Today I took Brooke for a follow up at a pediatric ophthalmologist. The doctor and her staff were absolutely lovely. They were--gasp--polite to us! They were also familiar with retinal blastoma and considered our concerns quite reasonable and valid. After all, we are talking about the vision of a CHILD! We spent two hours having a very thorough exam that relieved our fears about retinal blastoma~ but that showed astigmatism. We are due back in a year to begin an early course of treatment for that. (It's not like Brooke's going to wear a pair of glasses...heck, I can't even keep a sunhat--with a chin strap--on her head or shoes--with double knots--on her feet!)
The experience of actually receiving thoughtful, caring service at the ophthalmologist's was a stark contrast to our visit to the ER, where Nurse Doctor-Sausage-Fingers was dismissive and careless. When I was reviewing our discharge summary before taking it along to the ophthalmologist appointment today, I discovered that he simply gave us a templated form for a "WELL BABY EXAM" for "[under 2 years of age]." It was completely impersonal to Brooke and our concerns, and it made no mention of an eye exam at all. Nothing about red reflexes, tracking, alignment, anything! To my surprise, the packet also contained an x-ray of a joint. Brooke, obviously, did not get an x-ray during her so-called "eye exam." No...It was another patient's x-ray! The page contained her name, birthdate, and account number (in addition to a lovely picture of her fractured joint, of course). Hello, HIPAA, anyone??
So, I await a bill in the mail from the Emergency Room for their *awesome* services. I'm sure it will be jaw-dropping. And, maybe, instead of paying it, I will (as my mom suggested after a glass of her "special water," I'm guessing) write on it: "NOT PAYING. DID NOT DO SQUAT." Perhaps I will accompany my unpaid bill with a formal complaint letter...and a carbon copy of the letter that I send to x-ray lady, whose protected health information I am now privvy to thanks to carelessness in the ER.
I get that the ER is a tough place to work. I understand that people probably come in there all of the time faking injury/illness to score prescription drugs. But honestly people, let's do a little profiling: when a panicky mother comes in with a squirmy 16-month-old at naptime requesting treatment (after being referred by another doctor, mind you), I doubt she is trying to buck the system to get a fix! Did they think that I brought her in there for attention? For my health? Because I had money burning a hole in my pocket? Because maybe, just maybe they were going to prescribe my 20-pound freaking baby Percocets, steroids, Oxycodone, Valium, or Xanax?? I think no-ot! Trust me: IT WOULDN'T BE NEARLY WORTH THE TROUBLE OF WRANGLING AN OVERLY-TIRED BABY-MONSTER FOR 3 HOURS IN A GERM-INFESTED CUBICLE FILLED WITH SHARP AND POINTY "DANGER!" BREAKABLES TO SCORE SOME BLANKITY-BLANK DRUGS. (Yes, ALL CAPS!)
1) You should speak with an Administrator about the x-ray (that isn't yours)... That is a major HIPPA violation, and needs to NOT happen again.
ReplyDelete2)I really have a problem, that the concerns that you went in for, were not referenced on the form.... ER's are notorious for NOT doing the proper work, and being jerks while doing it.
I understand ER's and hospitals are super busy, and the staff is OVERWORKED. However, they chose their career... they applied... and yes, everyone has a bad day. BUT, not everyday.
And then they charge you an arm and a leg for the 10 minutes (of the 3 million hours) you spend their.
There is my two cents!