Kansas City Pain Center…Not!

I’ve been a victim of or witnessed several BAD scenarios in health care settings over the years. But today’s situation was one of the worst EVER.

It makes me want to vote for Hillarized Health Care right now and get it over with. At least that way, if the U.S. ended up with a system like Canada’s or Britain’s, we’d all know in advance that we’d have to wait the rest of our natural lives to be seen by a doctor. We could die in peace, without receiving the kind of horrible, destructive attention my husband received today at the Kansas City Pain Center.

I can’t tell you all the oh-oh feelings both of us had, separately and without mentioning them to each other, over the course of the three hours we were there. From the minute we walked into the waiting room and were treated dismissively by the woman behind the sliding glass window, I knew the place was dicey. What it takes a while to figure out—though, trust me, not very long—is whether the office is infected by one bad apple or whether the joint operates on the “trickle-down” principle.

Sometimes, it’s the folks at the top who have an attitude, which then somehow makes it not only permissable but acceptable and even desireable for the underlings to also misbehave.

Doug went to the KC Pain Center for an epidural to help relieve some of his…pain. Turns out they’re actually PASSING OUT pains to patients. The doctor, who I will not name, was flippant. There’s no other word to describe him. Not exactly what you’d expect from a person trained to help people manage pain.

“This shot might help you and it might not. No way to know. Don’t even know what’s causing your pain. Lots of risks associated with the procedure, though. Probably won’t happen, but you could be the one. None of this matters, though. You’re here for an evaluation only.”

“Um…no,” Doug said. “I’ve been evaluated by my primary doctor, who sent me here. I’ve had an x-ray and an MRI…” He pointed to the counter holding the pictures, which the doctor never looked at. “And I’ve been evaluated by a physical therapist, who’s been treating me for two weeks already. I’m just here for a shot.”

“Sorry. You’ve got Humana.”

“And?”

“Six weeks ago, they changed the way they do things. Now you have to come here for an evaluation and then come back later for the shot if they authorize it.”

I spoke up then. In case you’re wondering, I always end up speaking up. ALWAYS.

“Is that true for all Humana policies? Because we’ve got…”

He interrupted. “I am NOT an insurance specialist! But you can’t have the shot today. New rules.”

So, he gave a cursory and patronizing evaluation (yeah, we DO have the Internet. We KNOW everyone, in a manner of speaking, has bulging discs…) and then sat Doug down with a clerk to schedule another appointment while I excused myself to use the restroom.

While we walked to the car, Doug showed me his appointment card, with a date another week away. “She said it would take 5 days to get the info to Humana, and for them to authorize the shot.”

I said, “Huh? You’ve got the phone number on your card. Call them and get it authorized. Besides, I’m pretty sure our insurance doesn’t even require us to get referrals before we see specialists.”

So he called the number at Humana and got a very helpful person on the other end. She said, “Oh, you’ve got a PPO. You do not need pre-authorization for the epidural.”

I told Doug not to hang up the phone, but to go back into the office and have the Humana person talk to the clerk. Then, since we’re OOP (Kind of like PPO, but it stands for Out of Pocket. We have HIGH deductible insurance as self-employed people, and each one of these visits will be paid for in cold hard cash), I suggested he ask the front office to see if he could be worked back in and get the epidural shot while we were there.

He tried to hand the phone off to Little Miss Snippy (Oh, dear Lord, if you only knew what I would like to call her), and instead of her being pleased that he had cleared up THEIR ERROR (he was extremely polite, as he always is), she marched out from behind her glass-enclosed space into the waiting room full of people and YELLED at him!!!

“You may NOT call Humana!” she shrieked. “I TOLD you that was OUR job!!!”

Oh, yeah, lady? Then do it, because honestly, it only took Doug 30 seconds to solve a problem you couldn’t figure out in three hours. And last time I checked, we wrote the paychecks to the good folks at Humana and to YOU.

“That’s fascinating,” I said to Snippy. “But the doctor himself just told us that often, when dealing with insurance companies, the patient gets the best results when he calls on his own behalf. So. We followed his advice.”

She had NOTHING to say in response, but heaved a huge sigh of exasperation.

Another clerk (the only pleasant one we met) said she would wait until Doctor was finished with his current patient and then ask if he could administer the shot, since Doug obviously had straightened out their little problem. We waited another 45 minutes and left.

By the time we got home, a lovely message waited on Call Waiting, from the Nurse Manager at the Kansas City Pain Center. She understands, she said, that due to a clerical error on the part of their pre-certifications clerk, Doug was denied the shot he came to receive. “Please call me back, and I will try to get you right in…”

Um…that would be a NOT IN THIS LIFETIME. We’ve already called our primary doctor to say how rudely Doug was treated, and that this place should not be recommended. We will be starting over with a new pain management place, and that’s just fine.

In the meantime, of course, we’ll get a big honkin’ bill for the Kansas City Pain Center’s unnecessary “evaluation.” Which we will not pay. And neither will Humana, because while it is a PPO, it is NOT an OOP (out of pocket).

The Kansas City Pain Center needs to employ someone to be an “insurance specialist,” or I guarantee you that the patients themselves—if they’re anything like us—will rise up and do the job.

In the meantime, I suggest they lose Little Miss Snippy. But even if they don’t, after her performance in front of their patients today, they may be down a few customers.

Yeah. I may just vote for Hillary and put the KC Pain Center out of its obvious misery.

Posted by Katy on 08/28/07 at 03:39 PM

Fallible Comments...

My hubby went to our doctor. He doe NOT TAKE ANY INSURANCE. HE MAKES HOUSE CALLS. (Remember the good old days?)

Wait time was 5 minutes. Hubby filled out a one-page form, which didn't request his social security number or what he did for a living. (Remember privacy?)

Doctor spent 30 minutes with him to talk and diagose the problem. Then he invited me in the examining room to tell me his findings. Charged $20 for the visit, and $20 for the blood test. (Remember good bedside manner and affordable health care?)

They need to do away with the way insurance currently works, period. Prices for medical care would go waaaayyyy down and doctors would actually spend time with patients, like our doctor. Most people would only have to carry major medical/hospital care insurance. Nobody would be forced to pay 200-700 per month/or huge deductibles for insurance that pretty much is an insult, and encourages the medical industry to treat people like subhumans. The doctors are totally under the thumb of Insurance Corporatism thanks to our BIG GOVERNMENT'S collusion with BIG INSURANCE (Corporatism - just another word for fascism!) I bet you can guess which presidential candidate is in favor of a total overhaul of the insurance industry to allow doctors be doctors again. Nope it's not Hillary, Giuliani, Thompson, Huckabee, etc. With them you are certain to get either get more of the same or worse. (It's the good doctor running for President, of course!)
Posted by Suzan on 08/28/07 at 05:06 PM
Please don't vote for Hillary and her plan. My friend in Canada is in excruciating pain and had to wait months for a simple Scan, now months more for the actual surgery she needs. Even in jest, I don't want to live under that!

Now personal story: I once had a front clerk tell me that the doctor had no openings for a month. I've been seeing my doctor for more than two decades. I know she has time for sick patients worked into every day. An annual I can see waiting a month for, but when you're sick, you're sick. Anyway, after she (the clerk) was very rude to me, I called back and asked for the office manager. I had an appointment for later that day. The little miss snippy was working the front desk when I got there, and I got to watch her be the same way with other patients. When I saw my doctor, we talked about my experience. She said she was grateful to know what happened to me because she didn't want this sort of thing going on.

I live in dread of the day my primary care provider retires. She is about my age, but I hope she keeps working even when I'm too old to. I don't want to go through the search for a good doctor with a great bedside manner who cares about her patients.
Posted by Robin Lee Hatcher on 08/28/07 at 08:38 PM
Oh can I sympathize...and excuse me in advance for the following rant....
Amy, my wife, has chronic pain, unexplained although attributed to a variety of factors and surgeries over the years. She is 100 percent disabled as a result. Amy and I went searching for a pain specialist and it was by far the most horrible experience out of all the medical nightmares we've been through.

Most "pain specialists" are anesthesiologists and almost all of them acted like Amy was "faking" her pain to get drugs. One wanted her to sign a contract agreeing not to see any other doctor while under her care, one wanted to do "surgery" to install a pain pump (are you nuts?) and another basically said, "Buck up....you're a wimp." I learned then not only that good pain docs are a rarity, but that they should be forced to endure torture for a month or two before being allowed to call themselves pain docs.
Amy left one appointment in tears, and I was so mad I went back, asked the office staff to call the doc to the waiting room and then FIRED her butt in front of her staff (most of whom were giggling) and her patients some of whom were applauding.

After years of doctors with attitudes, receptionists with no sense of decorum, and specialists who "go cowboy" I've learned to put up with very little. I complain loudly and have a "case manager" specifically assigned to Amy with our insurance on speed dial.

We finally found a pain doc - a palliative care specialist - a couple of years ago, who was a direct answer to prayer. He listened, he cared, he prescribed medications and made sure they weren't being abused without making Amy feel like a criminal.

He's leaving the country for Australia and it's like having a death in the family, we still don't know how we're going to live without him.

I found out there are only like 2000 palliative care specialists in the country. The reasons are obvious: they spend more time with patients, don't order a bunch of tests, and therefore don't make as much money.

You are so right not to pay those folks a freakin' dime. I would also complain, complain and complain. To every state board, medical society, etc.

I recently went to "sleep specialist" for a follow up and when I arrived the receptionist started our conversation with "Mr. Main YOU OWE US 78 dollars!" This was in front of all the other patients. I quietly pointed out that a:My insurance had paid them like 4 grand already, loudly emphasizing that I had spent maybe 4 minutes with this doctor and b: that I had literally put a check in the mail the day before.
I go back to a waiting area and as a nurse is taking my blood pressure, the office manager storms in and starts saying how I owe $78! I almost jumped down her throat, which did have one benefit, the doctor didn't let me wait too long...apparently seeing his office manager running sparked his curiosity. After he spent 2 minutes actually talking medicine he prepared to leave when I stopped him and said, "Sorry, not yet. I'm going to get my monies worth" I dragged him around his office pointing to the receptionist and saying 'She's the one who publicly embarrassed me over 78 freaking dollars still owed despite the 4 THOUSAND dollars you've already been paid for your 4 minutes of time...oh yeah, everyone in the waiting room heard it. Then we went banging on the office manager's door and I allowed her to explain why she came in - while I was having my blood pressure checked - to dun me for money in front of a nurse in violation of privacy laws and when I had already given an explanation to their receptionist.

The doctor actually thanked me saying no patients ever tell him when they're treated poorly. That's why so many doctors and their staffs get this high and mighty attitude.

I've been in too many doctor's offices where the staff is great, and I make sure to tell the staff members and the doctors. However if my sole purpose on earth is to bring the snotty, uncaring, and incompetent members of the medical community down to earth, I'll consider my life one well lived :)

My prayers are with Doug...pain plus frustration and stress is an amazingly cruel combination.

Don't be fearful of being his advocate, and be loud and rude if necessary. It's really for their own good.

These type of folks need to be reminded one way or another what it feels like to be bothered by a real pain...in the appropriate place.

End of rant....:)

I'll now go back to my happy place.

Hang in their Doug...heating pads...bend at the knees, and no you can't lift that...no matter what it is. :)

M
Posted by Michael Main on 08/28/07 at 11:52 PM
Suzan--Can we come live with you? Seriously. The last time I saw a doc make a house call, it was 5 am on a Sunday morning. I was 8 years old and had spent the night with my grandparents. My Papoo awakened having a MASSIVE heart attack, and the good man saved his life. He was in intensive care for 5 weeks, it was so bad. But I will NEVER forget the compassionate doctor who came to the house and stayed until the ambulance arrived, then following the ambulance into the city some 30 minutes away. Papoo lived another 17 years, and I believe Dr. Sam Hoeper, Sr. made a huge difference.

And YES, I think Congressman Dr. Ron Paul would be a fantastic choice for President if we have any hope of turning around some of the foolishness that has overrun our country. Including the way the insurance companies run the doctors and we have little to no say in our own situations.
Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 12:40 AM
Robin--Your story is awful! I once had to insist my poor mother talk to her doctor about the wicked nurse he had as his side-kick. She was nice-as-pie when Doctor was near, but when she got Mom alone or if Mom had to call the office to ask her a question, she was cruel and vicious. The doctor was VERY interested to know about Marge, and good old Marge straightened up and flew right after that. She didn't have to LIKE my mother. But she did have to BEHAVE as if she did. Sorry, that's the way it works. Robin, I pray you can stick with your doc for many more happy and healthy years!!
Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 12:43 AM
Michael--I am glad you told this story here. You needed to vent and I needed to feel OK about how FRUSTRATED and ANGRY I've been since early this morning. Doug did make an appointment elsewhere. Then he called the Nurse Manager at the first place back and said we would not be returning. He also said that we would not be paying. She said, "I'll have to talk to Doctor about that..." I said, she can talk for the rest of her life, we're NOT paying. Doug did NOT tell her about the thoroughly horrible experience of being berated and ridiculed by the clerk and treated like pond scum by several other employees. I think he needs to. He probably will make another call, or write a letter. But not today. Today had enough trouble of its own, just getting through it without losing our Christianity!! In our case today, the doctor was as iffy as his employees. I have thought I need to find a pain doctor to help with my migraines, and I told Doug I would NEVER go to this guy. He made Doug's pain seem trivial and he doesn't know Doug AT ALL. For Doug to complain, it has to be pretty bad.

I will pray Amy finds a new and wonderful doctor. There ARE others out there!! But I am VERY sorry for your loss of the one she's had. That's tragic.
Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 12:51 AM
Robin--About Hillarized Health Care: My father was from Scotland. All his siblings but one came to this country in the 40s. My aunt Rosie stayed in Scotland, married, and raised 7 daughters (waving to my girls!). My father was SO MAD when Rosie's health started failing, because she could NOT get seen by a doctor on a prompt basis. She told him six weeks wait was typical. This was nearly 30 years ago, and I think it's safe to say Britain's experiment with socialized medicine isn't much of a rip-roaring success. I sympathize with your friend! They always say socialized medicine works really great until you get sick. I think that about sums it up.
Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 01:01 AM
Katy,
First off, say the doctor's name and expose him to the world!!!! (I went once to the KC Pain Center...ONCE. I agree completely with your perception of the place. They were incredibly rude, from the office staff to the doctor. My doctor there...DR. ISRAEL...basically called me a liar. He said that he wouldn't give me a shot, which is why I was there, until I tried this silly, stupid-ass machine that I hooked up to my ears that was supposed to send a signal to my neck to not be in pain. What a flippin' joke. Like that was going to work! I was referred for a shot, and I left with a pink vibrator.) I can't wait to do the same with my incompetent lawyer who has lied and misled me for over 5 years, and is planning to screw me right to the very end. Enough about me, though, as that will soon be blogged WHEN I CAN.

Dr. Simon is totally your man for Doug. He is genuine, so incredibly intelligent, kind and knows what he is doing. He would have never acted like that towards a patient; that's why he's been a godsend for the last 4 years for me. He does shots in his office, and, although he MAY want to see Doug for a consult before giving him a shot, he is worth it.
My love to Doug...I can so empathize.
Posted by Bridget on 08/29/07 at 10:25 PM
Bridgie--I had NO idea you'd been to this joint! What a racket. I refuse to allow my husband to be further victimized, when he's already in pain. I just checked online, and your Dr. Simon is on our preferred providers list. I will encourage Doug to go to him. I REALLY like him. We do not have to have a referrel from our primary doc, although I am sure he would write one to the doc of our choosing. And yes, I am sure Dr. Simon will want to consult BEFORE agreeing to give Doug a shot, but that's different than insisting that our insurance company required a SEPARATE TRIP, with a written authorization from them, which they DO NOT. Thank you for reminding me of good old Dr. Simon. I think he is the right person for Doug.
Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 11:11 PM
I know you are a christian, so why don't you take your husband to those churches who do healings from prayers?
The way it sounds , its pretty bad. I hear about people getting healings all the time.
Posted by thepaintman on 08/30/07 at 05:22 AM
thepaintman--We do believe that God still heals people miraculously. Doug has experienced at least one such healing personally--from a hernia when he was 18. Then, when he was 45, he got another hernia. In spite of receiving lots of prayer, he ended up having surgery to repair it. God works in lots of ways. Believe me, before subjecting ourselves to modern medicine, we pray and ask for prayer from others! If no miraculous healing occurs, then we pray that God will lead us to the right doctors and treatments. Thanks for asking!
Posted by Katy on 08/30/07 at 01:37 PM
socialized medicine need not eliminate private insurance...if one is willing to pay for it
Posted by Terri on 08/30/07 at 10:38 PM
Terri--Very true. If the country wants to go socialized, but allows individual taxpayers to "opt-out" in order to cover their own health care through private insurance, that would be one thing. It's when we're all forced to "buy-in" through taxation that the free market comes to a crashing halt and what's left of good service ends. My parents put five kids through Catholic schools, K-12. They did NOT have the bucks to do it, but they were committed. They sacrificed a LOT to make it happen. Even back then, their property taxes supported the public schools, making the strain that much more...um...taxing.

Of course, I'm coming at this from believing that the entire tax code should be tossed. I think we should start over with something that is, at the very least, constitutional. In the meantime, NO NEW TAXES, and National Health Care would be a tax like none we've ever seen....
Posted by Katy on 08/31/07 at 12:05 PM
I'm a board certified pain doc in Va and was thinking of moving to KC, and so found the complaint. I think you are being a bit rough on the Doc. He relied on his help, who aren't infallible. He is a physician specialty trained, and can't rely on a physical therapist or a family doctor, any more than a brain surgeon takes out a tumour based on a family doctors assessment.Had he just given the shot without the evaluation, I would have voted to suspend his license. Finally, regarding another horror story, the government has been arresting doctors who give out pain meds for people with no provable source, because a lot of those drugs are making it to our kids.
Your doctors are acting like the police because the government wants requires them to.The narcotics contracts you speak of are required by the medical board, by the way, and only exclude getting narcotics from another doctor.
Posted by bob on 09/02/07 at 09:08 PM
Doctor Bob--I really appreciate your comment! We were not expecting the doc to give an epidural without doing his own eval, only that the eval and the shot (if he deemed it appropriate) could be done during the same office visit. You are absolutely right that he should not give a shot on the advice of another doc without determining for himself that it's the correct action. We actually would have overlooked the doctor's glib bedside manor and come back for another appointment, had we not questioned between the two of us the info they purported about our insurance benefits. Then, when we had the audacity to call our own insurance company for verification and authorization to obtain treatment, we were treated like criminals. THAT'S the thing that put us over the top. I do know everyone is fallible (hence the name of my site!), but we were actually trying to be helpful! The doctor had told us that our insurance company's "new policy" of requiring him to do a separate eval and then reschedule for an epidural was "a waste of his time." We thought we were doing ALL of us a favor by calling our ins co. to get things clarified, but were vilified for doing so--and LOUDLY, in front of a room full of other patients.

I am sure there are many good pain centers in Kansas City. This was our first experience with one, and it just didn't work out. I hope if you come to our fair town, you find the perfect fit for you!! Again, thanks for weighing in here. I don't usually go on rants, but *ahem* this time I did.....
Posted by Katy on 09/02/07 at 09:45 PM
Doctor Bob--BTW, I am soon to celebrate my 8th anniversary of my otoneurologist removing my brain tumor. I am VERY glad his actions weren't dictated by my family doc!! :)
Posted by Katy on 09/02/07 at 09:47 PM
I think this is where I thank God that my dad is a physician. Of course, now that I live away from home, I have to see other doctors and am always horrified to discover that they aren't as thorough and careful as my dad! (I've seen him work... I helped out at his clinic during summer hols when I was in university.)

Hope Dr Simon will be able to help Doug ASAP. Being in pain is not fun :(
Posted by Sunflower on 09/04/07 at 07:00 AM
Sunflower--Hang on to that doctor daddy of yours! Even if you don't live close enough for him to treat you, you can consult with him anytime you want! A good doc is worth his weight in gold, or euros, or sub-prime mortgages, or whatever the currency-du-jour is..... :)
Posted by Katy on 09/05/07 at 04:45 PM
Yeah I agreed with you. Its is the health city. Because the atmosphere is very beautiful. It is very best place for ill person.
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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Kansas City Pain Center…Not! I’ve been a victim of or witnessed several BAD scenarios in health care settings over the years. But today’s situation was one of the worst EVER. It makes me want to vote for Hillarized Health Care right now and get it over with. At least that way, if the U.S. ended up with a system like Canada’s or Britain’s, we’d all know in advance that we’d have to wait the rest of our natural lives to be seen by a doctor. We could die in peace, without receiving the kind of horrible, destructive attention my husband received today at the Kansas City Pain Center. I can’t tell you all the oh-oh feelings both of us had, separately and without mentioning them to each other, over the course of the three hours we were there. From the minute we walked into the waiting room and were treated dismissively by the woman behind the sliding glass window, I knew the place was dicey. What it takes a while to figure out—though, trust me, not very long—is whether the office is infected by one bad apple or whether the joint operates on the “trickle-down” principle. Sometimes, it’s the folks at the top who have an attitude, which then somehow makes it not only permissable but acceptable and even desireable for the underlings to also misbehave. Doug went to the KC Pain Center for an epidural to help relieve some of his…pain. Turns out they’re actually PASSING OUT pains to patients. The doctor, who I will not name, was flippant. There’s no other word to describe him. Not exactly what you’d expect from a person trained to help people manage pain. “This shot might help you and it might not. No way to know. Don’t even know what’s causing your pain. Lots of risks associated with the procedure, though. Probably won’t happen, but you could be the one. None of this matters, though. You’re here for an evaluation only.” “Um…no,” Doug said. “I’ve been evaluated by my primary doctor, who sent me here. I’ve had an x-ray and an MRI…” He pointed to the counter holding the pictures, which the doctor never looked at. “And I’ve been evaluated by a physical therapist, who’s been treating me for two weeks already. I’m just here for a shot.” “Sorry. You’ve got Humana.” “And?” “Six weeks ago, they changed the way they do things. Now you have to come here for an evaluation and then come back later for the shot if they authorize it.” I spoke up then. In case you’re wondering, I always end up speaking up. ALWAYS. “Is that true for all Humana policies? Because we’ve got…” He interrupted. “I am NOT an insurance specialist! But you can’t have the shot today. New rules.” So, he gave a cursory and patronizing evaluation (yeah, we DO have the Internet. We KNOW everyone, in a manner of speaking, has bulging discs…) and then sat Doug down with a clerk to schedule another appointment while I excused myself to use the restroom. While we walked to the car, Doug showed me his appointment card, with a date another week away. “She said it would take 5 days to get the info to Humana, and for them to authorize the shot.” I said, “Huh? You’ve got the phone number on your card. Call them and get it authorized. Besides, I’m pretty sure our insurance doesn’t even require us to get referrals before we see specialists.” So he called the number at Humana and got a very helpful person on the other end. She said, “Oh, you’ve got a PPO. You do not need pre-authorization for the epidural.” I told Doug not to hang up the phone, but to go back into the office and have the Humana person talk to the clerk. Then, since we’re OOP (Kind of like PPO, but it stands for Out of Pocket. We have HIGH deductible insurance as self-employed people, and each one of these visits will be paid for in cold hard cash), I suggested he ask the front office to see if he could be worked back in and get the epidural shot while we were there. He tried to hand the phone off to Little Miss Snippy (Oh, dear Lord, if you only knew what I would like to call her), and instead of her being pleased that he had cleared up THEIR ERROR (he was extremely polite, as he always is), she marched out from behind her glass-enclosed space into the waiting room full of people and YELLED at him!!! “You may NOT call Humana!” she shrieked. “I TOLD you that was OUR job!!!” Oh, yeah, lady? Then do it, because honestly, it only took Doug 30 seconds to solve a problem you couldn’t figure out in three hours. And last time I checked, we wrote the paychecks to the good folks at Humana and to YOU. “That’s fascinating,” I said to Snippy. “But the doctor himself just told us that often, when dealing with insurance companies, the patient gets the best results when he calls on his own behalf. So. We followed his advice.” She had NOTHING to say in response, but heaved a huge sigh of exasperation. Another clerk (the only pleasant one we met) said she would wait until Doctor was finished with his current patient and then ask if he could administer the shot, since Doug obviously had straightened out their little problem. We waited another 45 minutes and left. By the time we got home, a lovely message waited on Call Waiting, from the Nurse Manager at the Kansas City Pain Center. She understands, she said, that due to a clerical error on the part of their pre-certifications clerk, Doug was denied the shot he came to receive. “Please call me back, and I will try to get you right in…” Um…that would be a NOT IN THIS LIFETIME. We’ve already called our primary doctor to say how rudely Doug was treated, and that this place should not be recommended. We will be starting over with a new pain management place, and that’s just fine. In the meantime, of course, we’ll get a big honkin’ bill for the Kansas City Pain Center’s unnecessary “evaluation.” Which we will not pay. And neither will Humana, because while it is a PPO, it is NOT an OOP (out of pocket). The Kansas City Pain Center needs to employ someone to be an “insurance specialist,” or I guarantee you that the patients themselves—if they’re anything like us—will rise up and do the job. In the meantime, I suggest they lose Little Miss Snippy. But even if they don’t, after her performance in front of their patients today, they may be down a few customers. Yeah. I may just vote for Hillary and put the KC Pain Center out of its obvious misery. Posted by Katy on 08/28/07 at 03:39 PM Fallible Comments... My hubby went to our doctor. He doe NOT TAKE ANY INSURANCE. HE MAKES HOUSE CALLS. (Remember the good old days?) Wait time was 5 minutes. Hubby filled out a one-page form, which didn't request his social security number or what he did for a living. (Remember privacy?) Doctor spent 30 minutes with him to talk and diagose the problem. Then he invited me in the examining room to tell me his findings. Charged $20 for the visit, and $20 for the blood test. (Remember good bedside manner and affordable health care?) They need to do away with the way insurance currently works, period. Prices for medical care would go waaaayyyy down and doctors would actually spend time with patients, like our doctor. Most people would only have to carry major medical/hospital care insurance. Nobody would be forced to pay 200-700 per month/or huge deductibles for insurance that pretty much is an insult, and encourages the medical industry to treat people like subhumans. The doctors are totally under the thumb of Insurance Corporatism thanks to our BIG GOVERNMENT'S collusion with BIG INSURANCE (Corporatism - just another word for fascism!) I bet you can guess which presidential candidate is in favor of a total overhaul of the insurance industry to allow doctors be doctors again. Nope it's not Hillary, Giuliani, Thompson, Huckabee, etc. With them you are certain to get either get more of the same or worse. (It's the good doctor running for President, of course!) Posted by Suzan on 08/28/07 at 05:06 PM Please don't vote for Hillary and her plan. My friend in Canada is in excruciating pain and had to wait months for a simple Scan, now months more for the actual surgery she needs. Even in jest, I don't want to live under that! Now personal story: I once had a front clerk tell me that the doctor had no openings for a month. I've been seeing my doctor for more than two decades. I know she has time for sick patients worked into every day. An annual I can see waiting a month for, but when you're sick, you're sick. Anyway, after she (the clerk) was very rude to me, I called back and asked for the office manager. I had an appointment for later that day. The little miss snippy was working the front desk when I got there, and I got to watch her be the same way with other patients. When I saw my doctor, we talked about my experience. She said she was grateful to know what happened to me because she didn't want this sort of thing going on. I live in dread of the day my primary care provider retires. She is about my age, but I hope she keeps working even when I'm too old to. I don't want to go through the search for a good doctor with a great bedside manner who cares about her patients. Posted by Robin Lee Hatcher on 08/28/07 at 08:38 PM Oh can I sympathize...and excuse me in advance for the following rant.... Amy, my wife, has chronic pain, unexplained although attributed to a variety of factors and surgeries over the years. She is 100 percent disabled as a result. Amy and I went searching for a pain specialist and it was by far the most horrible experience out of all the medical nightmares we've been through. Most "pain specialists" are anesthesiologists and almost all of them acted like Amy was "faking" her pain to get drugs. One wanted her to sign a contract agreeing not to see any other doctor while under her care, one wanted to do "surgery" to install a pain pump (are you nuts?) and another basically said, "Buck up....you're a wimp." I learned then not only that good pain docs are a rarity, but that they should be forced to endure torture for a month or two before being allowed to call themselves pain docs. Amy left one appointment in tears, and I was so mad I went back, asked the office staff to call the doc to the waiting room and then FIRED her butt in front of her staff (most of whom were giggling) and her patients some of whom were applauding. After years of doctors with attitudes, receptionists with no sense of decorum, and specialists who "go cowboy" I've learned to put up with very little. I complain loudly and have a "case manager" specifically assigned to Amy with our insurance on speed dial. We finally found a pain doc - a palliative care specialist - a couple of years ago, who was a direct answer to prayer. He listened, he cared, he prescribed medications and made sure they weren't being abused without making Amy feel like a criminal. He's leaving the country for Australia and it's like having a death in the family, we still don't know how we're going to live without him. I found out there are only like 2000 palliative care specialists in the country. The reasons are obvious: they spend more time with patients, don't order a bunch of tests, and therefore don't make as much money. You are so right not to pay those folks a freakin' dime. I would also complain, complain and complain. To every state board, medical society, etc. I recently went to "sleep specialist" for a follow up and when I arrived the receptionist started our conversation with "Mr. Main YOU OWE US 78 dollars!" This was in front of all the other patients. I quietly pointed out that a:My insurance had paid them like 4 grand already, loudly emphasizing that I had spent maybe 4 minutes with this doctor and b: that I had literally put a check in the mail the day before. I go back to a waiting area and as a nurse is taking my blood pressure, the office manager storms in and starts saying how I owe $78! I almost jumped down her throat, which did have one benefit, the doctor didn't let me wait too long...apparently seeing his office manager running sparked his curiosity. After he spent 2 minutes actually talking medicine he prepared to leave when I stopped him and said, "Sorry, not yet. I'm going to get my monies worth" I dragged him around his office pointing to the receptionist and saying 'She's the one who publicly embarrassed me over 78 freaking dollars still owed despite the 4 THOUSAND dollars you've already been paid for your 4 minutes of time...oh yeah, everyone in the waiting room heard it. Then we went banging on the office manager's door and I allowed her to explain why she came in - while I was having my blood pressure checked - to dun me for money in front of a nurse in violation of privacy laws and when I had already given an explanation to their receptionist. The doctor actually thanked me saying no patients ever tell him when they're treated poorly. That's why so many doctors and their staffs get this high and mighty attitude. I've been in too many doctor's offices where the staff is great, and I make sure to tell the staff members and the doctors. However if my sole purpose on earth is to bring the snotty, uncaring, and incompetent members of the medical community down to earth, I'll consider my life one well lived :) My prayers are with Doug...pain plus frustration and stress is an amazingly cruel combination. Don't be fearful of being his advocate, and be loud and rude if necessary. It's really for their own good. These type of folks need to be reminded one way or another what it feels like to be bothered by a real pain...in the appropriate place. End of rant....:) I'll now go back to my happy place. Hang in their Doug...heating pads...bend at the knees, and no you can't lift that...no matter what it is. :) M Posted by Michael Main on 08/28/07 at 11:52 PM Suzan--Can we come live with you? Seriously. The last time I saw a doc make a house call, it was 5 am on a Sunday morning. I was 8 years old and had spent the night with my grandparents. My Papoo awakened having a MASSIVE heart attack, and the good man saved his life. He was in intensive care for 5 weeks, it was so bad. But I will NEVER forget the compassionate doctor who came to the house and stayed until the ambulance arrived, then following the ambulance into the city some 30 minutes away. Papoo lived another 17 years, and I believe Dr. Sam Hoeper, Sr. made a huge difference. And YES, I think Congressman Dr. Ron Paul would be a fantastic choice for President if we have any hope of turning around some of the foolishness that has overrun our country. Including the way the insurance companies run the doctors and we have little to no say in our own situations. Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 12:40 AM Robin--Your story is awful! I once had to insist my poor mother talk to her doctor about the wicked nurse he had as his side-kick. She was nice-as-pie when Doctor was near, but when she got Mom alone or if Mom had to call the office to ask her a question, she was cruel and vicious. The doctor was VERY interested to know about Marge, and good old Marge straightened up and flew right after that. She didn't have to LIKE my mother. But she did have to BEHAVE as if she did. Sorry, that's the way it works. Robin, I pray you can stick with your doc for many more happy and healthy years!! Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 12:43 AM Michael--I am glad you told this story here. You needed to vent and I needed to feel OK about how FRUSTRATED and ANGRY I've been since early this morning. Doug did make an appointment elsewhere. Then he called the Nurse Manager at the first place back and said we would not be returning. He also said that we would not be paying. She said, "I'll have to talk to Doctor about that..." I said, she can talk for the rest of her life, we're NOT paying. Doug did NOT tell her about the thoroughly horrible experience of being berated and ridiculed by the clerk and treated like pond scum by several other employees. I think he needs to. He probably will make another call, or write a letter. But not today. Today had enough trouble of its own, just getting through it without losing our Christianity!! In our case today, the doctor was as iffy as his employees. I have thought I need to find a pain doctor to help with my migraines, and I told Doug I would NEVER go to this guy. He made Doug's pain seem trivial and he doesn't know Doug AT ALL. For Doug to complain, it has to be pretty bad. I will pray Amy finds a new and wonderful doctor. There ARE others out there!! But I am VERY sorry for your loss of the one she's had. That's tragic. Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 12:51 AM Robin--About Hillarized Health Care: My father was from Scotland. All his siblings but one came to this country in the 40s. My aunt Rosie stayed in Scotland, married, and raised 7 daughters (waving to my girls!). My father was SO MAD when Rosie's health started failing, because she could NOT get seen by a doctor on a prompt basis. She told him six weeks wait was typical. This was nearly 30 years ago, and I think it's safe to say Britain's experiment with socialized medicine isn't much of a rip-roaring success. I sympathize with your friend! They always say socialized medicine works really great until you get sick. I think that about sums it up. Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 01:01 AM Katy, First off, say the doctor's name and expose him to the world!!!! (I went once to the KC Pain Center...ONCE. I agree completely with your perception of the place. They were incredibly rude, from the office staff to the doctor. My doctor there...DR. ISRAEL...basically called me a liar. He said that he wouldn't give me a shot, which is why I was there, until I tried this silly, stupid-ass machine that I hooked up to my ears that was supposed to send a signal to my neck to not be in pain. What a flippin' joke. Like that was going to work! I was referred for a shot, and I left with a pink vibrator.) I can't wait to do the same with my incompetent lawyer who has lied and misled me for over 5 years, and is planning to screw me right to the very end. Enough about me, though, as that will soon be blogged WHEN I CAN. Dr. Simon is totally your man for Doug. He is genuine, so incredibly intelligent, kind and knows what he is doing. He would have never acted like that towards a patient; that's why he's been a godsend for the last 4 years for me. He does shots in his office, and, although he MAY want to see Doug for a consult before giving him a shot, he is worth it. My love to Doug...I can so empathize. Posted by Bridget on 08/29/07 at 10:25 PM Bridgie--I had NO idea you'd been to this joint! What a racket. I refuse to allow my husband to be further victimized, when he's already in pain. I just checked online, and your Dr. Simon is on our preferred providers list. I will encourage Doug to go to him. I REALLY like him. We do not have to have a referrel from our primary doc, although I am sure he would write one to the doc of our choosing. And yes, I am sure Dr. Simon will want to consult BEFORE agreeing to give Doug a shot, but that's different than insisting that our insurance company required a SEPARATE TRIP, with a written authorization from them, which they DO NOT. Thank you for reminding me of good old Dr. Simon. I think he is the right person for Doug. Posted by Katy on 08/29/07 at 11:11 PM I know you are a christian, so why don't you take your husband to those churches who do healings from prayers? The way it sounds , its pretty bad. I hear about people getting healings all the time. Posted by thepaintman on 08/30/07 at 05:22 AM thepaintman--We do believe that God still heals people miraculously. Doug has experienced at least one such healing personally--from a hernia when he was 18. Then, when he was 45, he got another hernia. In spite of receiving lots of prayer, he ended up having surgery to repair it. God works in lots of ways. Believe me, before subjecting ourselves to modern medicine, we pray and ask for prayer from others! If no miraculous healing occurs, then we pray that God will lead us to the right doctors and treatments. Thanks for asking! Posted by Katy on 08/30/07 at 01:37 PM socialized medicine need not eliminate private insurance...if one is willing to pay for it Posted by Terri on 08/30/07 at 10:38 PM Terri--Very true. If the country wants to go socialized, but allows individual taxpayers to "opt-out" in order to cover their own health care through private insurance, that would be one thing. It's when we're all forced to "buy-in" through taxation that the free market comes to a crashing halt and what's left of good service ends. My parents put five kids through Catholic schools, K-12. They did NOT have the bucks to do it, but they were committed. They sacrificed a LOT to make it happen. Even back then, their property taxes supported the public schools, making the strain that much more...um...taxing. Of course, I'm coming at this from believing that the entire tax code should be tossed. I think we should start over with something that is, at the very least, constitutional. In the meantime, NO NEW TAXES, and National Health Care would be a tax like none we've ever seen.... Posted by Katy on 08/31/07 at 12:05 PM I'm a board certified pain doc in Va and was thinking of moving to KC, and so found the complaint. I think you are being a bit rough on the Doc. He relied on his help, who aren't infallible. He is a physician specialty trained, and can't rely on a physical therapist or a family doctor, any more than a brain surgeon takes out a tumour based on a family doctors assessment.Had he just given the shot without the evaluation, I would have voted to suspend his license. Finally, regarding another horror story, the government has been arresting doctors who give out pain meds for people with no provable source, because a lot of those drugs are making it to our kids. Your doctors are acting like the police because the government wants requires them to.The narcotics contracts you speak of are required by the medical board, by the way, and only exclude getting narcotics from another doctor. Posted by bob on 09/02/07 at 09:08 PM Doctor Bob--I really appreciate your comment! We were not expecting the doc to give an epidural without doing his own eval, only that the eval and the shot (if he deemed it appropriate) could be done during the same office visit. You are absolutely right that he should not give a shot on the advice of another doc without determining for himself that it's the correct action. We actually would have overlooked the doctor's glib bedside manor and come back for another appointment, had we not questioned between the two of us the info they purported about our insurance benefits. Then, when we had the audacity to call our own insurance company for verification and authorization to obtain treatment, we were treated like criminals. THAT'S the thing that put us over the top. I do know everyone is fallible (hence the name of my site!), but we were actually trying to be helpful! The doctor had told us that our insurance company's "new policy" of requiring him to do a separate eval and then reschedule for an epidural was "a waste of his time." We thought we were doing ALL of us a favor by calling our ins co. to get things clarified, but were vilified for doing so--and LOUDLY, in front of a room full of other patients. I am sure there are many good pain centers in Kansas City. This was our first experience with one, and it just didn't work out. I hope if you come to our fair town, you find the perfect fit for you!! Again, thanks for weighing in here. I don't usually go on rants, but ahem this time I did..... Posted by Katy on 09/02/07 at 09:45 PM Doctor Bob--BTW, I am soon to celebrate my 8th anniversary of my otoneurologist removing my brain tumor. I am VERY glad his actions weren't dictated by my family doc!! :) Posted by Katy on 09/02/07 at 09:47 PM I think this is where I thank God that my dad is a physician. Of course, now that I live away from home, I have to see other doctors and am always horrified to discover that they aren't as thorough and careful as my dad! (I've seen him work... I helped out at his clinic during summer hols when I was in university.) Hope Dr Simon will be able to help Doug ASAP. Being in pain is not fun :( Posted by Sunflower on 09/04/07 at 07:00 AM Sunflower--Hang on to that doctor daddy of yours! Even if you don't live close enough for him to treat you, you can consult with him anytime you want! A good doc is worth his weight in gold, or euros, or sub-prime mortgages, or whatever the currency-du-jour is..... :) Posted by Katy on 09/05/07 at 04:45 PM Yeah I agreed with you. Its is the health city. Because the atmosphere is very beautiful. It is very best place for ill person. Posted by travel clinics London on 03/05/10 at 02:19 PM This is a very useful information in your site ever. Posted by Beauty Care Clinics on 04/21/10 at 10:41 AM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: Gratitude Previous entry: Baby Got Bad Back << Back to main


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Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

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Kansas City Pain Center…Not!

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri