When it comes to medical / health care stuff, I find myself annoyed, frustrated and distrusting. Over the years, I’ve had doctors do stupid things which have adversely affected me. However, I try to go into these situations with a positive attitude.
Two weeks ago, the insurance turned me down for a scooter. I could fight it but it would take time. My doctor said he would write me a letter so I could get a scooter if the insurance turned me down. When I found out about the insurance, I immediately called his office. He was on vacation.
Last Monday, I called talked to his triage nurse and gave her the information on which scooter I wanted to buy. In order for DVR to pay for the scooter, this information has to be in there.
Starting last Wednesday, I called and left messages to see how long it would take to get a letter. I’ve called every day since then. I mean, really how long does it take to write a damn letter? If he couldn’t get it done in a timely manner, I would have been happy to write it and send it to him for his damn signature.
I called this morning. I was firm but polite. Yesterday they said someone would call me as they put my message as a high priority. Right. That didn’t happen. I spent twenty minutes on the phone, ten of which was before I even spoke to someone. Once I got someone, they put me on hold. Finally they came back to say my letter was ready. I made sure my husband could pick it up. He will hopefully get what I need and I’ll be able to move forward.
I’m relieved about finally getting the letter but to be honest, I’m nervous as hell about what the letter says and if it will satisfy what DVR needs it to say. Ken won’t be home until this afternoon. I’ll be working on editing until he comes home. Once he’s home, I’ll scan the letter (if it says what it needs to) and send it off to the counselor at DVR. I will at that point look for the three quotes she will need to approve the purchase. I’m hoping it only takes her a couple days to approve.
The fact that it took ten days to get a simple letter is appalling to me. It was a matter of one sentence – it is medically necessary for this patient to have this scooter.
The only blessing in all of this, I’m off work this week so my pain level is down to a reasonable level but starting on Monday I’m back at work and having to struggle with a manual wheelchair which will raise my pain level significantly again.