#jkfycowofhwi

[sanerontheinside]

saner is a tiny bit frazzled, running around putting out a bunch of tiny fires all over the place. saner is drafting a record while all of this is fresh. saner hopes all of this will soon achieve a successful culmination.

saner is well aware that they’re not out of the woods yet.

below the cut is a working draft for a review of experience at a doctor’s office. It’s a wild ride, folks, and goes to show that saner is too tired for shit and also too damn nice.

[[MORE]]

tl;dr: spent over 3 weeks trying to get a medical device replaced because of a failure of communication for which the doctor is largely responsible

The item is functional, but loses all saved data every time you change the battery, because the internal battery has run out. This effectively means that removing the external battery for any reason disrupts connection of device to insulin pump, which it controls. Inconveniently, this means needing to change insulin pump (aka “pod”) whenever the batteries run out, regardless of whether pod has run out its 3-day fda-approved period.

(Consider: person drops PDM at work and batteries pop out. Person now needs to change pump. Person should theoretically be carrying spare insulin vial and spare pod in purse. Person is not, for various reasons, carrying spare insulin vial and pod in purse.)

Adventures as follows:

10/14: made call to insurance, was approved for full coverage of item

10/14: called Insulet corp and gave them the green light for re-ordering new device; Insulet calls doctor, submits order paperwork

10/15: Insulet sends email: “subject: reorder delay. Text: We are notifying you that we have attempted to obtain the proper paperwork from your doctor but have yet to receive a response. Unfortunately, without the required paperwork we are unable to move forward with processing your order.”

10/17 call doctor’s office, speak to receptionist, who promises to follow up

10/24: insulet emails again with confidential letter attached, which states they have still received nothing from doctor’s office

10/24: call office again; unable to speak to anyone in person as office closed early and emergency message service does not regard the situation as emergent

10/25: call to office successful, receptionist once again promises to follow up

11/3 (Sunday): call placed to product support line of insulet for update; insulet promises to email ASAP

11/5: insulet email says paperwork still not received

11/5: call placed to doctor’s office. Receptionist now familiar with situation, states that doctor has resubmitted paperwork several times

11/5: place call to insulet corp for clarification. Insulet customer service rep states that exactly one blank on the form remains unfilled, namely the icd-10 code, without which they cannot get approval from insurance. Rep adds that insulet has called and left 3 messages with explanation. Ask rep to once again bring this to attention of office. Rep promises to place call.

11/5: email from rep saying they’ve called the doctor and been shouted at (note that there is no sign the doctor ever let them explain why they were calling). Rep hopes the paperwork will be correctly resubmitted soon.

11/5: place call to doctor’s office, forwarded to voicemail twice. Finally reach doctor’s office, inform receptionist of missing information.

11/7: call insulet to check status; form has not been resubmitted. Rep offers to scan form with arrow indicating space with missing information and send copy to me.

11/7: hand-deliver form to doctor’s office. Doctor not present (at clinic); hand form to receptionist. Point to relevant blank space on form.

Updates to follow, I guess. I really hope not.

Please note: had this device been lost or irreparably damaged 10/14, I would’ve been in the hospital that same day. too damn nice.

also ngl I remember to call them once a week because I’m working 2 part time jobs and have classes to attend. I practically took the better part of this week off to deal with all of this crap (+ dental).

(And this is the second time this doctor had some difficulty filling my prescriptions.) (I’ve scheduled my next appt with a new office.)