Why Even Bother...A Random Moment of Weakness and News

I was only gone for three days.  THREE DAYS.  I had a temp scheduled, she cam in on Wednesday, I went over the basics of what I needed her to do.  She took copious notes.  I felt pretty good about it.  I left her detailed instructions on the one or two things I forgot to show her.  Left my cell number in case she needed something she just couldn't figure out.


Mini stay-cation...omg...I SO need to do that more often.  yes, I booked myself solid for 5 days, but it was so much fun.  I didn't sleep in much but between finally getting my hair cut, seeing a play, hanging out with friends and family, play a LOT of Rock Band, and laid low.  It felt glorious.

I relaxed on the last day of my mini stay-cation. I didn't get out of pj's all day.  Did laundry, played Wii w/my brother, cleaned...all kinds of that mundane stuff that tends to stack up.  I was ready to go back to work on Tuesday from the standpoint that no matter what I knew that there would be some catch-up to be done.  Yeah, I missed that by a long shot.  Not only did she leave me a mess...she left me a story too.


Apparently she came in Thursday but had to leave early b/c she was the "only one" who could go to her house for something (rumor was the excuse she gave was that her alarm went off and someone was breaking into the house).  If that truly happened, I wouldn't blame her for taking off.  But then she came back...if someone broke into your house and stole all your electronics, why on God's green earth would you come back to work?  I don't get it.  Friday, apparently she got a flat tire (happens to the best of us) but has to spare tire.  What?  Who doesn't have a spare tire?  She eventually took so long to even get close to coming in, that my boss told her to just not come in.  Monday...she just no call no showed.  Way to go.  You just got your temp service fired from us ever using them again!  In the meantime, two and a half days of work sat on my desk piled up for me.  Welcome back from a relaxing vacation J!  Three weeks ago, my co-worker The Crazy Italian quit.  I've been flying solo for 3 weeks, and I can honestly say I have never been more excited for someone to start work.  My new co-worker starts tomorrow!  Now, yes I'm a bit odd to be this excited to have a co-worker, but this co-worker is a friend of mine, I've mentioned her before, she used to work for another medical practice, and we share an affinity for a certain NFL quarterback who will or won't be back again after coming out of retirement Twice.  Judas.  Anyways...C starts work tomorrow, and I can't begin to express how excited I am to have a competent counterpart!  Don't get me wrong, TCI was more than competent...just very negative on everything and I am ready for some sunshine again.


NEXT TOPIC:


We all know I'm a facebook junkie.  In my feed the other day, a friend from college befriended a guy I had a HUGE crush on in college.  Now, of course, 10 years after graduation, I had to click on the name to make sure it was who I thought it was.  Ohhhhh yeah.  Married, still adorable, and his wife is gorgeous and their little boy is so cute.  (Can you tell he obviously didn't have a closed profile?  What this?  2 albums of pictures that are wiiiide open?  Why yes, yes I will!)  So normally not a huge deal, ah neat, another person from college...but for some reason, the other day it made me pause ans start going down the "why not me" (not necessarily with him) path.  I don't go down this path very often because I hate dwelling on things I can't change or that bring me down. However, ask my BFF's, they will attest to the fact that every once in a while, I wallow for a day or two.  Then I'm back to my normal self.

NEXT FUN TOPIC!!


I AM MOVING!!!  I've been pretty tight lipped with details only because I didn't want to jinx anything, and technically I don't "have" the condo yet.  I have to go and sign the lease Friday night.  However, my latest stint of living with the 'rents because of the housing debacle of 2008/2009 is thisclose to be behind me!!!  No roommate(s), just me and my fabulous self.

Now, it's been YEARS since I have had any of my own kitchen stuff (among other things) out of boxes, I honestly couldn't tell you what is in any of them (except for the ones that I had the clarity enough to label correctly), but I foresee a lot of dishwasher running going on in my near future.  I went to my storage unit today, Dad in tow, to straighten up, condense down and get ready for moving day.  It's official; the storage unit is ready to go.  The things I have at my folks house (bedding, clothes, bathroom things, Wii, Tivo, small TV, books, handful of DVD's etc) are not however.  I purposely left 90% of this week open to pack and get things ready to go.  Instead, I managed to book 30% of my wee (and I swear, that's only 2 nights!) but if I can manage to get a lot done tonight (so yes, I should wrap up my blog/epistle) then that makes it that much easier the rest of this week after work.  I hate packing.  For the few things I know are here, good Lord, they fill up boxes fast.  I was thinking I'd only have a few...apparently, I thought wrong.  Amazing how much crap/stuff one person accumulates in the span of one year...and I've been good, been on a budget and haven't really bought that much "stuff".  (Books don't count as "stuff", they are a category all on their own.)


So to wrap up, the temp sucked, I'm excited that C is starting work with me tomorrow, and my (old) new Indian name is: Dances With Cardboard.  Catch you later!!!

Reminding Myself to Have Patience With Patients

I posted a while ago (like over a year and change ago) about a particular experience with a potential patient at my last practice. (You can find that story here.) Today, while in no way comparable to the woman in the story referenced above, I did receive a rather odd request.

Today I called a patient to schedule her for a follow up to her MRI she recently had done. Now, this patient is a difficult patient in many ways, but to give you the short list, here we go:

• Very rude woman
• Demands things be done her way and NOW.
• Terrible at returning phone calls/messages.

I even turned to TCI (The Crazy Italian for those that don't know) and asked her "what do you want to bet that I don't even get her when I call and if I do, she won't have her schedule there and will want me to call her back?"

I was right, to a point.

When she answered, I was floored. I was right though in the fact that she didn't know her schedule, so she asked me to call back, HOWEVER in my defense, when she picked up the phone I asked her "is this a good time?" she said yes! So, if it really isn't a good time, maybe you shouldn't answer your cell phone...just a thought though. Anyways, I asked her if she was available either of the times I had available and she said 'sigh No, I need a later appointment, so you need to ask Dr. M when he is willing to stay late for me to come and see him.'

I'm sorry, what? Where on earth do you think you can schedule an appointment with a doctor AFTER HIS LAST APPOINTMENT?? I know that this woman comes from a bit of a drive, and I know that the drive can be bothersome, but COME ON...if you have to have a follow up visit with your radiation ONCOLOGIST...you might tell work to shove it for a couple hours so that you could go to your doctor's appointment.

I swear...some people's children...wow.

UPDATE: I just had a phone call from a patient who I am working on getting a prior authorization for his procedure. Sadly his was one of the ones I just didn't get to before the Thanksgiving holiday. I explained to him how I was going to TRY to get to it today if not first thing tomorrow. Apparently this wasn't enough for him. He just left our nurse a *wonderful* voicemail. I cut our patients a lot (and I mean a LOT) of slack but I have to stop and wonder at times if patients think all there is to it is just calling and talking to one person. NO. Most times, this takes me 3 phone calls, submission of clinical data and sitting on hold for a very. long. time. Also, I don't just do prior authorizations. I do scheduling, I order supplies, I manage 2 very busy and slightly high strung doctors, a nurse and a therapist as well as maintaining billing and checking patients in and out. You think my job is that easy? YOU come sit here for a day and tell me how you feel at the end.

Ok, I"m off my soapbox now...sheesh.

Melting Pot

So I've been working on this blog for a few weeks...there have been multiple things running around in my brain, here are just a few snippets that have leaked out today...

WTF.

That's all I have to say...

For anyone who calls my office, I treat you with the utmost respect, until you become irate with me over something I had no business with or are rude to me. Then, I will remain ever the professional, but will not allow you to walk all over me just because you feel you are entitled.

So I have a patient who has had an appointment with Dr. Hammond for today (8/6) for the last 3 weeks. She called me yesterday to say she has a funeral service she is really wishing to attend but it may conflict with her appointment time, do I have anything later in the day. (Now, this is a perfectly legitimate question, however, just a word to the wise, if it already took me 3 weeks to get you in for the day you have, it's most likely, unless there is some act of GOD, going to be another three weeks to get you in.) As it was, when I made this patient's appointment three weeks ago, she was extremely rude to not only me, but called a couple of days later, DEMANDING information that we cannot give to her regarding the test results that a different doctor's office ordered from my co-worker.

When I informed this patient of the fact that I didn't have another appointment with Dr. Hammond for another 3 weeks, I was promptly given an earful. How dare I, did I not understand that someone close to her had died? Was I so unwilling to help her that I couldn't move something else around? Bite me lady.

Now, as chance would have it, I had a cancellation that day, later in the day about 10 minutes after this oh so pleasant woman called me. I seriously debated being a royal pain and not calling her about it, but decided that no matter what, I should be the bigger person and call her. The woman had the audacity to ask me if I could hold the 230 appt for her in case she couldn't make her 1130 one and yet still leave her in the schedule for the 1130. Who does this??? Tell me, where can you call and book two appointment JUST IN CASE you can't make the first one??? So when I told her I couldn't do that, and talked her through the time line for her appointments, she asked me "so basically you need me to choose right now". Uh yeah biatch, that's the idea. (No, I didn't actually say that, but let me tell you, it was tempting!!!)

So, this patient FINALLY shows up for her appointment at 230pm that afternoon, is pissy with me because I was talking to another patient that was checking out instead of her, when I finished with that patient and turned to help her, I swear I was dead, buried and 6 feet under. (Holy crap, where do people like this come from???) I took her paperwork from her, started processing everything like I should, and she informs me that she needs to use the restroom. I say ok, direct her to our restroom, but before she went would she mind if I took care of scanning her insurance cards while she was gone, and she looks at me, sighs and said "I think me using the restroom is a little more important and pressing than you needing my cards." Gives me the insurance cards and leaves for the restroom on the other end of the floor from our office. When she comes back, I am on the phone with a patient. She sees me on the phone, knws I need to take her co-pay, and literally THROWS her credit card at me to take care of it for her. I politely run it (for the correct amount, I wasn't THAT stupid.) hand her everthing back, and since my doc knew the situation with this patient, I went into her office, waited politely/patiently until she got off the phone/finished dictating (I can't remember which now) and told her to promptly "get that woman out of my waiting room". Thankfully, we will never have to see that patient in our office again.

Another thought....

Today I thought of another thing that will annoy almost any receptionist/secretary/admin assitant/person who answers the phone. Speakerphone. It has it's time and place. It's fine to place your initial call on it and pick up as soon as you hear someone pick up, we all do that. However, it is NOT okay to conduct an entire conversation on it. So, once you hear my friendly voice say "CCVSA this is Jolene"....TAKE ME OFF IT.


So since moving, I have developed a new form of a social life...I actually have an active one. Entirely TOO active! I have managed to book myself solid for almost a month and a half straight. What a rough problem to have right? Bummer, folks want to spend time with me. HOwever, I have discovered the cost of being so overbooked. Sheer exauhstion and money loss. Going out is great and fun, but sadly normally costs more than I remember or am willing to spend, yet I go along with it and don't say anything. Definitely time to reign it it for a while. Thankfully next week, outside of three previously planned engagements, I am keeping myself open, if you want to come hang out for a couple hours at my house, give me a call, see what's going on. Otherwise, I will be stayin' in next week!!!

Talk to y'all later...