Here, I’ll put this right up top: Another long rant then some good news.
The hoops I have had to jump through to get my diabetes medication has been almost laughable. Since I was getting nowhere with leaving messages for the endocrinology office to return my calls, and also getting nowhere with leaving messages on myChart, I decided to escalate this. When I called them on February 22, I asked how one files a complaint. She said she would leave a message for the supervisor in the endocrinology office who would return my call within 24 hours. Okie dokie.
The next day, 24 hours had come and gone, and of course…. no call back. So I called back again and explained the reason for my call. “Oh, well they have up to 48 hours to return a call.” “I was told 24 hours.” “No, it’s 48 hours.” “Okay, I’ll be expecting her call tomorrow, and if she doesn’t return my call, I’ll be calling back again.”
I’m sure you’ll be shocked to read that she didn’t return my call within 48 hours either. This occurred to me when I was driving home from a clinic that’s about four hours away. So I pulled into a gas station where I knew I had cell service and called again. I knew that within about three minutes of pulling away from that gas station, my cell signal would drop. (Life in Rural New Mexico.)
After being on hold for 10 minutes, someone answered, and I said I wanted to speak to a supervisor in endocrinology, NOW. She said okay and transferred me… to a PA in primary care.
What the serious fuck.
I was SO mad. The PA said she would give me the “direct number” to endocrinology. Nope. The number she gave me was to the same call center that I’ve been calling for over a month now. I was back in the queue. Fuming.
After another 10 or so minutes, the call was answered, I explained that I was NOT happy about having been transferred to the wrong department, and that I wanted to speak to a supervisor in endocrinology RIGHT NOW. I didn’t want to leave a message, I didn’t want to be put on hold, I wanted to speak to someone NOW. I could hear her fingers typing as she said, “Okay I just put a message in to get a supervisor on the line. How is your day going?” “It was going fine until this phone call.” She stopped making small talk with me after that. Good plan.
After a few minutes, she said, “Okay, I have a supervisor on the line, and I’m going to transfer your call.”
Then Monica picked up the phone.
“Monica, are you a supervisor in endocrinology?”
“No, I’m a supervisor in the call center.”
“NO NO NO NO NO. MONICA. NO. I need to speak to a supervisor in ENDOCRINOLOGY right now. Not a supervisor of the call center. NOW.”
“Well, let me call over there and see who I can reach. Hold for a moment.”
She got back on the phone after a moment and said she was unable to reach anyone.
“No one is answering the phone. I can leave a message for her to call you back.”
“Monica, what am I supposed to do? I’ve left message after message after message. I’ve left several messages through myChart. NO ONE WILL RETURN MY CALL. What am I supposed to do?”
“Well, I don’t really know. I guess you could go down to their office?”
“Really? I have to GO TO THEIR OFFICE because no one will call me back? Does that seem REASONABLE to you?”
“Well, no, but I don’t know what else to tell you.”
I just hung up the phone.
What a load of serious fucking bullshit.
Before I left the gas station, I sent a message to my endocrinologist telling her I was going to file a formal complaint about this whole situation because I was fed up and that their incompetence was affecting my health. And my blood pressure, which I didn’t mention. I googled and found a number for Lovelace Patient Relations. Wouldn’t you know it, I had to leave a message there too. I requested a call back THAT DAY, although I knew full well I would be on the road, likely without service. I just wanted to see if they would call.
They did not.
I got back on the road, and OF COURSE about three minutes later, the phone rang. I could tell by the 727 number it was Lovelace. I answered the phone and, as expected, had no cell service and was just hollering “Hello? Hello?” to no one.
I kept driving and maybe another 30 minutes later, the phone rang again, and this time I was in a pocket of nowhere where I had a wee bit of a signal. I pulled over and answered the phone. It was a medical assistant from endocrinology, and I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask her name.
She said that my Ozempic had been approved in January, and she didn’t understand what the problem was.
“No, it wasn’t approved in January. I’ve called my insurance company FIVE TIMES, and each time they tell me they are still waiting for the prior authorization request from the office. And if it was approved in January, why was I told on February 22 that they were working on it THAT day? Why would they have to fill out the form if it was already approved?”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I was told it was approved on January 28th. “
“But my insurance company didn’t fax the pre-authorization form over until January 31st. So how was it approved on January 28th?
“That is the information I have. I don’t know anything else.”
“Why won’t anyone return my calls? I’ve requested a call back from a supervisor THREE TIMES, and no one has called me back. What’s the deal?”
“Well I don’t know why she hasn’t called you back. Do you want me to leave a message for her to call you?”
“You mean message NUMBER FOUR? Sure. Why not. I’m sure she’ll get right on that. What is her name?”
“Trinda.”
“What is her last name?”
“I don’t think I can give out that information.”
“Is she going to call me TODAY?”
“Um I don’t know if it will be today…”
“Why can’t I call your office directly anymore? Why do I need to go through a call center?”
“I really don’t know the answer to that.”
“Well this is a BIG problem. I’ve been trying to get in touch with someone for over a MONTH and no one will return my calls or messages. Why is that??”
[I hope I wasn’t yelling but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was. I was PISSED.]
“We’re still trying to catch up on returning calls and messages from November.”
“NOVEMBER?”
She didn’t cite the ransom attack they went through in November, but I assume that’s what she was referring to. But still. NOVEMBER? Three months ago, and they STILL weren’t caught up on returning calls and messages? At this point, that’s just a bullshit excuse.
Then she had the gall to say, “Our priority is our patients.”
“Oh please. No it’s not. If your priority was your patients, someone would have contacted me four weeks ago, and I would have had my medication by now. That’s just something you tell yourself, but you and I both know that’s not true.”
“We’re really short staffed right now.”
“Yeah I get it. I’m a doctor too. We’re also really short-staffed, overworked and overwhelmed. But there’s NO WAY I’d let a patient wait THREE MONTHS for a call back. That is unacceptable.”
There was nothing more to say so that was the end of that.
Now, as she and I were talking, I got a call from Walgreens. I didn’t take the call of course but before I got back on the road, I listened to the automated voice on the message tell me my prescription was ready for pick up. I looked on the app. Yep, it was for the Ozempic. I’m sure that was just one big coincidence, right? After a month of nothing, WHILE I’m talking with someone from endocrinology, my prescription is just magically ready?? God. They must think I’m a complete idiot.
On Monday I did get a return call back from the Lovelace Patient Relations department but of course I couldn’t take the call. I called them back when I could…and had to leave another message. At some point Monday a nurse from endocrinology called me (NOT Trinda the supervisor) and said, “I’m not sure of your reason for the call but if I can help you please call us back.” Oh my god. After all my ranting and raving, she’s not sure of the reason for my call?
Then later in the day, Trinda the supervisor FINALLY called me back and left a message on my cell. First words out of her mouth were, “I’m new in this department so I don’t really know what’s going on.” Oh great. A cover-your-ass statement right from the get-go. And she told me to call her back, leaving the same fucking call center number as before. So I called back and explained I was returning a call to the supervisor in endocrinology.
“What number did she tell you to call her back on?”
“Uh, the number I’m calling right now.”
“What extension did she leave?”
“She did not leave an extension.”
“What is her last name?”
“She did not leave her last name.”
“Hmm. Well, I don’t see an ‘Trinda’ in endocrinology. I show the name of the supervisor to be Evelyn.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. She said her name was Trinda, and I assume she knows her own name.” “Well, I’ll leave a message that you called.”
“Yes, please, that’s been so very effective up to this point.”
Click.
Monday I went to Walgreens and finally after over a month, I got my prescription. I asked the pharmacist when the approval was sent over. “March 1st.” Yep, just what I thought. NOT January. I had also been checking the Walgreens app every day… “Delayed.” “Delayed.” Delayed delayed delayed delayed…. It wasn’t approved in January.
Tuesday I had a video visit with my nephrologist. Thank goodness it was just a video visit because it was about three minutes long. My appointment was scheduled for 4:20, and I was off the phone by 4:19. He said everything looked good except my blood sugar was high. I said, “Well I’m not going to bore you with the details, but I haven’t been able to get my diabetes medication. The last time I took it was on January 9th [nearly two months ago]. But I got my Ozempic last night and will start it this evening.” He said he wouldn’t worry about it then unless it’s still high at my next visit in six months. And that was it.
On Wednesday, I got a call back from the Patient Relations department. He apologized for the phone tag. I went through the entire fiasco from start to finish. I told him my main concern was the absolute lack of communication from endocrinology to patients. That this call center idea DOES NOT WORK. I told him that I get ALL my care with the exception of nephrology through Lovelace: women’s health, oncology, primary care, and endocrinology. With all but endocrinology, I can call the office directly. And I have NO issues reaching anyone, and even if I have to leave a message, someone returns my call. Endocrinology?? Not at all. I said I understood that by getting rid of the calls directly to endocrinology that they can focus on other things. Fine. BUT THEY STILL HAVE TO BE IN TOUCH WITH PATIENTS.
He agreed that it was unreasonable to be told to GO TO THE OFFICE because no one will get back with me. That it was unacceptable that no one had contacted me in over a month. That I shouldn’t have to wait this long for my medication. That they should not still be combing through messages from over three months ago.
I said what about those patients who don’t know how to advocate for themselves? Maybe they’re elderly. Maybe they don’t hear well. Maybe they don’t speak English well. Maybe they just gave up after leaving umpteen unreturned messages, and now their health is suffering for it. He agreed to all of that. He said he would reach out to endocrinology as well as to the powers that be regarding this whole call center thing. We spoke for nearly 20 minutes. I was NOT yelling during this phone call. I was calm but frustrated. I told him I will very likely be seeking another endocrinology practice because this just really irritated me. I said that I know Dr. E is a very good doctor, but that office is completely overworked or unorganized, more than likely both. He said he understood.
So that is where that all ended. I know nothing will be done. But shit. There’s only so much a person can take.
Here’s the thing. Believe it or not, I don’t LIKE to have to be a bitch on the phone to these people. I DO understand that they are overworked. All of them, from the providers to the assistants to the people at the call center. I get it. But it’s still not acceptable to keep people hanging for over a month (or more). I know I sound like a raving lunatic. But really, I don’t like having to be rude and angry with people who are just trying to make a living. I don’t feel good about that, and after every phone call, I feel bad about the way I handled it. But seriously, what was I supposed to do? Just wait and wait and wait? If it took over a month with me calling at least weekly, how long would it have taken if I just gave up? Forever? Until my next appointment in July? So seven months with no medication? It’s all just bullshit.
I’m tired of having to go to battle for everything. I’m sure that sounds dramatic, but that’s how it feels. And when I say I’m tired, I mean I’m LITERALLY tired, not just roll-my-eyes tired (although there’s that too). I work 15-hour days with a chronic illness where fatigue is a major side effect. Trying to fit in fights to get decent health care is just ONE MORE THING I shouldn’t have to be dealing with. But it’ll never end. It’s just the way it is.
Yesterday I went through the list of endocrinologists who are on my insurance plan. I found one I liked, online at least. Her specialties are diabetes and thyroid disease. Hey, lucky me! I have both of those! It’s a match made in heaven. If only I could contact her office. I must have made six phone calls trying to find the correct number. The one on my insurance provider directory? Wrong. The one online? Wrong. The department I was transferred to from one of the wrong numbers? Wrong. I FINALLY got to the right department (no idea how)…only to be told (kindly) that I need a referral from my PCP before I can schedule with her. I asked how far out she was scheduling. “August.” Yep, that’s what I figured. I sent a message to my PCP requesting the referral. Hopefully that will get done soon, and I can get on her schedule.
To end on a positive note, I did get my chemo on February 28th. No one said anything, no one stopped me. And then when I came home this weekend, I had a letter from my insurance company stating I was approved for Kyprolis until January 2025. Well, amen and hallelujah. I ought to frame the damn letter and hang it on the wall. I messaged my oncologist to thank him for his time and effort with this whole OTHER battle. I told him I had been ready to get on a plane and fly to Texas to meet with someone face to face if I had to. He said we’re good for now. After January, who knows. It’s definitely too far away to think about.
So …97% rant and 3% good news. Sounds about right.
Low, Low, Low 