“HELP! Is there a doctor in the house?”
Last Monday I sprained my lower back while playing tennis. If you’ve ever tweaked your lower back to the point that getting in and out of a chair requires grit, you know the pain and discomfort I’m talking about.
For the rest of Monday and all day Tuesday, I pretty much followed the basics for this type of injury: ice pack, lay on my back, simple stretching with leg extensions, and moderate walking on a level surface. So far, so good.
The problem was that by Wednesday morning, I wasn’t feeling much better than Monday night. Concerned, I phoned my HMO to seek a referral from my primary care physician to see a specialist. I’m aware that protocol dictates that one must first schedule an appointment with his or her primary care physician in order to then receive a referral to a specialist but, since I’ve had the same physician for a number of years, I expected to receive a referral following a phone call—as I’ve been able to do in the past.
When I called, I entered my health record number as requested and was placed on hold for a couple of minutes which is pretty standard. When the call was picked up by an HMO rep, she asked me to verify some information and then told me that, since I did not have a primary care physician, I’d have to be transferred to the physician selection line.
Confused, I said, “I have a primary care physician. I’ve been seeing the same doctor for the past four years.”
The rep then informed me that my primary care physician had transferred to open a new facility and I would need to choose another primary care physician before scheduling an appointment to receive treatment. She informed me that the physician selection department was currently not open and provided me with a direct line to contact them after 8:00am.
Okay, so I waited until after 8:00am before calling the physician selection department in order to select a new primary care physician so that I could schedule an initial appointment to receive a referral to see a specialist who could do something about the pain in my lower back.
When I called this number, I received the following message:
“Hello and thank you for calling (HMO). You have reached the physician selection service department. Our business hours are from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. If you have reached this message during these hours, we are currently assisting other members. Your call is very important to us. Please leave a message with your name, phone number, and medical record number, and we will return your call no later than the next business day. Thank you so much for calling and we look forward to serving you.”
After calling back several more times hoping to get a rep on the phone, I left a message with the information requested shortly after 8:00am on Wednesday. Today is Thursday (“the next business day”). It’s noon and I still have yet to hear back from the physician selection service department who “looks forward to serving me.”
Each month, I pay $1,100 for my family’s health insurance and, fortunately, it’s an exception when I need to call upon health services. But this week, I’m in need of medical attention and have not been able to identify a new primary care physician—let alone get scheduled to see one.
At this rate, the soonest I’ll be able to see my primary care physician is tomorrow, Friday, assuming he or she has availability. Until then, due to the nature of my injury, I’ll get by with the home remedies listed above and Advil.
The author, Peter Glen shares an amusing tactic to get the attention you deserve as a customer when you can’t locate employees or are otherwise feeling ignored and underserved:
“…when you find that you can’t get help, just stand there and scream the word (“HELP!”) as loud as you can. You will see people come running who haven’t moved in years. You will be serviced, solicited, fawned upon. They will sing to you, if that’s what you want, or anything else you want, as long as you don’t do that again. You have embarrassed them by reminding them of their jobs, and they are also afraid someone else might hear and want the same thing.
Screaming HELP at the top of your lungs…confronts the situation, calls a halt to routine, and starts alarms ringing everywhere. You get attention, suddenly and completely. You have just staged a small but specific revolution.”
So maybe I should drive to the HMO clinic, enter the lobby, and shout, “HELP! HELP! Is there a doctor in the house? HELP!” But somehow I think the doctor they would refer me to would specialize in something other than back pain…
Tags: Customer Service, HMO, ignored, patient, primary care physician, referral, underserved
June 6th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Oh-my-gosh! Sorry to hear about your back, but if you hadn’t thrown out your spine, I would not have heard the HELP story you quoted from Peter Glen.
I will honestly give that a try the next time I’m really frustrated! I have no doubt that it will work magic unforseen!
October 6th, 2009 at 8:14 am
[...] The result is an often-funny tale of an ordinary guy haplessly navigating a world of service superstars and bumbling idiots. [...]
October 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
For Pete’s sake, go to a chiropractor! No referral needed and s/he will probably fix it a lot quicker!
October 6th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Bill, I claim ignorance. Never having had experience w/ a chiropractor, I opted for PT instead – which I rec’d for about 30 min. on Friday, 6/5. The following morning, I sneezed in the kitchen and felt as though I was right back where I started. The following Monday, I arrived for a 10am appt. at the chiropractor. I rec’d multiple adjustments, 2 bottles of joint mobility/flexibility supplements, and multiple stretching exercises I could perform at home. That was 4 mos. and 15 chiropractor appts. ago. I’m still stretching, taking supplements, and seeing the chiro. At 43 and still playing tennis competitively, I see the regimen as a requirement to “stay in the game.” There’s nothing like excruciating pain as a motivator to seek enlightenment. ; )
October 6th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
[...] The result is an often-funny tale of an ordinary guy haplessly navigating a world of service superstars and bumbling idiots. [...]
October 6th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Perfect reason to support healthcare reform, eh?
October 6th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Great post! If standing in the midst of everything and yelling “help” doesn’t work, try falling down. I was recently on a plane returning from the Mayan Riviera and a young woman fell and hit her head on the way to the bathroom. The stewardesses put out a call asking if there was a doctor on the plane and FOURTEEN people came forward. Odds are one of them had to have been a back specialist. Two random comments: (1)$1,100/ month for health care? Wow. Glad I live in Canada. (2) Have you considered yoga? Sounds like it would be cheaper than your current health care plan, and, by the sound of it, more effective. It works too–my 81 year old mother started taking yoga classes when she turned 79. Turns out it was the best thing she could have done for her body. Hope you heal fast and well! Thanks for the terrific post.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Thank for stopping by my blog. Yes, health insurance outside of a group plan is pretty expensive in the U.S. When I worked for a large corporation, I paid ~$400 p/mo. for similar coverage. I’m doing well between chiropractic care, stretching, and supplements now and agree that yoga should be a part of my long term plan. You’re the 6th or 7th person who’s mentioned it to me since my incident. At 43, I just can’t show up on the court and start playing like I used to. One of the pros at the facility where I play is fond of saying, “You get in shape to play tennis. You don’t play tennis to get in shape.” Thanks for the comments and well-wishes.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Jan, I don’t have the answer to health care but I agree that much more could be done on the side of patient service. For instance, when my PCP was transferred they should have assigned an interim PCP in order for me to have immediate recourse in the event I needed to be seen right away. Then, if I wanted to be reassigned to another PCP after my initial experience with the interim PCP, that would be my prerogative. To me, that’s a simple solution that serves patients’ needs.