Sunday, October 21, 2007

So angry I'm about to have a coronary!

I called my health fund today (today - remember that, it's important) to get phone numbers and reception hours for a specialist in my area. I received the name and number of a particular doctor. I called, and the recording said "reception hours today are 7pm-9pm, no appointment necessary. Please do not leave a message."

Knowing that she was seeing walk-ins tonight I left my exhausted husband home with the kids and drove to the next town at 7:30 in the evening to see the doctor. I arrived (eventually, half the flippin' streets were closed for construction) and had to wait nearly 45 minutes for her to finish seeing the current patient and call me in. It was FINALLY my turn. I walked in, sat down, and she asked me what health fund I was in. When I told her, she said "I don't see patients from that fund." I beg your pardon, you don't WHAT? "I don't see patients from that fund. It doesn't pay well enough. I stopped working with them on September (!) 1st." When I pointed out that she'd kept me waiting for nearly 45 minutes just to announce this she started to lecture me! "What! You'd wait an hour for a hairdresser but it's not worth it to you to wait for a doctor? What! You're not willing to wait an entire day when it's your health? My time is valuable you know." Umm, excuse me?!? And my time is not??? I'll wait if I must for a doctor, you had me waiting for NOTHING you cow! I didn't get to SEE a doctor after all that waiting. I stomped out and then spent the whole drive home reaming out the health fund over the phone for doing this to me in the first place. All they could manage to do was say "ok, we'll note in the file that she's no longer working with us, and would you like an appointment in this other town twice as far away late next week, and by the way why didn't you call the doctor first to make an appointment?" Because the recording, on the phone number that YOU gave me TODAY, said I didn't need to. I was completely apoplectic at this point. I finally sputtered that I would go on their website and find something my damn self.

And to top it all off I never did see a doctor, so I still don't have the pills I need.

Gaaaaahhh!!

13 comments:

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

I'd have told the doctor, or her assistant or whoever, OFF. I've done it before, especially when they spring that "My time's valuable" crap on me.

No, sorry. YOUR time is NOT more valuable than MINE. You may be a doctor, but I'm a MOM and I'm currently not taking care of my kids because YOU are WASTING MY valuable time. Top that.

Yep, I've actually snapped that at someone. Me, who usually only has these exchanges in her head (much to her disappointment) had sat and stewed so long that I'd prepared the speech. And I used it.

J. Lynne said...

The last time I saw my rheumatologist, not only did he tell me I was just going to have to learn to live with the pain, making the trip in the middle of my workday a waste of my time, but when I got to the pay counter, they told me that I didn't have permission from my insurance to even have that appointment -- an appointment that the rheumatoligist had made, not me.

I had to get a referral from my regular doctor to get the insurance straightened out AND she actually gave me something to help with the fibromyalgia that she originally sent me to him about.

Some days I can't decide which is worse, the insurance companies or the doctors. Someone I used hang out with once told me that she thought that the doctors were actually making people sick. Could be a conspiracy between both.

Cherie said...

Sounds like a segment from a Michael Moore movie - hope you get some satisfaction soon - for now please, breathe!

Nancy said...

Health care is horrible through out the world, isn't that a shame?

Robin said...

There was no assistant, no secretary, no nothing, just this horrid old woman in a tiny old office, but you better believe I gave her a piece of my mind - not least of which for her attitude in lecturing me, which was of course the bigger deal. (Yes, next time I'll be going to the big modern office, but their hours weren't as good. Of course limited hours are better than "I won't see you".)

Grrrrr!!!

Anonymous said...

*quietly gives thanks for living in Australia*

All doctors here take Medicare, most charge a nominal fee on top ($5- $10) but the walk in surgeries are all bulk billed, in other words you sign a piece of paper and walk out.

I am so sorry you went through that babe. That truly sucks.

Pen said...

That is just so not cool. What in the heck is wrong with customer service these days?? Sorry you had to go through that. What a bummer!

Anonymous said...

That's terrible. But it sounds about right...

Anonymous said...

I can't even talk. about. doctors. {face red, smoke leaking out of my ears}

Mom not Mum (Sandy) said...

Ugh what a mess!! I remember accidentally scheduling 3 appointments at the same time on the same DAY and when I cancelled 2 of them one office the woman was livid that I would choose to reschedule HER. Um get over it woman - at least I had the decency to call and reschedule instead of just not showing up.

Fairly Odd Mother said...

Wowee, that is unbelievable! Wasting a momma's time is just not acceptable!

Eimi said...

oh lord I would have gone NUTS. And I liked how you called her a cow. It made me happy on the inside.

Doctors can be so god awful with their holier than thou attitude but it sounds like she was even worse than normal ones.

I AM NOT a patient person.

mother in israel said...

All she had to do was to change her message to say which patients she accepts.