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I am so MAD

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 10/13/2008 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
I can not believe it.  I've been working to get my short term disability approved for 7 weeks now.  Seven weeks off work, six of them without pay so far.  The insurance company told me that all I needed was a letter from my doctor listing my last and next appointment dates, the date I was advised to stop working (last day of work), and complications, if any, of my Remicade treatment.

My doctor made me come in for a special appointment to review it all.  Of course, she billed my medical insurance and I had to pay a co-pay.  After that appointment it took 2 weeks, with me calling almost daily, for her to write the letter.  It took three more days of my calling twice a day to get the office to type up and fax the letter.  They finally sent it today.  Since, by this point I don't trust them at all, I also had them fax me a copy for my records and so that I could fax it to the insurance company just to be sure they got it.

The letter is wrong.  It doesn't list any appointment dates or my last day of work.  It says I take Remicade every 8 weeks- I take it every 6 weeks.  It refers to me as "Mrs." when I'm a Miss.  They misspelled Crohn's.  And at one point they misspelled my last name.  There is no way anyone is approving anything off this letter.  Wednesday is the cut-off date.  If the insurance company doesn't have everything they need by then, I will be automatically denied.  I'll have to try, somehow, to go back to work next week, and in the meantime I will be completely out seven weeks of pay.

I can't even express how angry I am at the incompetence of this doctor and her office staff.  I'm going to call my claim rep tomorrow morning, just incase a miracle happens and they approve off that letter.  If they don't, I'm going to the doctor's office and I'm not leaving until they write another letter with the correct information and spelling.  And then I'm finding another doctor.  This is absolutely ridiculous.

Posted 10/13/2008 11:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Gee you would think that they could at least spell. Probably the secretary's fault. Sure hope you can get things fixed up in time it is hard to have to depend on others at times. lol gail
Posted 10/13/2008 11:15 PM (GMT 0)
Correct the letter, go in person, and get it fixed.
Posted 10/13/2008 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
Oh man, I feel your pain.  Something similar happened with my last GI Doc when I was trying to get my FMLA paperwork filled out.  I called and faxed and stopped by several times and it was always wrong!  I ended up placing little post-it notes throughout the paperwork with exactly what he needed to write and I went to the office unannounced and waited until the paperwork was done.  In the end it was his nurse that came through for me - she did most of the changes and then just had him sign it.  What a pain!

I hope it all works out for you quickly...maybe going to the office will help expedite things!

(((hugs)))

Melissa

Posted 10/13/2008 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
(((bektold)))
Posted 10/13/2008 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
Like Navy says - you write the letter the way it should be and take it in for a signature and hover over them while they fax it. If you can type it up all ready to go, there is less chance of them messing it up again and they can't say that they are too busy to type it up. If it has to be on their letterhead, they can just use letterhead paper in the copier and make a copy of your original onto their letterhead.
Posted 10/13/2008 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
Seriouslly how can you misspell crohns...especially when you are a GI doc
Posted 10/14/2008 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
It's the idiots who typed the letter for the doctor who did all of that. No one does their own work any more. I'm sorry for your frustration. When I was applying, I actually made a draft of what I wanted the letter to say and I handed it to my doctor as an "EXAMPLE" of the things that I needed in the letter. I told her "no offense", it's just that there's "so much to include" and one small thing can really get caught up in the "red tape". She wasn't offended at all and had her office staff pretty much write the letter verbatim - and she included a bunch of medical crap from my file.

So, I know it's more work for you, but in the future AND in this case, you might consider doing their job for them because in the long run it'll save you the time and frustration. They just don't get it. To them it's a letter. To you it means EVERYTHING - like whether or not your bills get paid. They just don't put the shoe on the other foot. (((HUGS)))

Stef
Posted 10/14/2008 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
Like others said - I suggest writing it yourself and taking it over to be signed. That is what I did with my school disability papers and the doctor appreciated the help. I would also call you claims rep asap. They are used to dealing with doctors who mess things up. Trust me. My husband used to be in that line of work and his number one frustration was dealing w/ doctors that just didn't care. They already faxed the first letter, right? So when you call they will note all the discrepencies. Receiving the first letter will be enough to probably get you an extension on the deadline. Let them know that part of it was inaccurate and a fixed one is on its way. Best of luck. It is so frustrating that doctors can't care when it is so important. It makes you wonder what else they get wrong, like in surgery!
Posted 10/14/2008 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you everyone for the support!  I've redone the letter, correcting all the mistakes from the original and adding all the information that was left out.  In addition to "Chrones" disease, she also listed a diagnosis of "Sero Negative Inflammatory Arthritis," which I'd never been told.  Looked it up online and discovered it means the blood tests show no RH factor.  I also discovered seronegative is one word, not two.  Way to go, doc and staff!

Posted 10/14/2008 3:57 AM (GMT 0)
Man, I hope you get things worked out! Definitely go to the office and don't leave until you have the letter.

I also feel your pain. My soon to be ex-GI was supposed to fill a prescription for me...and took a month to do it. I called, and even made personal appearances to ask for it. The staff kept apologizing and said they kept reminding him to sign it. The pharmacy also kept calling and faxing, but it didn't light a fire under him. Luckily, my dad took the same meds as I did and had a 3 month supply. Otherwise, I don't know what I would have done. That was 2 or 3 years ago. After more negligence from him this summer, I finally decided to get a new doctor. It's a longer drive, but I'm confident she will be a much better doctor for me.
Posted 10/14/2008 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
People don't realize how one little screw up can mess up someone's life. Right now I am dealing w/ my student loan company because when I requested a deferment my registrar put the wrong graduation date in. Now my loans are coming into repayment a year early. Ive wrote, Ive called, my registrar faxed, yet the mistake STILL isn't fixed. Meanwhile I have to pay these loans with money I don't have. All because my registrar was careless when she filled out the form.
Posted 10/15/2008 5:10 PM (GMT 0)

Approved!

Approved!  Approved!  Approved!

Posted 10/15/2008 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
Way to go!!!!
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