The real reason I didn't want to go to counselling today? Well, I knew I really should call my insurance company and make sure said counsellor is on our new insurance plan but I hadn't. This counselor is someone we'd seen before as a couple so I didn't really take that into consideration when I made the first appointment. But the office administrator gave me all kinds of grief when I gave her the new insurance card last time because I hadn't called ahead and gotten the pre-cert.
So today an hour before my appointment, I decided I'd stop avoiding the damn phone call and find out if he's covered. I had a nice little chat with a girl in the dental coverage department first. Duh. Then, finally - the mental health section. According to the insurance CSR, he's not on their plan. So, 40 minutes before the appointment I call to cancel and the office admin AGAIN gives me grief. No wonder I don't like people.
Based on the fact that I'd never see this person again, I felt free to point out to her that the clients she works are experiencing a lot of stress in their lives and it would be appreciated if she could treat them with a tad bit of compassion instead of criticism or treating them as a child. Then I kindly reminded her that she had said after my previous visit that she would call them herself since I couldn't get through the first time. She reminded me that it was MY responsibility and then I reminded HER that she needn't speak to me as if I'm a child and that she doesn't know quite how mentally unhealthy some of the clients there might be so she should take that into consideration before being so rude. I further decided to let her know that even if I did have coverage for that office I wasn't sure I'd be returning anyway because the stress that I'm put through by the office personnel was undoing any good that the counsellor was doing and that I would write the Dr. in charge of the practice to let him know my opinion on the matter.
She then became quite friendly and found a way to bill the insurance so that the coverage would work for me, wasn't that nice? We rescheduled for Thursday of next week. I bet she thinks I'll forget by then.
There better not be a no-show for today, but if there is, I'll probably just pay it to make it go away. Unless I'm pissy again. Oh, lucky her. Aunt Flo should be arriving just about then.
As a woman with bipolar disorder...a successful, kind, compassionate and intelligent woman btw, this is my *single biggest pet peeve* about mental health offices, medical personel in general, and the stigma that is attached to anyone that steps foot in a "counseling office" errrrrr So many of them treat you like crap or like you're an idiot or something!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing more annoying than being a grown adult and being treated like a child. These office workers need some serious training in this area.
GOOD FOR YOU!!! for speaking up. I've been moved to tears in the past. A couple of years ago I was going to a "center for eating disorders" place and they followed you with a nurse practitioner and counseling and some group thing and it was great if it weren't for the lady at the front desk. Major itch with a capital B!!
I'm soooo thankful for the place I go to now. We do have a cancel fee and they are very strict about it. If it's not 24 hours, bam..I have to pay.
Wow. You were sooo much cooler than I would have been. Good job. Vee at http://veegettinghealthy.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThe activity thing is really hard right now, because I am recovering from a broken ankle. I literally got out of my walking boot yesterday and am limping around campus. So I can't really exercise. I exercise in physical therapy, but that's very limit so there's the problem there. Thank you for the comment, though!
ReplyDelete-Raych
http://losingwithraych.blogspot.com