Sunday, February 29, 2004
Referral Madness
I clearly have an insufficient understanding of the medical industry, and the fact that various medical professionals responsible for billing and insurance don't seem to agree with one another is compounding my discombobulation. If I show up with a shiny referral in my hand, I am told that I don't really need one for this appointment. "Oh," I think to myself. "The original referral seems to have some kind of expiration date far in the future." When I show up without one, my faith in the expiration dates of referrals is crushed upon my being told, "You were supposed to have a referral this time." But why? When did that happen? What WAS the expiration date of the original? It's not stamped on anything, the way the date is stamped on a gallon of milk. (I actually had cereal the other day with milk that was one day past its expiration date. It seemed to be fine, but I got nervous halfway through the bowl and lost interest in finishing it. But I digress...)
Then I've suddenly started getting bills from the one doctor, and have also suddenly been required to make copayments upon my visits. I'm not sure which visits require copays or not. Is it just the visits which also include being prodded by he of the EXTREMELY cold hands? Or is it the other visits, too? I'm not sure. I got a cryptic bill in the mail which listed a scary balance, then required me to pay $25--which does not match the amount of my usual copay. True, they both have a "5" in the ones digit, but they're not the same. They don't even rhyme. I didn't argue, because $25, when compared to all the other frightening numbers on the list of payments, seemed like a mere pittance.
I think once I got charged for something specifically because I didn't have a referral, but who even knows any more. Sigh. If they had a "Your medical insurance for dummies" book, I'd almost be tempted to break my boycott of the series (I refuse to buy something that insults me from the bookstore shelf).
In any case, for my appointments this coming Tuesday, I have shiny new referrals waiting for me at the doctor's office. I will be starting round four of chemo (I'm starting on the second half. My hair is thinning and might not hold out for the next three months; we'll see. My head is too funky a shape to look quite right with very sparse hair: I might end up resembling Smeagol on a bad day...) and will be visiting the plastic surgeon once again. Maybe this time I'll flip through one of the yachting magazines in the office waiting room.
Finally, I know I haven't posted in a while, but not much--aside from my leaving a trail of hair wherever I go--has been happening, medically speaking. I decided to post now because it was pointed out to me that I only have the opportunity to post on February 29 once every four years.
Happy Leap Day!
Then I've suddenly started getting bills from the one doctor, and have also suddenly been required to make copayments upon my visits. I'm not sure which visits require copays or not. Is it just the visits which also include being prodded by he of the EXTREMELY cold hands? Or is it the other visits, too? I'm not sure. I got a cryptic bill in the mail which listed a scary balance, then required me to pay $25--which does not match the amount of my usual copay. True, they both have a "5" in the ones digit, but they're not the same. They don't even rhyme. I didn't argue, because $25, when compared to all the other frightening numbers on the list of payments, seemed like a mere pittance.
I think once I got charged for something specifically because I didn't have a referral, but who even knows any more. Sigh. If they had a "Your medical insurance for dummies" book, I'd almost be tempted to break my boycott of the series (I refuse to buy something that insults me from the bookstore shelf).
In any case, for my appointments this coming Tuesday, I have shiny new referrals waiting for me at the doctor's office. I will be starting round four of chemo (I'm starting on the second half. My hair is thinning and might not hold out for the next three months; we'll see. My head is too funky a shape to look quite right with very sparse hair: I might end up resembling Smeagol on a bad day...) and will be visiting the plastic surgeon once again. Maybe this time I'll flip through one of the yachting magazines in the office waiting room.
Finally, I know I haven't posted in a while, but not much--aside from my leaving a trail of hair wherever I go--has been happening, medically speaking. I decided to post now because it was pointed out to me that I only have the opportunity to post on February 29 once every four years.
Happy Leap Day!
