Waiting on doctors..

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Four phone calls, two trips to the office and two sets of paperwork dropped for for short term disability and they still have not filled it out and submitted it. Nothing like having a health problem, being out of work and not getting paid and then having doctors not call you back or fill out forms needed for short term disability claims.

 

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I’m so sorry you’re getting such a runaround!

 

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Be that persistent guy Flguy.
I was hoping to read you were not in pain now. Wishing you strength and comfort.

 

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Be firm, but politely remind the doctors office you aren't working and need the paperwork properly filled out ASAP so you can get your disability benefits.

 

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If I was cynical, I'd suggest asking him if he wants to be paid. But as you all know, I'm not cynical....

 

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So here is the thing, When you call their office, you get a call center...not the main office. So they leave a message for them to contact you but no one ever has. Today I will have to drive to their office to make them fill out the paperwork, or I will have to get an appointment and pay my $30 copay.

 

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Try these, even if it has to be next time.
(1) see if you can snag the doctor's card, or possibly the clinic card if it lists several doctors. It often sits on the reception room, or ask the receptionist. It may list the direct numbers - not to the doctor, but to his receptionist, nurse, aid (not to some "call center", not to the "switchboard").
(2) try to go to places that have teams - where the doctor(s) and nurses and receptionist and schedulers are one team - at my huge clinic, if I use the client portal, the message goes to the team. Often, a team member can answer my issue/question/whatever. If not, they "nudge" the Doc. Maybe I just lucked out, but it works for me.
(3) If you end up having to make an appointment AND thus have to pay a co-charge, write a protest or appeal to the insurance company, explaining politely that they shouldn't have had to pay for an office visit, and "cc" the Doctor and the clinic. It isn't necessarily that the insurance company will pay, but they will ding the doctor, maybe his clinic administration. Maybe something will change.
If that "alienates" the Doc, fine. You didn't want him. Get another one and tell him why.
Stay safe.

 

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Seems to me that with the run-around you're getting you'd be better off finding a different doctor. If this continues then tell your doctor that you can't afford having to wait around for them to take action and add that you're going elsewhere. After all, the doctor is employed by you to provide you with a service. And if the doctor can't seem to live up to that philosophy then politely explain why you're leaving the practice. When you do find someone else just ask if calls are routed through a call center or if there's a way to reach the local office directly. These days you gotta be pro-active! But barring that, here's hoping things will work out, and soon.

 

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I've had issues like this before. The office staff did their job, just awaiting the doctor to do theirs. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often. Keep trying to get them to do their job. Be polite and explain you need the paperwork done so you can start receiving your benefits.

 

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Short update. Finally got the paperwork submitted now to wait tell the insurance company responds to the claim. The doctors office filled out the paperwork last week but the second page was all that got sent as it got jammed in one of the fax systems. When I went and got to original that was filled out yesterday the nurse was very very apologetic about the situation just the top part with my name was ripped off and that was stuck in the fax. So they had no clue who the paper work was for and filled it as a dead document. Their only mistake was not following up and realizing that it was me, that was missing paperwork. I hope to have an answer soon so that I can make the next move.


Tomorrow me and my mom are sitting down and making a list of things to tell and ask of the doctor during my appointment next week. It is going to be nice not going alone and my mom can fill in the gaps in my health history as well as take notes and keep me on track.


Like I said before, she is my rock and biggest advocate.


Side note. Found out one of the nurses is one of my relatives, she is the head of scheduling and the assistant to my Physicians assistant. She is part of the big side of my family so I see her from time to time at family reunions. She also gave money to a gofundme my sister started when I was in the hospital during surgery so it is nice having family on the inside.

Big thing is that She is not letting this go as she knows about my issues.

 

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This is all REALLY GOOD BLESSINGS!
Have your mom wrote your health history chronologically on paper that you can keep as she won't always be able to go with you or remember the dates.

 

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Excellent news!

 

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FLGuy, that is great! Making a list of your issues and taking your mom along with you to the doctor is an excellent idea! When you talk to a doctor, two heads are better than one. That way if you're uncertain about something the doctor said, your mom will remember and there's much less chance of error. Unfortunately I don't have anyone to go with me when I go to the doctor so it's up to me to try to remember all that went on during the appointment. And do always show your appreciation to your mom. She is not to be taken for granted. You're extremely lucky to have her.
Also good to hear you're related tone of the nurses at the practice. Just don't hesitate to ask her help when needed.
Here's hoping that appointment goes well and that you get some answers!