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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Jun 24, 2019 16:38:15 GMT -5
Why more and more people become mass murderers, commit suicide, and have any number of other incidents, altercations, encounters, etcetcetcetcetcetc
Lengend
A is me
B is the psychiatrist office
A- (dials the number)
B- So and So Psychiatry please hold
A- (holds)
B- Sorry about that can I help you?
A- Yes I need an appointment.
B- Are you a new patient?
A- Yes
B- ok well we have an intake requirement and the intake nurse is on another call do you want to hold or have her call you back.
A- I'll hold
A- (holds for 10 minutes)
B- Sorry to keep you waiting what can I help you with?
A- I'm a new patient and need to get an appointment.
B- Ok well I can help you with that but we have an intake requirement which is basically I ask you some questions, record your answers, pass that along to the providers and they decide on whether to give you an appointment, is that ok?
A- (bites hole in fucking lip)
A- Sure
B- (asks all the questions and gets my answers)
B- Okay I will pass this along to the providers and WITH ANY LUCK, YOU SHOULD HEAR BACK FROM ME IN A FEW WEEKS.
Serious question here: How many people have hung up the phone from that similar conversation, gone to the local AR15 Store, packed their car full of ammo, and proceeded to shoot up people at college campuses, concerts, schools, places of employment, churches? Or just simply jumped off an overpass in front of incoming traffic?
They never asked me my current state of mind. Luckily I've been pretty stable for a few weeks, but if this had happened about 2 months ago, I shudder to think about it.
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Post by bobathon on Jun 24, 2019 16:53:10 GMT -5
Best health care system in the world.
That's unreal.
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Post by No. 1 son on Jun 25, 2019 8:56:40 GMT -5
I don't know your particulars or situation, but mental health, if that's what you're seeking is so poorly defined and addressed as not to be almost unnavigable. This is especially true in the VA. I have known people on this kind of dilemma who have contacted their representatives, and believe it or not they find someone that is responsive. Some of them don't mind helping, and they probably get a staffer to make some phone calls. They are pretty good at this depending on who you get. It's something to try.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Jun 25, 2019 9:31:19 GMT -5
Yes, it's mental health services. The way it works most of the time is you see a psychiatrist for evaluation and medications and/or therapist referrals. So I have to see psych first.
I mean the funny thing is, even though I bitched about Kaiser the other day, at least there was absolutely no issue getting in to see a psychiatrist (no litmus test) and subsequently a therapist, other than the maddening amount of time it took to get an appointment with the former. However, that was mainly for medications and KP offered phone and video visits, a heeuge benefit, especially if you needed to be seen sooner. The therapist was a much shorter wait, and regular sessions could be every 2 weeks.
If I lived in NVA it would be so much different. One, because KP participates with Medicaid there and two, there's no shortage of providers in that market. For whatever reason this area is really underserved.
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Post by minx on Jun 25, 2019 11:14:34 GMT -5
Yeah, it's not uncommon to have to wait quite a bit here, even if it's an emergency situation.
Friend's daughter had a complete meltdown a few years ago (to the point that they had to handcuff her to the stretcher to even go to the ER for an involuntary commitment)
They had to wait in the ER a full day until a bed opened in Richmond - that was the closest place that could take her.
Everyone bitches that mass shootings would be prevented if only we convinced everyone to get counseling. That may be true, but to get counseling, you first have to actually have a licenced counselor or psychiatrist available.
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Post by No. 1 son on Jun 25, 2019 12:15:31 GMT -5
I talked to Minx recently and my head hurt for 3 weeks. Also I am one of the lucky ones, there are people still running in circles at the walmart over there.  |
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Post by minx on Jun 25, 2019 12:28:32 GMT -5
Just be glad that I'm not armed.....
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Post by No. 1 son on Jun 25, 2019 13:36:52 GMT -5
God would never allow that much power on the field, a honey badger with a rifle.  |
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Post by k9krap on Jun 25, 2019 17:47:09 GMT -5
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Jun 27, 2019 17:14:31 GMT -5
They called me back today!!!!!
"We're sorry but we don't take your insurance." (Got their info from my provider directory.
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Post by minx on Jun 28, 2019 9:02:19 GMT -5
Oh, that's a common scam by the insurance company John - they leave the provider on there after the provider has cancelled the contract.
When you look the insurance companies seem to have a plethora of doctors in the specialty that you need, but when you call the doctor, they stopped accepting that insurance months ago.
We got screwed by our dental insurance this way - they had a new person making appointments who didn't ask for insurance information up front. Get to the endodontists office to find out that "Oh, we don't take United HealthCare". So appointment for root canal cancelled and back to the drawing board.
I've learned that question #1 is 'Are you accepting new patients?' and question 2 is 'Do you accept XYZ insurance?'
I was looking for a provider last night - one of the options was a doctor who died TWO years ago.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Jun 28, 2019 13:41:38 GMT -5
The good news is, he'll be a top provider under trumpcare.
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Post by bobathon on Jun 28, 2019 14:35:56 GMT -5
Maybe even Surgeon General.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Jun 28, 2019 20:16:16 GMT -5
Or secretary of HUD.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Jul 20, 2019 8:50:07 GMT -5
Some weeks later and still nothing. Tried the CSB for this area. They do new intakes from 830-11 T-F. Went last T, to the far side of Culpeper mind you, and got there about 10. "Sorry, we only take the first four people a day and we're filled up for today. You should get here before 830 because there's usually a line when we open". So now apparently I have to camp out on their front step with crackheads and space force trainees in the HOPES that my 40 minute drive won't be for naught.
I had no idea just how inadequate these services are. Really starting to miss Kaiser.
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Post by bobathon on Jul 20, 2019 11:16:21 GMT -5
I can see why people the world over flock here for medical care.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Jul 20, 2019 13:15:37 GMT -5
I can see why Rand Paul went to Canada for surgery after his neighbor re-arranged his face.
We need more like him. The neighbor, I mean.
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Post by minx on Jul 24, 2019 10:28:08 GMT -5
The CSB is good, but getting in there is a total bitch, because they (like many agencies) are simply overwhelmed with people who need help.
But funding those services is a 'local issue' so of course the state and federal government "can't" step in and fully fund them - that would be wrong!
I've heard that the CSB is having staffing problems, but don't quote me on that.
I think it's going to be a bigger issue on all fronts going forward in mental health care - not enough people want to go into it, and getting insurance to cover it is such a bitch that the ones that do go into it don't (or can't afford) to deal with that paperwork.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Sept 19, 2019 8:34:02 GMT -5
So after all this time getting in to a place, here's a portion of the first discussion yesterday.
T- Therapist M- Me
T- what medications are you currently taking.
M- all? Or just for the anxiety problems?
T- Just the anxiety problems.
M- celexa 40mg a day
T- anything else
M- lorazepam
T- how mg
M- 1-2 per day as needed but because of a Walmart and Medicaid joint effort to screw with my doctor's treatment plan, I'm currently at 1 mg per day.
T- ok anything else.
M- yes trazadone 50mg at night.
T- is that all?
M- yes.
T- okay so just so you know our office does not prescribe any opoiods or benzos.
M- What about the psychiatrist?
T- no, no one in our office. You will need your primary care doctor to write the script for that.
M- So what do they do, try to cover everything with psychoactive drugs and group?
T- Well it's our policy and we feel these benzos do more harm than ....
M- more harm than a 4000 dollar emergency room visits for panic attacks?
T- .....
Well I guess I'm on the list now.
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Post by bobathon on Sept 19, 2019 8:43:05 GMT -5
For profit medical care is the best evar!
Dr: "You need this treatment"
Insurance adjuster: "Costs too much, sucks to be you."
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Sept 19, 2019 8:53:45 GMT -5
It's a giant fusterfcluck. One half of the system is dedicated to making your healthcare decisions away from you and your doctor, and the other half is occupied with covering it's ass in the event they may be scrutinized by the former.
As Michael Moore said, "it'll make you sick".
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Post by minx on Sept 19, 2019 8:58:24 GMT -5
Wait, what? They have a psychiatrist on staff, yet they refuse to prescribe benzos? WTF?
My psych does prescribe, but they do have a monitoring program, and they're pretty strict on their refill policy. To me, that's how it should be. Those drugs do have a purpose, but at the same time, they shouldn't be passed out like candy. But if you get a prescription for 30 pills a month, and you take 30 pills a month, that shouldn't be an issue.
What completely pisses me off are all of the drug companies who happily filled orders for half a million pills to a small pharmacy in the middle of nowhere, and kept sending more.
And I understand putting out new guidelines for doctors (half of whom don't seem to understand that you shouldn't be giving Oxy to someone who sprained their ankle)
But those guidelines need to take into account that there are people in chronic pain who have been using these painkillers for years and have been using them properly. Why should they have to suffer?
The whole thing pisses me off soooooooo much!
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Sept 19, 2019 9:03:42 GMT -5
It's like this fiasco with my daughter's migraines. Instead of giving her the dilaudid, phenergan, and torodol in the shock and awe doses, and breaking the cycle.... She's spent probably close to 20 grand in hospital bills, doctors bills, and medicines that don't work and she's been suffering for almost 2 months. Why couldn't that at least try what has worked in the past? It's infuriating. How many people wind up seeking drugs off the street or taking the room temperature challenge because they cannot live in that much agony? All because of politics.
I think she's finally getting better but don't want to jinx it.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Sept 19, 2019 9:31:05 GMT -5
For profit medical care is the best evar! Dr: "You need this treatment" Insurance adjuster: "Costs too much, sucks to be you." Don't forget government. Their signatures are all over this as well. The "opioid epidemic" is a super hot topic and everyone said the govt needed to do something about it. So naturally, it punished everyone for the sins of a relative few. |
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Post by bobathon on Sept 19, 2019 9:37:30 GMT -5
Well, yeah, government is intended to be in service to We The Wealthy. Corporations are people, my friend.
for certain person(s): THAT'S CALLED SARCASM
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on Sept 19, 2019 9:50:09 GMT -5
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Post by bobathon on Sept 19, 2019 10:14:29 GMT -5
My daughter had to go to ER, holding nothing down. Day and a half later, she's still not holding anything down - not even ice chips. Damn straight they tried to push her out. So, she's no better, they learned nothing during her observation, so forget it? Hippocratic whaaaa?
I am fortunate to have good health insurance, but insurance is not the answer. We need national health care*, and we can too afford it (a dollar says rally gonna bring the lies).
*Did I write "ban all private insurance"? Nope. There's a place for it, but not in the fundamental delivery of basic health care. And it damn sure shouldn't be through employers - there's your slavery, ask GM's union.
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Post by minx on Sept 19, 2019 15:50:29 GMT -5
One of the big problems is that many people are in the ER for minor issues because they don't have insurance, or their insurance won't pay for an after-hours clinic.
And since almost all after-hours clinics are for-profit they have no requirement to take people who can't pay up-front.
Last but not least, we have a growing staffing shortage in this country - not enough doctors and nurses are available, and hospitals are cutting back and hiring temps - when you're an ER doctor caring for 10-15 patients at once, it's a little difficult to give quality care, and I suspect a lot of ER staff are simply burned out.
I saw that Cornell is going to offer free tuition to their med school starting this fall. Wonderful news, but I think it should only apply to students who are going into general practice/internal medicine, or a needed specialty. We really don't need any more plastic surgeons right now.
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Post by bobathon on Sept 19, 2019 16:23:54 GMT -5
People go to the ER for free treatment because EMTALA. Thanks, Reagan, you socialist.
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