The Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island, California
This is a lovely hibiscus on the grounds of the hotel. This is a different variety than I am accustomed to seeing.
You think I would run out of stuff to complain about. You would be wrong.
I am about to take you into the complicated world of a medical office. During this behind-the-scenes glimpse you will be exposed to strange and exotic names and titles. Do not be embarrassed if these titles are confusing. Try to follow along as best you can. I am typing slowly so that you can absorb this harrowing trip to
The Doctor.
Perhaps you have had this experience. Many people in the medical field believe that they are doing you a favor by dealing with you. After all, you are interrupting them and keeping them from their important medical-related business. And by important medical business I mean things like discussing last night's dinner or their swell/awful wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend. Throw a set of medical scrubs on any random knucklehead and he/she will turn into a tyrant on you. There may be some federal funding available for a study like that. Kind of like the
Stanford Prison Experiment. Hmmm.
Our bodies make a substance called cholesterol or blood sludge. Some of us have too much blood sludge and need medical intervention to remedy the situation. I've taken a cholesterol-lowering drug for some time now and periodically I have to have my blood drawn and tested. I then have a visit with my doctor to get the results.
This past April, I was in the doctor's office for one of these visits. I still had too much of the bad sludge and not enough of the good sort. He upped the dosage of the medicine and told me to give it a few months and come in for another blood test. He needs to make sure that he is not killing my liver.
Last week I called the doctor's office to set up a blood test and follow up visit, as instructed. I explained to the
Medical Appointment Scheduler what I wanted and was given an appointment for my blood test today and the follow up doctor's visit next Thursday. This blood test is a pain because I have to fast for 12 hours, which is inhumane, if you ask me. Plus there is nothing fast about not eating for 12 hours.
With my stomach growling and feeling light-headed I drove 45 minutes in a torrential downpour to get to the doctor's office. I was signed in by the
Medical Receptionist and taken back to the lab for the test.
The
Laboratory Technician looked at a clipboard for some time and finally asked, "Do you have a referral from another doctor for this test?"
"Is this like a loan appliation where I need
two references", I thought?
I explained that the doctor told me to come back in September. The
Laboratory Technician told me that I was not due for another test until October 24th. She left to check with "Grace", returning to tell me to come back in October. Grace turns out to be a
Medical Assistant, and was making the really big medical decisions because my doctor was not in. Medical Assistant is not to be confused with
Physician's Assistant, a job requiring actual medical training. So I am out scout, per Grace,
Medical Assistant.
There may be a valid insurance reason for this decision, but I am not privy to them. It must be on a need-to-know basis and I apparently have no need-to-know. Instead, I was dismissed, banished, sent packing. My time? Not so important. Their decision? Final.
I guess that the time to have straighten this out would have been when they gave me the appointment, not after I showed up. Just a thought.
I also had to have my prescription refilled yesterday and when I called it in to my usual Walgeens Drugstore, the automated system said my doctor would have to authorize the refill. I get this same message every month and every month it takes an extra day to get the refill. This is not a problem unless you wait until you are out of pills to call in the refill. Not that I ever did that.
When I picked the refill up, I suggested to the Steve, the
Certified Pharmacy Technician, he might want to call the doctor and get authorization for several refills, so they don't have to call every month. He suggested that I might try that, after all, I'm merely a patient/customer and he is a
Certified Pharmacy Technician. He is extremely busy telling customers that their insurance won't pay and rolling his eyes.
This morning I talked to Grace
, Medical Assistant, and before I got the bum's rush, was able to explain about the refill problem. She turned to her computer, tapped some keys and announced, "You don't take that drug." We had a "do not, do too", moment before the issue was settled. With a loud, long sigh she picked up the phone and called in 5 additional refills. Gosh, I'm such a bother.
I went seven years (1998-2005) without seeing my doctor and it sure was less complicated than having to see him. Damn old age.
Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong and sometimes just full of it.
Tag:
Daily Life
Personal Finance
Humor
The Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island, California
This is a lovely hibiscus on the grounds of the hotel. This is a different variety than I am accustomed to seeing.
You think I would run out of stuff to complain about. You would be wrong.
I am about to take you into the complicated world of a medical office. During this behind-the-scenes glimpse you will be exposed to strange and exotic names and titles. Do not be embarrassed if these titles are confusing. Try to follow along as best you can. I am typing slowly so that you can absorb this harrowing trip to The Doctor.
Perhaps you have had this experience. Many people in the medical field believe that they are doing you a favor by dealing with you. After all, you are interrupting them and keeping them from their important medical-related business. And by important medical business I mean things like discussing last night's dinner or their swell/awful wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend. Throw a set of medical scrubs on any random knucklehead and he/she will turn into a tyrant on you. There may be some federal funding available for a study like that. Kind of like the Stanford Prison Experiment. Hmmm.
Our bodies make a substance called cholesterol or blood sludge. Some of us have too much blood sludge and need medical intervention to remedy the situation. I've taken a cholesterol-lowering drug for some time now and periodically I have to have my blood drawn and tested. I then have a visit with my doctor to get the results.
This past April, I was in the doctor's office for one of these visits. I still had too much of the bad sludge and not enough of the good sort. He upped the dosage of the medicine and told me to give it a few months and come in for another blood test. He needs to make sure that he is not killing my liver.
Last week I called the doctor's office to set up a blood test and follow up visit, as instructed. I explained to the Medical Appointment Scheduler what I wanted and was given an appointment for my blood test today and the follow up doctor's visit next Thursday. This blood test is a pain because I have to fast for 12 hours, which is inhumane, if you ask me. Plus there is nothing fast about not eating for 12 hours.
With my stomach growling and feeling light-headed I drove 45 minutes in a torrential downpour to get to the doctor's office. I was signed in by the Medical Receptionist and taken back to the lab for the test.
The Laboratory Technician looked at a clipboard for some time and finally asked, "Do you have a referral from another doctor for this test?"
"Is this like a loan appliation where I need two references", I thought?
I explained that the doctor told me to come back in September. The Laboratory Technician told me that I was not due for another test until October 24th. She left to check with "Grace", returning to tell me to come back in October. Grace turns out to be a Medical Assistant, and was making the really big medical decisions because my doctor was not in. Medical Assistant is not to be confused with Physician's Assistant, a job requiring actual medical training. So I am out scout, per Grace, Medical Assistant.
There may be a valid insurance reason for this decision, but I am not privy to them. It must be on a need-to-know basis and I apparently have no need-to-know. Instead, I was dismissed, banished, sent packing. My time? Not so important. Their decision? Final.
I guess that the time to have straighten this out would have been when they gave me the appointment, not after I showed up. Just a thought.
I also had to have my prescription refilled yesterday and when I called it in to my usual Walgeens Drugstore, the automated system said my doctor would have to authorize the refill. I get this same message every month and every month it takes an extra day to get the refill. This is not a problem unless you wait until you are out of pills to call in the refill. Not that I ever did that.
When I picked the refill up, I suggested to the Steve, the Certified Pharmacy Technician, he might want to call the doctor and get authorization for several refills, so they don't have to call every month. He suggested that I might try that, after all, I'm merely a patient/customer and he is a Certified Pharmacy Technician. He is extremely busy telling customers that their insurance won't pay and rolling his eyes.
This morning I talked to Grace, Medical Assistant, and before I got the bum's rush, was able to explain about the refill problem. She turned to her computer, tapped some keys and announced, "You don't take that drug." We had a "do not, do too", moment before the issue was settled. With a loud, long sigh she picked up the phone and called in 5 additional refills. Gosh, I'm such a bother.
I went seven years (1998-2005) without seeing my doctor and it sure was less complicated than having to see him. Damn old age.
Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong and sometimes just full of it.
Tag: Daily Life
Personal Finance
Humor
1 comment:
I passed on the cholesterol lowering drugs, since my doctor didn't recommend them until this year, after they lowered the threshold from 240 to 200. Also my doctor said 95% of people need cholesterol-lowering drugs, which seemeed suspicious to me. I've been taking OTC Cholestoff (made out of plant goo), and my good cholesterol has gone way up.
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