Finding Bigfoot 1.5

by Insurance Guru

I've been trying to get an authorization/referral/Papal blessing to see an orthopedic doctor for over two months now... see Finding a Good PCP is Like Finding Bigfoot.

I finally spoke (4th time's the charm) with someone at my PCP's office that actually SENT a fax to the Insurance Company. Within 24 hours, my Insurance Company sent me an e-mail letting me know of the approval. I printed out the referral/auth/blessing and faxed it to the orthopedic office. After two days, I called to get the elusive ortho appointment...

Office: "Do you have a referral?"

Me: "Yes, I printed it from my Insurance Company's website and faxed it myself two days ago.

Office: "Well, I only see this fax and it's not from the Insurance Company so we can't accept this. We need something with the office codes on it and saying that it's approved."

Me: "Oh, you mean like right there on the paper where it says "approved" and the approved codes for the office visits?"

Office: " Well yeah, but we need the number of visits and it has to come from the Insurance Company."

Me: "So where it says I have 4 visits and the Insurance Company name and my name and the effective dates of the auth and your office name, address and phone numbers... this won't work?"

Office: "No - we need it to come from the Insurance Company. Have a nice day."

Me: lighting my hair on fire and cursing small animals.

Well, my Insurance Company happily faxed them the auth and exactly three months after this began, I have an appointment. Don't even ask how many people I had to talk to or how long I was on hold. I'll start cursing small animals again. My hair is now too short to light.

For all of this effort, they better wave a magic wand over my knee and send me on my way!