I will just say this: that when we drove half an hour back to the lab that made me cry to try again to get Edward’s blood drawn, they said oh, sorry, this test can only be done Monday-Thursday. We were there on a Saturday. They knew the last time we were there what test we needed done, and they didn’t mention that it could only be done on certain days. There would be no way we would know that without being told, or even know to ASK if it could only be done on certain days. I am starting to feel as if they are punking us.
BUT. We went back again on a Monday-Thursday, and although he threw up (the technician was trying to be nice, but she kept TALKING to him what was happening, and it made him focus on it), the blood ended up in the tubes. I am half waiting to find out that oops, they forgot to send it off and it needs to be drawn again, or oops, they mailed it without the cooling pack and it needs to be drawn again.
This is the only lab our insurance will cover in our area, which makes me hate our insurance company.
Oh. My. God. I want to lay the verbal smackdown on them for you! This made me feel angry and upset just reading it, I can’t imagine how it must have felt to experience it. I’m so sorry Swistle! UGH!
How DARE they! I am fumbling for words, I can’t imagine what I would’ve said to them. I’m so sorry, Swistle. Argh! Maybe “I CRIED the last time I was here. Have you no human decency??” Okay, maybe too dramatic. But still!
I would certainly be filling out one of those little comment cards to report their ineptitude! This is surely a chain, they probably have something on the website. PINEHOLES.
I WANT TO RAGE SMACK THEM FOR YOU. PLEASE LET ME AT THEM.
Are. You. Kidding. Me. OMFG. OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.
Oh so just to get the use of your insurance coverage, you have to:
1. Make an appointment at a remote location.
2. Know to make the appointment on a day of the week when they perform the test.
3. Know to make sure they have the supplies needed for the test.
4. Know that they aren’t experienced in handling anxious children and will make the whole thing worse if you don’t tell them not to.
There are a number of people in this chain who deserve to be a vomit target.
I realize it’s possible that none of this is the specific technician’s fault, but I still kind of hope she got hit with a little barf. I mean honestly. What a ridiculous situation.
This, exactly. Perhaps the splattered tech could send her splattered clothes to whoever is in charge, because this is idiotic.
Also, would it help to write the insurance company and explain that its chosen provider is not doing much to support a good standard of care?
That is ridiculous. I would be LIVID. How about we crowdsource a letter to the lab company explaining exactly what is wrong with this whole saga and suggesting how to fix it? I bet there are some really biting, yet icily polite, turns of phrase just waiting to be unleashed by your commenters.
They are the wooooooooooorst
p.s. the woooooooooooooooooorst
I think my blood pressure just skyrocketed. WHAT THE HELL, LAB.
This is so far past ridiculous. These people have no idea how lucky they are to be dealing with you and not me. I have a temper. I would have been icily angry the first time they screwed me over. The second time? Someone would have been crying, and it wouldn’t have been me. It’s unimaginable to me that you have no options except to deal with these idiots. This is just enraging–not only are you being massively inconvenienced, but also, poor Edward is getting a really crappy quality of care.
I know you’re not really the confrontational type, and believe me when I say I get your phone aversion completely, but would you be comfortable sending an email to the lab manager, with your insurance rep and doctor’s office cc’d? In an email, you’d be able to calmly lay out the situation and get your point across very clearly. I don’t know if such an email would actually accomplish anything, but god knows I would sure feel better after writing it. If nothing else, I’d definitely make sure the insurance knew how incompetent these people are–maybe you aren’t the only one whose had issues, and maybe enough complaints about them would prompt your insurance company to re-think using this lab when contract time comes around.
I laughed out loud at this: “The second time? Someone would have been crying, and it wouldn’t have been me.”
Who would have thought to ask if they do this test every day?!!!
Does this lab’s name begin with a Q? If so, they are VERY responsive to complaints and to solution-oriented feedback. I had a very detailed rant on a comment form one time, and they took care of it right away–the next visit, the problem was gone.
Even if it’s not Q, I would suggest you email or send the company a copy of this and the previous post. You have to think they have never considered their procedures from the perspective of the client, especially when the client is a CHILD.
Also, I love Celeste’s term “vomit target.” heh heh
Also: I recently learned that it’s helpful to call the HR office of the employers who provides the insurance. They have a lot of heft in making things happen the right way. Iinsurance companies have to bid for each employer’s business, and the employer needs to know if their employees are being treated like this.
I second this. I once became embroiled in a completely ridiculous healthcare situation with my second son, and the HR people at my husband’s job, and then the insurance company themselves, helped me a great deal. They resolved it completely, even if it took a while.
When I called HR, they gave me the number of their contact at the insurance company. That way, I wasn’t speaking with a random representative, but with someone who was in a position to advocate for me.
PS I am so, so sorry. This all sounds awful and for me would have been traumatizing.
I have the letter drafted, Swistle.* It is ready and waiting. You just give me the nod.
*In my head, I mean. I’m not that loony.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Making my child vomit would have been the LAST F*ING STRAW for me! I’m a rage-screamer, so I applaud your restraint. They would have been able to hear my FIT all the way in Singapore if I had been experiencing this.
As someone who directs a clinical lab, this makes me embarrassed for my colleagues. It just shouldn’t be this hard for you to get your lab testing done correctly. I am so sorry.
As an individual who works in a laboratory. I am so sorry you have had to endure this three times. I know you do not like to complain but this is a situation in which I truely believe you have every right to complain and adovcate for you and Edward. Even if you just send them your posts and say, I just thought you should know. I am the ragey type and would have definately made someone pay for the making me cry. On the other hand. Well done Edward.
I hate this lab and your insurance and want to go to each of their places of business and pound my fists on the counter and say THIS IS TERRIBLE. DO BETTER.
I am spluttering with rage and frustration at this.
Nothing useful to add except so, so many F words. So many.
Not specific to this situation, but I have in the past gotten good results by writing politely worded, to-the-point letters directed at medical care providers (hospitals, in my case) detailing what happened and why it is a problem (obviously the latter is pretty, well, obvious, but all the same, stating the nature of the problem), and the steps I undertook to fix the problem (returned for another visit, in this, i.e., your, case) and why THOSE haven’t yielded results, etc. (or, how many tries I had to devote to achieve success. Also, the downsides of the delays, as in, child may have been administered the wrong dose of a medicine for a month since dosing could not be updated to reflect new test results, or whatever). As polite and dispassionate as I can make it, but laying out succinctly why *I* am an entirely reasonable and responsible person who is simply trying to … and how other incompetent and/or uncaring fools (or systems) are thwarting my efforts at every turn. I can be frightfully detailed — dates and times I made calls and left voicemails/sent faxes/etc., and how long I waited for the reply that didn’t result before trying again, and so on (of course in your case this might simply be about how you have tried and learned that calling with a question is literally impossible, but, whatever the facts are).
Then I send it to the institution in question and CC my HR office, my insurance company, and my state insurance regulator. And, I really send every single letter (including all the cc’s, with backup copies of whatever files I include) AND I send every single piece (cc’s included) via registered mail, receipt signature required. It’s tedious and a bit pricey to do it that way, but has, as I say, yielded good results in my experience.
And I note that Cherie has already drafted the letter for you.
This doesn’t help in every situation – but whenever possible I choose doctors who draw blood in their office. To help the problem in the future, I have told my daughter who is currently in medical school that if her office doesn’t draw blood (when she begins practicing) that she has to pay me back the $500,000 that I will have spent on her post high school education.
I second, third…hell, ninth (?!) the letter idea. You are so great at laying things out for us here, I have no doubt you could do the same in a letter. I sincerely hope the management of the clinic would care this is happening. Please take everyone’s suggestions and cc the right people!
You could even run the letter through us here to make sure it’s icy and pointed enough.
Secondarily, I hope you don’t have to go back soon, but if you do, I would DEMAND (from the person you’re face to face with) a phone number that someone answers. Like, seriously. You say, “The last time we needed blood drawn it took us four attempts, and I couldn’t find out the information I needed by calling ahead, because no one answers your phone or returns messages. I would like a phone number that someone will answer so I can ask any needed questions ahead of our next visit.” And then you call the number while you’re there to make sure someone answers. Make sure you include that RIDICULOUSNESS in your letter too.
UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I’M SO MAD FOR YOU. I also would have cried, and then probably been OUTRAGED the next time.
Ok, have you read this article? http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/upshot/trapped-in-the-system-a-sick-doctors-story.html?_r=0 Do you feel any better that you aren’t alone? I thought of you when I read it.
How did you not jump over the counter this time!?!? It kills me that there is so much incompetence with something so important. I’d expect stuff like this to happen at K Mart; a snafu with layaway, etc. But these are medical tests. I’m not trying to rile you up, I hope this isn’t like the nurse who talked to much, but JESUS. They sound like the bank I used to cash my paycheck at in the mid 90s from a certain book store that is no longer. Tellers would write down my account number wrong by one number or misinterpret my legible hand writing and drama would ensue. It was stressful because I was on my own and needed to pay bills. I’m so sorry that you and Edward have to deal with this on top of what is already enough. How do those people continue to have jobs? What are the people like that didn’t get hired? Who the hell is running the world?
I ditto sending a letter to your lab cc’ing the insurance company, and another one to your insurance company cc’ing the lab. And HR if that’s applicable (it wouldn’t be in my case since we buy our insurance on our own. Hooray for the ACA that made that possible!)
Also, my sister used to say to me all the time, “Someone’s going to end up crying and it’s not going to be me” Good times.
Oh man, this is awful. I’m so sorry. Somebody had better be sending you chocolates.