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catscradle Jul. 13th, 2006 02:34 pm)
catscradle Jul. 13th, 2006 02:34 pm)You think you've found the perfect doctor, the one that doesn't screw around with you and actually offers real service. Sooner or later, reality hits the fan and you've got to write a letter. Don't make me write a letter folks, just don't. My Senators hate me too.
So with permission from Lisa, (who wrote a letter of her own), here's my contribution to the Healthcare industry and why they suck.
Dear Dr. L---,
I’ve been a patient of SFP for a number of years now. I’ve always felt that the care I received at this practice was the best I’ve received anywhere in the state of Colorado. When my insurance changed and I was no longer able to continue your service, I searched for a new job to get you back. Now let me explain why I will voluntarily leave your practice.
My partner was diagnosed bi-polar and has been treated for it for several years by the same psychiatrist. Because her doctor does not accept my new insurance, she has been forced to find a new one. We have left messages with over 60 psychiatrists on my insurance list, most of who do not call back. The ones that have called back set up consultation sessions with doctors that will not accept her case because they do not treat her particular illness – though they gladly take the co-pay/consultation fee. We have been searching for months for a doctor so that she can renew her prescriptions – all to no avail.
I called Dr. N---- last week and asked if she could refer Lisa to a psychiatrist, since we both have been referred to specialists by your practice for other physical illnesses. She said she could not do this for insurance reasons, which seemed reasonable to me at the time. I asked a psychologist friend of mine for advice on what to do next as Lisa is running out of her medications. He advised me to have her call our primary care physician first, as they will sometimes write a prescription for a refill until a new psychiatrist can be found. He also mentioned that they may not feel comfortable with doing that, so we were prepared that Lisa might be turned down. I did not think it would hurt to ask given Lisa was in a desperate situation.
Imagine my surprise when she was not only turned down, but treated as though she was trying to pull something over on your office. I was sitting next to her when Dr. N---- returned the message Lisa left for Dr. G---. She was told repeatedly that the office did not feel comfortable with the request and that she had already been told that they would never do such a thing. Forgiving the fact that Lisa has not been in your office in over a year, she made only one call and asked only once. Nothing she did warranted the response she received. Is it such a stretch of the imagination that someone who has a mental illness and is on several medications might not remember what was told to them well over a year ago? The advice Dr. N---- gave Lisa was spoken so fast and rushed that she was not able to understand all the information given. Lisa expected the possibility of being turned down, what was not expected was the lack of professionalism and compassion that we both associated with this office over the past few years. There are good and bad ways to say “no” – that was a bad way.
Lisa hung up the phone in tears over the way she had been treated. If she had cancer or heart disease or diabetes, she would have no trouble finding a doctor and given the medications she needs to help her get better. As it is she has a mental illness and is punished for it rather than treated. Imagine having an invisible disease you have to constantly prove to your family, your friends, your co-workers, your government and even your doctor. Imagine the courage it takes, with all the obstacles a mental illness can set up, to call your doctor only to have them berate you on the phone for not remembering what was said over a year ago. How likely do you think it is that a person with a mental illness will seek out help again when the very people that are suppose to help them treat them with contempt?
I understand there are those that would abuse the system. I understand that you must guard against such things on a daily basis. She called once and did not argue with Dr. N---- when told no. I do not expect your staff to know the motivations of each person that calls your office asking for medication. I DO expect them to take a little time to find out why and to not treat them badly out of suspicions – especially when they are being cooperative!
Dr. N---- has been very helpful to me over the years and very recently with helping me get my newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes under control. I am very grateful for that help. But I am surprised, saddened and disappointed in how she dealt with my partner in this situation. Had I not been sitting there listening to it at the time, I would not have believed it. It is for this reason that I must discontinue my service with your practice as I no longer feel comfortable with your staff.
Regretfully,
Stephanie
(info deleted)
Ironically the same doctor I'm writing about helped me kick sugar and regain a clear enough mind to write this letter. No good deed goes unpunished, eh? What do you do with bi-polar service? I'd like to know how many others she did this to.
So with permission from Lisa, (who wrote a letter of her own), here's my contribution to the Healthcare industry and why they suck.
Dear Dr. L---,
I’ve been a patient of SFP for a number of years now. I’ve always felt that the care I received at this practice was the best I’ve received anywhere in the state of Colorado. When my insurance changed and I was no longer able to continue your service, I searched for a new job to get you back. Now let me explain why I will voluntarily leave your practice.
My partner was diagnosed bi-polar and has been treated for it for several years by the same psychiatrist. Because her doctor does not accept my new insurance, she has been forced to find a new one. We have left messages with over 60 psychiatrists on my insurance list, most of who do not call back. The ones that have called back set up consultation sessions with doctors that will not accept her case because they do not treat her particular illness – though they gladly take the co-pay/consultation fee. We have been searching for months for a doctor so that she can renew her prescriptions – all to no avail.
I called Dr. N---- last week and asked if she could refer Lisa to a psychiatrist, since we both have been referred to specialists by your practice for other physical illnesses. She said she could not do this for insurance reasons, which seemed reasonable to me at the time. I asked a psychologist friend of mine for advice on what to do next as Lisa is running out of her medications. He advised me to have her call our primary care physician first, as they will sometimes write a prescription for a refill until a new psychiatrist can be found. He also mentioned that they may not feel comfortable with doing that, so we were prepared that Lisa might be turned down. I did not think it would hurt to ask given Lisa was in a desperate situation.
Imagine my surprise when she was not only turned down, but treated as though she was trying to pull something over on your office. I was sitting next to her when Dr. N---- returned the message Lisa left for Dr. G---. She was told repeatedly that the office did not feel comfortable with the request and that she had already been told that they would never do such a thing. Forgiving the fact that Lisa has not been in your office in over a year, she made only one call and asked only once. Nothing she did warranted the response she received. Is it such a stretch of the imagination that someone who has a mental illness and is on several medications might not remember what was told to them well over a year ago? The advice Dr. N---- gave Lisa was spoken so fast and rushed that she was not able to understand all the information given. Lisa expected the possibility of being turned down, what was not expected was the lack of professionalism and compassion that we both associated with this office over the past few years. There are good and bad ways to say “no” – that was a bad way.
Lisa hung up the phone in tears over the way she had been treated. If she had cancer or heart disease or diabetes, she would have no trouble finding a doctor and given the medications she needs to help her get better. As it is she has a mental illness and is punished for it rather than treated. Imagine having an invisible disease you have to constantly prove to your family, your friends, your co-workers, your government and even your doctor. Imagine the courage it takes, with all the obstacles a mental illness can set up, to call your doctor only to have them berate you on the phone for not remembering what was said over a year ago. How likely do you think it is that a person with a mental illness will seek out help again when the very people that are suppose to help them treat them with contempt?
I understand there are those that would abuse the system. I understand that you must guard against such things on a daily basis. She called once and did not argue with Dr. N---- when told no. I do not expect your staff to know the motivations of each person that calls your office asking for medication. I DO expect them to take a little time to find out why and to not treat them badly out of suspicions – especially when they are being cooperative!
Dr. N---- has been very helpful to me over the years and very recently with helping me get my newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes under control. I am very grateful for that help. But I am surprised, saddened and disappointed in how she dealt with my partner in this situation. Had I not been sitting there listening to it at the time, I would not have believed it. It is for this reason that I must discontinue my service with your practice as I no longer feel comfortable with your staff.
Regretfully,
Stephanie
(info deleted)
Ironically the same doctor I'm writing about helped me kick sugar and regain a clear enough mind to write this letter. No good deed goes unpunished, eh? What do you do with bi-polar service? I'd like to know how many others she did this to.
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Wishing you more than good luck!
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We're looking into other options that seem a little promising until we can find a permenant doc for her. Meanwhile, we're also looking for a new PCP that believes in wholistic care and is covered by the insurance. Thanks for the good thoughts :)
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As more mental illness being "invisible," that's mostly true (e.g. people not understanding what was wrong with me when I was severely depressed), unless like me you've actually witnessed somebody having a full-fledged fit of schizophrenic delusion, as in taking off clothes in public, speaking in tongues, giving away possessions. :(
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In the case of Lisa she was completely rational and composed, where as the doctor flew off the handle. If I didn't know either of them I would have thought the doc was the one with the illness!
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What I find weird? Prozac is cheaper than food. I don't know what the regular non-insurance rate is, but a month only costs me $6 or something. And, for me, it has worked wonders.
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Do you know why her mother did that? It seems that a lot of people still treat mental illness as a social stigma and are more embarrassed by it than willing to help. =P
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