Attentively Attentive to all Things

So it's 10:30pm, and I'm still trying to make sense of this day.  The morning started out rushed as usual, but I made it to work on time.  The four hours I spent at work were hectic, but productive. I forgot Caris' bag so I had to go home first, then drive out to the parents house to drop of Caris for an afternoon of Grandma time.  When I finally made it back home, I did some menial housework that took all of fifteen minutes, then sat down to do homework.  This is where things go haywire. I could not focus.  And this was before learning I had been made Managing Editor of The Aurora.  The problem is, I wasn't focused on anything in particular, I just couldn't focus on my assignment.  This is not a good sign, because these assignments in Modern World Literature are long, and I have to really keep on the ball to get them completed.  *sigh*  I hope this isn't a sign of issues to come. Tomorrow is the chili cook-off downtown.  I'm still not sure if we're goin...

...won't people let me help them? I just don't understand. As a patient account rep, I try my best to be pro-active when it comes to a patients outstanding balance. I talk to them early in the process, and work out something that will keep their balance from going to an outside collection agency, and ultimately on their credit report. It's for their benefit, not me. When a patient tells me they don't care, then why should I? This also goes for asking the patient to take an active role in their care and management of their balance. I cannot do everything for a patient when it comes to their finances. Patients have to participate in the process and do some of the dirty work. Nothing frustrates me more than a patient telling me I am prolonging their agony because they do not want to make a ten minute phone call to their insurance company to give them the information they've requested. I can only do so much. *sigh*

So while I've not blogged in a while, that doesn't mean my head has been underground, no matter how much I wish it could be. ;) This morning I received a message from my boss, which had been forwarded from her boss, asking employees to sign a petition about Medicare reform. This petition, found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/meltdown/ asks people to sign their name to try to convince Congress to overhaul the Medicare reimbursement system. I have mixed feelings about this. For starters, it is true that physicians have faced deep cuts in Medicare payments over the last few years. No argument there. We write off tons of money every day. However, most of the doctors I work for drive VERY expensive cars, and have several of them. They have huge houses in gated communities, send their kids to private schools, use the most expensive day care facilities, or have nannies for their children. They take vacations to exotic locations, and all in all live the good life. Anyone see an...

Many acquaintances and coworkers have asked my opinion of the Healthcare Reform Bill , mostly because of my position as a Patient Account Representative at our local clinic.  To be honest, while I followed the coverage to see if it would pass, I hadn't paid much attention to the details of the bill.  I'm under no delusions that the United States Government has my best interests at heart, but that being said, I'm not a Republican.  I agree the Healthcare system is badly broken and needs to be fixed, and it will take the government to straighten it out and make it fair for everyone.  Insurance companies do not look out for their insured’s best interest and health, regardless of what they tell you.  I see too many instances of surgery being denied and the patient limping away, only to injure themselves because of their instability and go through more surgery later that was emergent. They deny care everyday to thousands of individuals, citing their medical policies and review b...

You open your mail to find a letter from your health insurance company. Their correspondence always confuses you, so you set it aside and move on to another task. The letter sits there for days, unread. Then, you receive a call from your doctor's office, telling you your insurance company is requesting information from you before they will pay for your services. What?! They've not asked for information from me! And then you remember the letter you opened and set aside... In my ten plus years as a patient account representative and insurance clerk for a multi-specialty physician medical clinic, I see this scenario over and over. Today I had this very same incident happen to one of my patients. Many do not understand the confusing world of health insurance, and to some, ignorance is bliss. However, such ignorance can lead to many problems in the future at your doctor's office, where all of a sudden, a $1,000.00 bill for services is owed by YOU. Here's what can happen: You...