Just a little something that I have on my mind.

[peebygeeby]

Hi everybody,

I have been wondering lately what effect the difficulty navigating the health care system has on the outcome of all life threatening health problems, not just lung cancer.

I mean, it's so hard for anyone to accomplish what needs to be done in order to access appropriate, and timely care. You can totally forget about it if you're sick or old. Dealing with insurance companies, getting referrals, getting authorizations and pre-authorizations! It's just crazy. If I had'nt been here for Hank, believe me, he would have just accepted his diagnosis and walked away. He would have been unable to do what needs to be done to access care for this disease. I don't know how to fix this problem either, I'm just venting, but really, the system is broken!

Another problem that I think is probably all to common, is the ineptness of some people working in the medical field.

Here's what I encountered a few weeks ago. The oncologist ordered MRI's, Cat scans, and chest x-rays for Hank. Also ordered a PET scan. Had all the scans except the PET scan done. Then, went for the PET scan. They asked that we bring all other films with us to the PET scan for comparison. We did. After the Pet scan was done, I requested all of the other films back, so I could give them to the oncologist. They said, come back in a few days, and after they are read I could have them. I went back a few days later and they said that they had given them to us on the day Hank had the scan, and that they did'nt have them! Now, I'm normally very laid back, but I literally leaned into to window at the reception booth and said "You better get your butt back there and find them now!" Guess I scared the woman! She went back and low and behold! she found them.

But again, if it had been someone sick or old, I don't think they would have walked out of that office with their films.

The system out there has some serious flaws. Again, I don't know how to fix it, but it's scary.

Gail

[snappy]

I have a girlfriend that told me years ago that you had to stay with a person when in the hospital. Mistakes were why or just lack of taking care of something important. My husband even recently experienced some of that in the hospital. Thankfully, nothing life threatening but could have been.

We never got into hospitals or illness much until 2002. I have learned the last few years that it is important to speak up. Never so much as since my husband's dx of cancer.

The Pulmonary Dr had told my husband on the phone on a Thursday that he had squamous cell carcinoma and they would talk more at the appointment he had for Monday. Monday was a followup to a prior appointment. Wellll, my husband could not really even remember the name except 'cancer'. We waited and worried like most normal people would. On Monday we went to see the Dr.

The receptionists said "You don't have an appointment". Without details, we went back and forth. My husband would have left. I didn't really lean into the girl but since she insisted that we had no appointment more than once and there was no way we could see him, I spoke up very loud for everyone to hear. "My husband gets a call on Thursday from Dr _ _ to say he has cancer. We wait thru the weekend to find out about it and 'YOU TELL ME HE HAS NO APPOINTMENT. NO NO. We need to see the doctor." Something like that.

Hey, it worked. Dr was find. We confirmed with the appointment card we had at home that he really had this appointment. Nurse and Dr apologized and were nice. We have a big problem with front desks. Have to watch nurses in hospitals too. This one was blamed on computer. Might be but it was the person not putting it in the computer.

We had quite a bit of delays do to being told wrong info. Some of our paperwork is frustrating. I agree with you peebygeeby.

[RandyW]

we have basically one doctor or team and the team has a lot of PATIENTS. THey are outnumbered more so than we are. add in the fact that they see new patients every day basically. Our hospital cancer center added new faces to doctors office on a DAILY basis!

THis is why we have to advocate for the ones we love in order to help and keep our team in "check"!!

Aalso did you know that 95% of the population suffers severe memory loss when standing "Naked" in a doctors office!?!?!? But seriously patients do tend to forget questions in the office thats why we encourage a 2nd person or a notebook with questions. I have to ask my parents about their appointments to give them more info to enquire about!