First off, I have very good health Insurance. I pay out the wazoo for it, so I should know! On day three I was all but thrown out of the hospital with a bunch of lies and a Doctor that I felt could care less about my well being.
For my followers, and the people that read my long blogs, you may understand quite a bit of what type of a person I am. I can hang pretty much with any one I want and fit right in. One thing I am not though, is stupid. I am a smart, articulate (when I want to be) man. I had my laptop in my hospital bed and was researching my diagnosis the entire time. So needless to say, I was well versed on it. It all had to do with my diet. Which turns out is a pretty good diet that just needed a few changes. But boy was I in a lot of pain! For those that care to know it is diverticulitis.
I won't mention the Hospital because I don't want people to think the place is all bad. The entire staff were very nice to me with the exception of the most important person during my stay...my actual Doctor. That Wench was mean and condescending from the start. I mean what's wrong with you Doctors these days? This is not the first time I have been treated this way simply because I researched and knew a lot of what was going on with me before I go to the Doctor. I mean, are Doctors intimidated? Pissed off because you went to so many years of school and I happen to know more than the average person when I get there? Or do you think I'm a know it all? Sorry if I like to know what's going on with me before I waste a trip to the hospital! jeez There is a lot of info out there in these Internet days!
I call the disease the "Diver" for short. So besides the Diver a had a few other things I wanted the doctor to check out. I know for a fact my nurse let her know about them but the Doc never even asked about them, much less care.
I am great at reading people as soon as I meet them and I could tell within the first few seconds of meeting this doctor that she did not like me or her job or whatever for some reason. In 3 days I saw her maybe a total of 10 minutes and those 10 minutes seemed like an eternity, and it took all of my self control not to go off and ask what her problem was. So many rude comments and condescending hints that is was unbearable. I wanted to smack her in the face with my IV bag! Of course I thought better of it.
On day three, my Primary Care doctor is trying very hard to get in touch with this attending Doctor. She had some requests and recommendations. After I annoyed all the right people enough, here comes the Wench. Pissed off and ready to send me home she says. I asked her to please touch base with my Primary Care Doc, so she left and called her. In the meantime, a few SECONDS later, a Case Manager comes to my room and advises me that my Insurance company says I have to leave and this will be my last day there.
I can't prove it, but I know damn well the attending Doc had something to do with this. I immediately call the Insurance Company and find out this is all a LIE! In fact my Insurance Company says I'm in good standings and can stay as long as needed and they have NOT been contacted by this hospital!
I find out later that the hospital apparently has a "book" that they go by that gives a general description of what insurance companies will and will not pay for and they decided that my insurance company "might" not pay for a longer stay. Guess work from a book? are you kidding me? You mean to tell me your are playing around with my disease and pain because a "book" says it "might" not be covered? Then this Bitch of a Case Manager (I say bitch because maybe she had a bad day...not my problem) says she never said that about the insurance. I look her straight in her eyes with the Managers next to her and say"don't you dare call me a liar. Those were your exact words which is why I immediately called my insurance". She shut up quick.
Now I'm really pissed! I asked for every ones BOSS to be in my room and said "I MEAN NOW"! All of a sudden I have Managers standing in my room and I am letting them all have it. Maybe some poor old person that doesn't know any better would have said OK and just left, but not me. Now everyone is really taking back their words. I get the name and number of the person in charge of the entire hospital and will be following up with him after this blog entry.
So, 3 days of diet advice from the entire staff at the hospital and several close friends with the exact same problem, and still in a lot of pain. You would think I would have been released with at least a diet plan or recommendation or something right? or even some pain meds right? Noooomeds, and no restrictions at all, even though I was straining just to lift my laptop bag. So again, I asked for the Nurse Manager to document this and all of a sudden I'm getting a script for pain! Wow, funny how that works. Then I ask about the diet. They actually told me to google it! I was at a loss for words for once!
Disgrace is the word that comes to mind here. There are a lot of people out there that are not as fortunate as I am to have Insurance like me and I get treated this way? I was annoyed at all the people in admitting that were being given a hard time because of no insurance and how long they were delaying my treatment. NOW, I feel sorry for those people. NOW I understand.
All I can say is this people. When you are in a hospital, you are the CEO of your body. You take charge. Don't just do what you are told. If you feel you need a CAT Scan demand it, if you feel like you need ANYTHING at all DEMAND it. If you hurt, tell them. Do some research if you have the chance on what you have. Don't try to be a "know it all", you don't wanna piss off the Doctors, but definitely ask for whatever you feel you need because they will not just be offering it to you.
It seems to me costs are being cut everywhere at the patients expense, which is just my opinion, but the hospital had no problem charging my wife $59,000 just for a bed and a room (not including treatment) during a 9 day stay for her at a different hospital recently. Hell, a badasss vacation in Tahiti doesn't cost that much!
Also, not just Doctors. Anyone that deals with the public. If you don't like what you are doing or just don't care...please quit. Don't take it out on us, the customers. Especially the people that don't know any better! Sooner or later someone is going to stand up and make a big deal of it all and it isn't going to be pretty....
No comments:
Post a Comment