Monday, March 12, 2012
oh and,
I should also add, for those of you who haven't heard - None of the clinical trials really worked out. I am just too healthy. Really, they have a minimum requirement for tumor size, and I don't meet it. So, since I am not about to complain having tumors that are too small, I am trying to live my life and not worry about it. If the clinical trials are good, they will still be there when I need them.
March 12. aarrrrgggg!
So, today's post is going to be long, whiny, and frustrated. But, it will reflect my mood, so here goes.
After my last appointment, at my doc's recommendation, I decided to try and get a second opinion from another respected research hospital (we'll call them RRH for the time being). I didn't think it would be terribly hard. Boy, was I wrong.
Jan 24th - I started by calling RRH. They sent me some paperwork. Which I thought I'd fill out and returned (including my insurance information), get an appointment for a second opinion, and the rest would be history. For the record, I filled it out and returned it the same day.
Jan 25 to Feb 26th - I play phone tag with Missy, an oncology appointment specialist. She asks for paperwork, I get it sent to her, she claims it is the wrong stuff. repeat this several times. Keep in mind that she has my insurance info since Jan 25th. Eventually, she just stops returning my phone calls and emails.
Feb 26th - I email my radiation oncologist to ask for his help getting an appointment at RRH. He returns the email within 24 hrs saying "No problem."
March 5th - I get a call from Linda, a different oncology appointment specialist from RRH. She has none of the paper work that I sent Missy, and she wants a completely different set, but she is very specific and tells me how to get all of the info I need, so I'm ok with that. I get an appointment set up with an oncologist for March 16th. I make roughly half a million phone calls, and fill out at least a quarter million forms, and return them. This process takes hours, and at least one hospital employee is unacceptably rude! But I got it all done, and although I was nervous about what this new doc would say, I was hopeful.
March 9th - (as you read this, keep in mind that RRH has had my insurance info since Jan 24th) Linda calls me and informs me that RRH doesn't take my insurance, and if I keep the appointment, I'll have to pay $$$$. Upset, I cancel the appointment. After thinking about it for a while, I decide to call up my insurance and see what the problem is, but it will have to wait until after the weekend, since it seems all these hospital types like calling with bad news on Friday afternoons.
March 12th (today) - good enough to go minute by minute:
9:30 I call the insurance company
9:32 I say the wrong thing to the voice recognition system and can't figure out how to go up a level in the menu. Hang up.
9:33 swear, take a deep breath and try again.
9:34 call insurance company again. go through voice recognition system again.
9:36 talk to a live human being! (known as Chris) explain situation.
9:37 Chris puts me on hold
9:41 Chris says there is no way around it. I say "are you sure" and ask more questions. Somewhere in the course of this conversation, Chris adds this gem: "I've never dealt with anything like this before." sigh.
9:42 Chris puts me on hold again.
9:45 Chris comes back and says, well, there is this one thing that might work. Chris gives me a list of hoops. (in a nice change they are for my PCP to jump through.)
9:47 hang up.
9:48 call PCP number listed on insurance card to ask about hoops. Get told this is the main office and not the doctor's office. get correct phone number
9:50 call PCP office at the new number. listen to all options. decide to pick option 3 (mostly at random). explain hoops to person who picks up. they say "ummm, let me check." they put me on hold.
9:52 they come back and have a list of hoops for me to jump through before they will jump through their hoops. I need to call Linda at RRH and have them jump through some hoops.
9:54 call Linda to ask about hoops. No answer. left voicemail.
10:27 Linda calls back. Not willing to jump through hoops. (specifically, even if I get my insurance to cover my appointment, they will not accept insurance money, or even talk to my insurance company, and I will be responsible for full payment at time of service.)
10:28. Kick ottoman. Foot hurts.
I am planning to switch my insurance when I can (as long as it will still cover treatments for this stupid cancer) as soon as I can, but that will be January at the earliest. For now, there are no other research hospitals (Except UPMC) that are covered by my insurance, so I'm going to hold off on the second opinion for now. If and when I finally get that second opinion, it will NOT be RRH. They have annoyed me for the last time!
For the record, I'm not giving up, I'm just postponing for now. I have better things to focus on than trying to fight with insurance and hospitals. It just isn't worth the aggravation. To give you an idea how I am handling this, Friday after work, I paid a bunch of bills. When I got my mail today, they were all there. I forgot to put stamps on all of them!
Following the example of generations of women in my family, when things get tough, I bake. Anybody want some brownies?
After my last appointment, at my doc's recommendation, I decided to try and get a second opinion from another respected research hospital (we'll call them RRH for the time being). I didn't think it would be terribly hard. Boy, was I wrong.
Jan 24th - I started by calling RRH. They sent me some paperwork. Which I thought I'd fill out and returned (including my insurance information), get an appointment for a second opinion, and the rest would be history. For the record, I filled it out and returned it the same day.
Jan 25 to Feb 26th - I play phone tag with Missy, an oncology appointment specialist. She asks for paperwork, I get it sent to her, she claims it is the wrong stuff. repeat this several times. Keep in mind that she has my insurance info since Jan 25th. Eventually, she just stops returning my phone calls and emails.
Feb 26th - I email my radiation oncologist to ask for his help getting an appointment at RRH. He returns the email within 24 hrs saying "No problem."
March 5th - I get a call from Linda, a different oncology appointment specialist from RRH. She has none of the paper work that I sent Missy, and she wants a completely different set, but she is very specific and tells me how to get all of the info I need, so I'm ok with that. I get an appointment set up with an oncologist for March 16th. I make roughly half a million phone calls, and fill out at least a quarter million forms, and return them. This process takes hours, and at least one hospital employee is unacceptably rude! But I got it all done, and although I was nervous about what this new doc would say, I was hopeful.
March 9th - (as you read this, keep in mind that RRH has had my insurance info since Jan 24th) Linda calls me and informs me that RRH doesn't take my insurance, and if I keep the appointment, I'll have to pay $$$$. Upset, I cancel the appointment. After thinking about it for a while, I decide to call up my insurance and see what the problem is, but it will have to wait until after the weekend, since it seems all these hospital types like calling with bad news on Friday afternoons.
March 12th (today) - good enough to go minute by minute:
9:30 I call the insurance company
9:32 I say the wrong thing to the voice recognition system and can't figure out how to go up a level in the menu. Hang up.
9:33 swear, take a deep breath and try again.
9:34 call insurance company again. go through voice recognition system again.
9:36 talk to a live human being! (known as Chris) explain situation.
9:37 Chris puts me on hold
9:41 Chris says there is no way around it. I say "are you sure" and ask more questions. Somewhere in the course of this conversation, Chris adds this gem: "I've never dealt with anything like this before." sigh.
9:42 Chris puts me on hold again.
9:45 Chris comes back and says, well, there is this one thing that might work. Chris gives me a list of hoops. (in a nice change they are for my PCP to jump through.)
9:47 hang up.
9:48 call PCP number listed on insurance card to ask about hoops. Get told this is the main office and not the doctor's office. get correct phone number
9:50 call PCP office at the new number. listen to all options. decide to pick option 3 (mostly at random). explain hoops to person who picks up. they say "ummm, let me check." they put me on hold.
9:52 they come back and have a list of hoops for me to jump through before they will jump through their hoops. I need to call Linda at RRH and have them jump through some hoops.
9:54 call Linda to ask about hoops. No answer. left voicemail.
10:27 Linda calls back. Not willing to jump through hoops. (specifically, even if I get my insurance to cover my appointment, they will not accept insurance money, or even talk to my insurance company, and I will be responsible for full payment at time of service.)
10:28. Kick ottoman. Foot hurts.
I am planning to switch my insurance when I can (as long as it will still cover treatments for this stupid cancer) as soon as I can, but that will be January at the earliest. For now, there are no other research hospitals (Except UPMC) that are covered by my insurance, so I'm going to hold off on the second opinion for now. If and when I finally get that second opinion, it will NOT be RRH. They have annoyed me for the last time!
For the record, I'm not giving up, I'm just postponing for now. I have better things to focus on than trying to fight with insurance and hospitals. It just isn't worth the aggravation. To give you an idea how I am handling this, Friday after work, I paid a bunch of bills. When I got my mail today, they were all there. I forgot to put stamps on all of them!
Following the example of generations of women in my family, when things get tough, I bake. Anybody want some brownies?