Wednesday, 18 June 2008
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Shouldn't Be This Difficult
On Monday I went on the hunt for a new psychiatrist for Junior. Once I found a clinic that I felt comfortable with, I looked at their own website. Lucky me, the website said 3 of their psychiatrists were accepting new patients. So, I make the call. The phone number listed was for the neurology department so I had to wait on hold to be transferred. Then I had to wait on hold for nearly 10 minutes to schedule the new patient appointment. To make the appointment, I had to "register" my husband since the insurance was in his name. Then I had to register my son and give the insurance information for a second time. By the time the lady was ready to make the appointment, I had already spent over an hour finding a doctor then 30 minutes or more on the phone.As it turns out, the earliest appointment available was the end of July. This upsets me because when someone needs mental health care, they usually need it NOW. Not in 6 to 8 weeks. Nobody should have to wait that long for an appointment for anything. It is just crazy. So, she refers me to a clinic they have "contracted new business" to. She could have just told me there were no appointments from the get go.
It just so happens that the clinic I was referred to was the only other suitable clinic within a convenient travel distance. They could see Junior a little sooner... at the beginning of July rather than the end. Well, that won't do either since Junior needs a new prescription before the end of next week. So, I do some sweet talking and the lady magically finds another appointment Thursday afternoon. Taking this appointment means hubby/Dad can't come and we must travel to one of their other clinic locations in the next town over.
I hate that healthcare is a business. I hate that it takes a small miracle to get an appointment. I ran into this with my first and second miscarriage last year. That scheduling nurse had me standing at the counter in front of several other women who were still quite obviously pregnant and there I am knowing that the baby inside of me is dead and all I am hearing is... "I just don't see any available appointments" for my D&C (dilation and curettage) and follow up.
It just shouldn't be this difficult to get an appointment... even when I screw up and put it off until the last minute. While I hope to have a successful career as a therapist, I pray that I never have to tell a patient or potential patient that I can't see them for a month.
What's the longest you've had to wait for a doctor's appointment?
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Comments (12)
Omg, that nurse was a *beep*!!!!
I have had to wait months to get into a doctor's appointment, and when I had to see an OB/GYN I would have had to wait for nearly SIX MONTHS if I didn't get another referral from my normal doctor. Ugh, america's healthcare system is at the top of my "FAIL LIST"
It does suck that health care is a business...but honestly, the social systems aren't much better! My inlaws who are Dutch and live in Holland have had to wait months and months for things. My FIL needs hip surgery. He's on a SIX MONTH waiting list.
So, even though getting your appointment can be tough... once you get the appointment you can get the care you need quickly instead of waiting for an appointment and then waiting another 6 months for treatment.
I know what you mean. I would have to call and be near tears to get my daughter in. When it first started, thankfully she was already in counseling for regular reasons. So her dr. was able to refer her to a psych down the hall. We were seen immediately and well taken care of. It was those nasty, 'I need to see a dr. now' kind of things with no available appointment in site. Thankfully her dr.s got her into a weekly group that helped immensely. Part of our problem was medication. The first meds didn't work and it took awhile to realize we needed a med change, NOW. So now, counseling is about monthly-and I call a month in advance. sheeesh. But I do love Kaiser. They have taken great care of my kid.
oh, and what I posted isn't widely known in my xanga circle. Only a couple of friends on xanga know of our battle.
I personally don't like the buisness form of medicare in our country...I think universal healthcare would be nice,but i don't see that happening anytime soon.but sometimes our health care CAN be crappy...or at least some doctors.My sister has a gluten allergy,well we didn't know,the doctor never diagnosed it,and my mom kept insisting somehing was wrong. she finnaly was able to get her to a different doctor of the same "specialty" and he diagnosed her with that....Now she's better...We're still dealing with some aftermath,but she's fit as a fiddle. =P
I work for a big, well known health insurance company and I can completely sympathize and understand all of you. Healthcare is a business and most of the time does not take into consideration what KIND of business it is and that it holds peoples lives and health in their hands. I get sickened and angry with hoe absolutly ridiculous it is for people to get simple healthcare, and when they did have it, how expensive it was. I do my best to help people, but there's only so much I can do. It's sometimes absolutly ridiculous, most of you would be astonished at the things I have seen and heard.
We've routinely had to make appointments a month to two months in advanced. The only thing that goes quickly is once you get into see your doc and they refer you, that goes fast for some strange reason. What I hate is having to find a new doc who is actually accepting new patients, not just one that says they're accepting and really isn't, then finding a doc who is accepting new patients under your particular insurance. When looking for my daughter's pedi here, I had a hard time finding one who would take her because she wasn't a newborn but was three months old (we moved from out of state). They all wanted to get their patients fresh from the delivery ward or something. Then, our insurance also has a waiting period to change your primary doc so if you don't like yours, like us, you may still have to go back until you have a chance to change, oh but that's if you can find yet another doc to take you. Grr.
I've been there COUNTLESS times. My two children have medical problems. Daughter (5 yrs) has a heart defect and lung problems, son (8 months) has 4 congenital abnormalities. I had to wait 6 months to get an appointment for an echo-cardiogram and then I said screw it and took her to the ER. Bad mommy but crap, she needed it done ASAP and glad I took her in because problems were getting worse at the time. I swear in her medical file (that almost 5 inches thick) it says "BEWARE MOM IS CRAZY" LOL
I love reading your posts as I can relate to most of them with my children
If I may inquire, why do you have to keep switching drs? I completely understand when it is necessary - I left a practice when they scheduled me and 2 other people for the same time BEFORE the Dr. was scheduled to be there! (never went back there...) There are other places I refuse to go because of confidentiality issues.
But, I have found that if you stay with a practice, they can usually take care of you.
I hope everything goes smoothly and they work out for you!!
I'm sorry you are having a hard time.
Ugh... I know this feeling to an extent. I've always hated how long it can take to get an appointment for much of anything. I was on vacation back in June of last year, and had to make a call to get an appointment for when I got back.
It's a good thing I didn't need it right away, because I almost had to wait until after moving to actually be able to find a new doctor, get a new prescription, and start training my body to it all over again.
Luckily, they had one spot toward the end of August... just a couple days before I moved across the country...
I'm so not looking forward to finding a new doctor, especially now that I have no insurance, and prescription time is coming up again in a month and a half. Joy.
:P