The Laughing Wolf

Shoulder Surgery: The Paperwork Begins

If there is anything you can do today that does not require paperwork, I would love to know what it is. When dealing with doctors and insurance companies, paperwork is a must and I have found it pays to be proactive. This comes from dealing with the multitude of insurance paperwork that came with my mother’s cancer and my father’s care in his final days.

That process has already started here. Not only have I provided all the basic information to my doctors, I have also specifically requested that the doctor’s office pre-approve this procedure, even though such is not strictly called for by the insurance. This may have been a good move on my part, give a letter I just received. In a move that surprised me, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama carbon copied me in regards a request for information on my referral to the orthopedic surgeon. This appears to be a standard request, but it also gave me a good opportunity to be proactive. So, I have sent the following letters by FAX and by mail:

Dear XXXXXXX,

I am in receipt of your letter to Dr. XXXXX in request of further information in regards my shoulder injuries, for which I was referred to Dr. XXXXX. Thank you very much for the courtesy, as it is very propitious in another way.

Being a writer who often writes on consumer products and such, I am doing a series of online, internationally read, columns about the entire process. As I wrote in my first column, “This is, in many ways, no different from any other consumer product about which I have written, and it may be that my experiences with doctors, facilities, insurance companies and the like will assist you. After all, you do have choices on each, and what I go through can help you decide on your choices. … Lean from what I do, my triumphs and my mistakes, so that you can apply that hard won knowledge to your own healthcare. Caveat Emptor applies here just as much as it does to cars.” At some point in the future, I hope to publish these columns, edited, in either a magazine and/or as a book.

I ask that you keep me apprised of any and all decisions, problems in obtaining information, things that call for commendation, and other items of note so that I can share them with my readers, just as I am sharing this letter.

Thank you very much for your time, effort, and consideration. If any information or assistance is needed from me, please just let me know. I look forward to hearing from you on a regular basis.

Sincerely,

Dear Dr. XXXXX,

Attached please find a copy of the letter I have faxed to XXXXX in regards her letter to you dated 1 April 2004. If I am needed to provide any information or assistance in regards this letter, or any other inquiry by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, please do not hesitate to contact me by voice at XXXXXX, by FAX at XXXXX, on my mobile at XXXXX, or via e-mail at XXXXX. I would very much appreciate your cc’ing me on all information provided so that I can have a full set of records.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for the care you have previously provided in regards this matter, and for the referral to Dr. XXXXX. I have been very pleased with the care provided to date, and while it would be a stretch to suggest that I look forward to the surgery, it will be a welcome relief to have some form of resolution to the matter.

Again, my thanks for the care you provide me. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if I may be of service.

Sincerely,

Words of strong advice: Do NOT be passive on insurance matters; keep copies of everything sent or received; try your darndest to get copies of any information provided by others, and if you can’t get it note for the record when you tried, who you talked to/wrote to, and why it was not provided. When dealing with things of this nature, note times, dates, who you dealt with, and any other details even if they don’t seem relevant. You simply cannot have too much information.

Note my response to this, which is a very routine thing for an insurance company to do. I have made notes, I have requested information, and I have asked to be kept in the loop. Don’t just assume that everyone is going to look out for you, they are not: they are going to look out for themselves. It is up to you to look out for you. Do so.

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