A blog about babies: the babies I lost, the babies I never had, the baby who made me a Mama.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Friendly Nurses; or, Insurance Executives Always In the Way

Things are moving, slowly but surely. I played several rounds of phone tag with the appointment nurse at the office of the RE I've targeted (Jay at 2 Week Wait, I'm looking at your new RE) and finally connected with her today. She was so, so nice. I was very nervous to make the call, but she was reassuring and kind, which gave me a good feeling about the office.

I didn't schedule the appointment yet because of an insurance snafu. As of now, they don't work with my particular group, but are in talks with my provider to handle all of its groups soon. She said the deal is supposed to have gone through months ago, but they're still working on it and still waiting for the contracts to be signed. She thinks it will be all complete by August 1st.

Since I don't want to make my appointment until the last week in August or first couple of weeks in September anyway, we agreed that I will call back to schedule the appointment once they get confirmation that my insurance is now accepted. She promised to call when the deal goes through and let me know (she said she's keeping a list of patients to notify at that point). She also said I won't have a problem getting an appointment in September if I call in early August.

And finally, I told her that I've had no fertility testing but had a miscarriage in November. She said that when I do come to the appointment I should bring the testing results from the miscarriage, any ultrasounds that were taken during the pregnancy, and my results from my regular gynecological exam. She also suggested that I could have my gyno test my CD 3 FSH and Estradiol levels to save time with the new office.

While I'm frustrated and irritated with my insurance provider yet again (can you believe that we actually have good insurance?) I'm optimistic about working with this office. I hope that it won't get to that point, but it sounds like they really care about their patients just from the brief interactions I've had on the phone.

And thanks again for the advice! This is a scary step and I'm not sure how I would have made it without having followed your stories and hear your recommendations over the last year.

11 comments:

  1. don't be scurred!! this is a huge move, and i'm hoping, in this order that, your body either says "i don't need no RE to get me knocked up!" and you get pregnant before the appt, or that it takes something very mild like clomid to do the trick for you :o)

    oh yeah, and with my initial appts at my clinic and yours, the "first available" appts were each 2 months away but when i asked to be put on a cancellation list, each clinic ended up fitting me in much earlier.

    hope the insurance thing gets squared away quickly. that's the last kind of headache you need!

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  2. Stupid insurance! What a drag.

    I scheduled my first consult with an RE with a huge sense of relief--maybe as it gets closer you'll feel less trepidation. Assuming you're not too busy being pregnant.

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  3. Insurance is such a pain. Sadly, even when it's good. But I think it's great that you have gotten the ball rolling. It's always a big step - a huge one. I don't think it's possible to make it without feeling incredibly daunted. But it opens up a world of possibility (though, I'm hoping that come September this is moot).

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  4. Sorry about the insurance hassle. That's annoying. But glad to hear that the nurse sounds nice.

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  5. I had a bunch of issues with insurance, too. I hope you get it worked out soon-- even if you do have to go to a different RE. I firmly believe that your problem will be eminently fixable (you are young, you have at least one open tube, etc., etc. as you pointed out), and that a few IUI's in any RE's office will have you preggers in a jiffy. Of course I don't KNOW that, and don't want to belittle any larger problems that might be lurking, but I'm just saying-- my faith lies in the direction of you getting knocked up by modern science very soon!

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  6. What a pain in the ass. Why do insurance companies always have to be so difficult? Even the good ones are a mess. Ugh. Sorry for the headache, but it sounds like this office really has their shit together. I know you are nervous about taking this step, but don't be. Going to see an RE was the best thing I ever did. They are a lot more knowledgeable and personable than an OB. Hope you hear something soon!

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  7. I hate that there's an insurance snafu, but I am so thrilled to see your progress. It feels good, doesn't it? Making a plan? I'm so excited for you!!

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  8. It does sound like they are a great office to work with & I hope they help you achieve your sticky BFP! I am excited to follow you through that journey!

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  9. Insurance companies suck - it sounds like they're very responsive and proactive which is great. Hoping the insurance deal gets straightened out(but even more that you never have to set foot inside the place :-) ).

    Have a great weekend, sloper.

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  10. If I start complaining about insurance, then I will NEVER shut up! I spent an hours this week working out my upcoming surgery for my polyp (a.k.a. "Jackson Polyp") trying to figure out what was IN network and what was Out of network, figuring out co-payments, etc. DID I MENTION DON'T GET ME STARTED?!? ANYWAY - I can't express enough how WONDERFUL I think it is that you're seeing a new doctor. After my experience, I'm so sorry I didn't do it sooner. Sometimes, it's really not that one doctor is worse than the other or anything like that -- sometimes, it's just about having a fresh pair of eyes looking at your case. Also, the new RE I've been going to and his clinic -- that's ALL they do is deal with these issues. This may finally bring some answers and comfort that you deserve. I'm TOTALLY keeping my fingers crossed for you!!!! -- Jay http://www.the2weekwait.blogspot.com/

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  11. I cancelled my first RE appointment several times. Finally, I made it for what would be CD5 of my NEXT cycle that time - which turned out to be perfect timing. I ended up having a chemical pregnancy and the specialist was able to document it in my chart. If it's daunting, maybe make it for what would be your next CD 2 or 3, because that's actually good timing for their baseline workup. And if you get pregnant in the meantime, just cancel!

    Anyway, that's my advice. Good luck!

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