Strange question

[rohrer01]

Has anyone had a doctor cancel your appointment for no reason other than they don't want you to travel? This doctor sees patients from all over the country and some out of country. I have a Dr. appointment that is 3 weeks away, hubby asked time off work for travel arrangements, been fighting to get referrals, x-rays, mri's, medical records and not to mention with insurance company for the last THREE months to make this work. I was going to go without a referral. The office and the doctor have been EXTREMELY kind, then out of the blue they don't want me to come. They want me to find a doctor closer to home. I had already explained that none of the docs that I've seen here will help me and NONE are on my HMO either. I'm just wondering if there hasn't been some doctor lurking on the forum and maybe they think I'm a nut-case. Anyway, I'm so disappointed and upset. I don't know what to do. I feel completely helpless. I have to start my search and my FIGHT with insurance all over again. Maybe I should just delete all of my posts from the forum as if I never existed. Can I do that?

[Lorraine 1966]

I think you can, but for someone like a doctor to do that would be just terrible. Would they?
From what I have read ,which is all your posts, as I enjoy reading them, you are no where near being a nut case. What a horrible let down for you, thats mean.

Lorraine.

[Ballet Mom]

Maybe I should just delete all of my posts from the forum as if I never existed. Can I do that?

Yes, you can and it leaves no trace, either. It's amazing how people can change the history in the archives if they have a desire to. Just go to the post you want to delete, hit the edit button, and then the delete button. It's gone without a trace. A real flaw in the system, as far as I'm concerned.

[gmw]

Rohrer -- First of all, you're not a nut case. It's amazing how drs are sometimes so insensitive. I am so sorry this has happened to you. You have worked so hard to find a dr and in dealing with your HMO. Don't give up there's a doctor out there who's just right for you.

Can your PCP not help you with your surgeon and with your issues with your HMO? Please keep posting here. You have lots of support here and you help many others with your insightful comments.

Glenda

[mamamax]

Yes, you can and it leaves no trace, either. It's amazing how people can change the history in the archives if they have a desire to. Just go to the post you want to delete, hit the edit button, and then the delete button. It's gone without a trace. A real flaw in the system, as far as I'm concerned.

And you have to be in the Advance Edit screen in order to delete the post. If someone has and answered one of your posts by using the Quote feature however, that cannot be deleted. I think you can even delete an entire thread, if you were the original poster - but that may be frowned on by admin. I've noticed a few huge flaws.

[debbei]

That is very odd. I have to wonder what the real reason is.

[Back-out]

How awful, rohrer,

Your question isn't strange but rather the behavior prompting it.

I agree with debbei that one is inevitably tempted to speculate about the "real" reasons for the cancellation.

Underlining that this IS just speculation, I wonder if the surgeon may have felt pressured by how much you were counting on him. He may have felt there was no way to meet your needs: emotional, physical and financial, and been uncomfortable at your investing so much money and effort (and more hope) into the long trip to see him.

I'm sure you were explicit about your gratitude and high hopes. You've been so desperate for so long! You probably indicated how much this meant to you - that he was, in effect, your last hope (at least, for now).
Under ordinary circumstances, feeling so desperately needed (while being unsure one can meet those expectations - for whatever reason), can make one want to bow out of the "savior" role.

Then too, the financial sacrifice of your trip, may have made him think long and hard as a "businessman" about what lay ahead if he DID advocate surgery for you. At best, he would be forced to spearhead an insurance battle. That would mean being forced to write numerous letters pleading your case - and all without knowing it would succeed.

If surgery proceeded resolution of the payment issue, there would be a great risk of his not being paid or needing to sue to collect a reduced fee. In any case, dealing with you did not promise to be straightforward. He/his practice would need to invest extra effort either to get your surgery approved (again, with only POSSIBLE success) - and still risk losing in collecting payment. Such collection/approval issues can take more time and energy for a surgical practice than the surgery itself.

I was unable to see a surgeon I really wanted to see - even for a consult - because his "gatekeeper" had had bad experience with my insurance carrier. I knew she hadn't thoroughly checked partial solutions (e.g. something called "balance billing"), but it just wasn't worth her while even to look into this for my sake. She was angry in advance (so much so, that others at HSS apologized for her language). Even to line up a consult, others have needed reassurance that my carrier would cover surgery - just in case. Most of these surgeons have been "burnt" - and not just for their fees, but those of the anesthesiologists and facility (they complain to the gate-keeper). Their compassion only stretches so far, especially when they have the choice of refusing a new patient with "issues".

If I were you, I would swallow hard once you've dealt with this shattering blow, and ask them for honest feedback ("reality testing") about their reasons. You need (and deserve) it to help with future planning. If they stick to their agreed-upon rationale, you might turn it into a kind of "multiple choice", asking them if the possible factors I mentioned played a role. Even though it might be uncomfortable for them to be confronted, I think frankness is the least they owe you!

So sorry. This goes beyond the mere word "disappointment". Try not to despair. It might be worth investigating medical payment plans so you can present solutions to the financial issue, WHILE you're trying to line up a consult. (And how is your credit record? NOT asking, but suggesting you "know the score". Checking this is becoming standard practice for hospitals - especially for what is considered elective surgery.). If you propose a fallback payment plan, they'll see you're thinking ahead about this issue. It might even help with this particular doctor. I feel sure surgeons are more favorably disposed to accept a patient who has looked at things from their POV and tried to plan.

[Back-out]

And FWIW I cannot imagine anything you've written here having had any impact whatsoever on their decision.

[JenniferG]

Me neither. And if it was the reason, deleting them now won't help.

I think I would be wanting to dig the real reason out of him. You need to know.

I'm pretty shocked a doctor would drop you like this with no good reason. Not sure if you've mentioned his name, but if he comes up with no good reason, I'd be publishing his name, to warn other patients what this man is capable of. Nobody would want to go through what you've been through.

I do hope you can find a willing, capable surgeon soon.

[JenniferG]

Oh and I meant to say, you are not a nutcase! So don't let this bring on all kinds of self-doubt. Plug on rohrer.

[rohrer01]

If I were you, I would swallow hard once you've dealt with this shattering blow, and ask them for honest feedback ("reality testing") about their reasons. You need (and deserve) it to help with future planning. If they stick to their agreed-upon rationale, you might turn it into a kind of "multiple choice", asking them if the possible factors I mentioned played a role. Even though it might be uncomfortable for them to be confronted, I think frankness is the least they owe you!

I did ask for a reason. The only answer that his office manager would give me was that she was not privy to his decisions and that after "prayerful consideration" he has cancelled other appointments and surgeries in the past. So apparently there is no reason other than that. I'm glad that I didn't get to the point of having surgery scheduled and then have him pull that stunt! I can only imagine how outraged the person/people he's done that to would be!

[Back-out]

I wonder if HIMSELF's God is privy to the track record of various insurance companies' reimbursement records...

Pretty nifty chain of command.

Ask me sometime about patient online feedback, Rohrer. I didn't want to say anything before, but Google will reward the curious. He's got a bunch of uniformly disappointed and upset former patients complaining of being dropped like hot potatoes when something went wrong with surgery. More than any other doc, I found. Over a period of time too, and detailed comments!

Pretty shocking for Mr. Compassionate Blogger with the angelic smile.



Doubtless, they have no gripes as The DEITY has advised the MDEITY that they didn't need follow-up.

[debbei]

I did ask for a reason. The only answer that his office manager would give me was that she was not privy to his decisions and that after "prayerful consideration" he has cancelled other appointments and surgeries in the past. So apparently there is no reason other than that. I'm glad that I didn't get to the point of having surgery scheduled and then have him pull that stunt! I can only imagine how outraged the person/people he's done that to would be!

Sounds like a nut to me, but maybe this is a good thing. If this surgeon doesn't have confidence and/or skill enough to handle your case, you don't want him anyway. I'm sorry you have to go back to the drawing board and start over, but like you said, it's better now than immediately prior to surgery.

((Hugs))

[JenniferG]

Rohrer. I didn't want to say anything before, but Google will reward the curious. He's got a bunch of uniformly disappointed and upset former patients complaining of being dropped like hot potatoes when something went wrong with surgery. More than any other doc, I found. Over a period of time too, and detailed comments!

Pretty shocking for Mr. Compassionate Blogger with the angelic smile.



Doubtless, they have no gripes as The DEITY has advised the MDEITY that they didn't need follow-up.[/QUOTE]

Now I'm curious - are we allowed to know which doctor?

[hdugger]

I think we're trying to avoid saying, but he's the one with the blog.