to delete it, its still there...?? any ideas on how to get rid of it?
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TL-------no just treasure it------it'll make you laugh or smile each time--------sheila
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true sas, im still chuckling at your hilarious moments, and it will remind me of that, thanks.
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Tl and Nancy I think I like the stethoscope one the best, I really should send it to readers digest
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Nancy the visual--------one phone one each ear waiting for the answer and then me answering her phone OMG If anyone had that on camera
TL. Yes talking to the ATM. In each case were looking around going did anyone see or hear that, but they are way to funny to keep inside.
Found another one----------you have to visualize Tim Conway doing it. Time period smoking was allowed in the hospital throughout.
A friend with a recent Gallbladder removal walking down the hallway with an IV and bladder cath on the pole. Shuffling along, this beautiful woman pops out of her room in a black babydoll nighty --see through---And says"do you have a light". Friend says "no but I can get one"---Turns and shuffles back to his room at great shuffling speed. He gets back and she's gone. --------In that time period I often thought about sending it to Conway ----he would have been perfect for the part.
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Nancy -----so happy you could see Tim doing it. He and Korman were so great together. And Korman's cracking up during the middle of a skit which just got Tim going even more. So, wish they had them on reruns. How many young ones who missed there humor and many of the old ones. Abbot and Costello's "Who's on first" The first time I said that to someone and they had never heard of A&C. Lost to history. ----------------------Glad your still laughing about the phones! I had one gal I worked with, didn't get it that I would tell such stories about myself --her intimation was that I should be embarrassed----okay she's in the fire---------no sense of humor.----sheila
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I LOVE LUCY------------only a distant future historian will figuire out why she has sustained and the others haven't. Jack Benny, George and Gracie, A&C, Marx brother's . May be it does have to do with the fact that LUcy always made her self the focus of the joke. Interesting. vs doing the joke. Don't know , but I do miss them all. What was nice is they all could do a joke without foul words.and toilet bowl humor. Anyways way to serious now for 2:21 in the morning -----Thanks for the Memories(how could we have forgotten him)-----sheila
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Nancy and TL that was way too much fun wish every night was like this one---------errrrrr am for me it's now 5:39---------guess i forgot about sleep... Hope we can do this again somrtime Sheila
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sas, it was fun..i saw that you are still on lol..its 7.40 pm here in australia, i was going to chat to you but thought i shouldnt distract you from going to bed...oh well, maybe you can watch the dawn..:)
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or when i have nights where i cant sleep, i think 'well i'll just lie here and listen to the dawn', next minute im zzzzz hope you get some
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OMG you guys. I just had surgery, it hurts to laugh--pulls on the stitches. I'm just sitting here holding on to my stomach and laughing out loud.
You're right the bonfire is magical. I do feel a lot better throwing something on it then letting go of the anger
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