GatewayRedbirds.com

I've been scheduling lots of medical appointments today with fantastic luck. I need to see a vaccine specialist for traveling: got an appointment for this Wednesday. I need to see a dentist: got an appointment for later in the day this Wednesday! (wow on that one) Need to acquire and see a primary care physician to get a checkup and a dermatology referral: got an appointment for Aug. 30. (not bad)

Call up dermatology office, which I have been to multiple times before, to schedule appointment.

Old ass dumb woman (in an old voice): What kind of insurance do you have, sir?
Me: Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO Illinois
Her: We don't accept that insurance.
Me: Really? Because I've been there before.
Her: We don't accept that insurance, sir.
Me: Well when did you stop? Because I've been there before.
Her: Oh, we stopped accepting that.
Me: (long pause while I try to make sense of this)
Her: We don't accept that insurance, sir.
Me: Well then I guess I can't come, can I? (hang up)

I then immediately looked at their website to confirm that they DO in fact accept my insurance. Put that woman out to pasture already!

I'll just call back tomorrow and get a different person. I don't feel like fighting with her.

Ok, buster....better define "old"!!

Actually, I'll turn this into more of a doctors/dentist office receptionist rant: Something similar happened to me recently. We have HMO insurance....however, for dental, we can go to ANY dentist; we don't have to use a dentist from the provider directory. Since I wasn't thrilled with the last dentist I visited, I figured I'll use the provider directory to find someone new.

I call one of the providers, explain to the receptionist that I'm a new patient (she verified they are accepting new patients) and I'd like to make an appointment for a teeth cleaning, told her my insurance plan and stated her office is in the provider directory. She proceeds to state that I need to call my insurance company and tell them I want to make an appt. with this dentist, then my ins. co. will call their office and get me added to the list, then I apparently need to become a physic and realize I've been added to the list and call them to book an appt. WTF? I have NEVER had to do this....not even with my primary care doctor, and I've been with this particular HMO for 3 years. Chatty Cathy at the dentist office is telling me I have to do this? I hung up and called the next dentist on the list, made an appointment and I'll see him in a couple of weeks.

Duh.

Simbagal23 wrote:Ok, buster....better define "old"!!

Yes. I enjoyed how this was deployed as the ultimate insult.

G.Keenan wrote:Need to acquire and see a primary care physician

I've been told I need to get a primary care physician so that everything will be set up should I actually need a doctor. Does this mean I have to make up some excuse to go to the doctor in order to get on their list?

G.Keenan wrote:Need to acquire and see a primary care physician

I've been told I need to get a primary care physician so that everything will be set up should I actually need a doctor. Does this mean I have to make up some excuse to go to the doctor in order to get on their list?[/quote]

That's another thing....we have to have a primary care doc in order to get referrals to specialists. However, I have never met my primary care doc....if I think I need a referral, I call his office and ask for one and they'll fax it.

Arthur Dent wrote:

Simbagal23 wrote:Ok, buster....better define "old"!!

Yes. I enjoyed how this was deployed as the ultimate insult.

G.Keenan wrote:Need to acquire and see a primary care physician

I've been told I need to get a primary care physician so that everything will be set up should I actually need a doctor. Does this mean I have to make up some excuse to go to the doctor in order to get on their list?

By old I mean like 110. She sounded like she was about to fall asleep. She had that old, creaky voice.

You should pick a primary care physician just to get it over with. You have to register your PCP with your insurance company before the doctor can see you. Most likely you'll need a PCP referral in order to see any kind of specialist.

Arthur Dent wrote:

Simbagal23 wrote:Ok, buster....better define "old"!!

Yes. I enjoyed how this was deployed as the ultimate insult.

G.Keenan wrote:Need to acquire and see a primary care physician

I've been told I need to get a primary care physician so that everything will be set up should I actually need a doctor. Does this mean I have to make up some excuse to go to the doctor in order to get on their list?

You can simply go for a health screening, a yearly "check up". The insurance companies pay for that with the hope that people will use it and preventative medicine will actually work.

I wonder when the "old, creaky voice" kicks in?

I've decided that I won't feel old until that happens to me (unless it's like, next year. Then I'll figure out another criteria that hasn't happened yet).

Radbird wrote:I wonder when the "old, creaky voice" kicks in?

When you start employing phrases such as: "Whippersnapper", "Dagnabbit", and "You dam* kids".

Old men can be just as dumb, if not dumber - yet they rarely "answer phones".

docellis wrote:Old men can be just as dumb, if not dumber - yet they rarely "answer phones".

I should have said "dumb old woman" since it was a rant against just this one woman really, who couldn't do her job.