Monday, March 24, 2014

What a day!!! On the phone practically all morning!!!

When I saw Dr. May on the 14th of this month she said I was 'finally' approved for a PET scan....being on the chemo pill for two weeks, I had plenty of time to make my appointment. This week is the second week so I decided not to wait until the end or middle of this week to schedule the scan.

I called Newton Imaging (the same building as the cancer center)....come to find out that their PET scan machine is broken and has been for a month!!!! with NO sight for it to be fixed right now....

first call AFTER speaking with Newton Imaging = to the doctor's office = where do I go now? Morristown, Dover....what about Hackettstown (so much closer)...yes, they will do it there BUT you have to call your insurance co. to ask them to change the site for this scan...

second call: called insurance co.....NO, you have to call the Hackettstown Hospital to have them agree to doing this scan.

third call: called the hospital = NO, I have to call the insurance co. back OR the doctors office and tell them that we have ANTHEM blue cross/blue shield and not Horizon....

forth call: called doctors office - we know you have Anthem...here is the authorization number, call back the hospital and give it to them.

fifth call: called hospital and made the appointment for the scan = Monday, March 31st at 8:45 AM....BUT I still have to get the authorization number from the doctors office. I also need to go to Sparta to pick up the CD of my last scan (so they can compare it with this new scan). I can leave with the 'new' CD....wonder how long it will take to get a written report?!!! I wonder if they will fax a copy to Dr. May or if it needs to be read by the radiologist in Sparta (Newton Imaging).

sixth call: called doctors office and got the authorization number - which ended up missing one number (finding out after I made the seventh call).

eighth call: called doctors office and ended up leaving a message and asking her to call me back knowing all this was made....no call back!!!!

So....I have an appointment for a pre-authorized PET scan at Hackettstown Hospital on Monday, the 31st. I will go home with the CD and bring it to Dr. May's office on Friday the 4th of April....UNLESS she wants it brought to her office BEFORE my follow up on the 4th.

All this....and I'm still not sure if the hospital will get all this information....I'm sure it will be okay...I would just like to know ahead of time.

I had all this information on scraps of note paper - hoping I'd remember what to say to whom!!! and see what the next step was....

All this time on the phone and I was so surprised that no one tried calling here!!! I think I would have gone just a little crazy if someone tried calling!

God does work in mysterious ways!!!!

Thanks for listening!!

Next update will be AFTER I find out the results of the scan.....