Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Doctor yourself - the follow-up

I now have my oncologist's personal phone number.
My MUGA scan is set for Monday.
Office procedures are going to be reevaluated.
My switch to a new oncologist is on hold for one week to see if things improve.
My wig pre-authorization is finally in progress. (It took a month)
And, I have a note authorizing me to continue my medical leave.

It took the help of my insurance company to resolve it. I contacted them, and a very helpful lady named Susan tried to get through with me on a conference call. She waited on hold for nearly an hour and told me that it was completely unacceptable. I agree.

This led to my doctor calling me back and giving me his cell number, and an apology for overlooking the test, which he agreed I should have had.

I told him that things happen, and I can understand the oversight but not being able to reach anybody in the office to be able to correct it was the biggest problem. Again, he agreed and mentioned that it was an ongoing problem that cropped up now and then. I warned him that I'm not a needy patient but I'm not calling the office again, especially if this is a common problem, so he may be hearing from me about something stupid - like a wig pre-auth. He agreed to that too.

The moral of the story: Don't be afraid to speak up! And, call your insurance company if you have any problems - they are more helpful then you might think.

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