Aa
Anyone heard of 'shafting patient to another hospital to protect budget syndrome? It's incurable I think in the UK...
Well, that's the diagnosis of my eye problems. The incaccurate history repeated back by the little boy who saw me to the consultant was overheard by me. The consultant nodded with self-important in impatient interest until he heard the magic words - I was being seen by a neurologist in another hospital.
Suddenly he leapt into the air in joy, kissed the little boy (my vision is bad) and came over to me pointing and saying 'ha ha..you have a neurological disease, I can now safely discharge you and atrrtibute everything to that and THEY can deal with the problem. We win." I was very medicated to the point of seeing things maybe not totally accurately but at least it was acting as some mental handcuffs. "I haven't been fully diagnosed yet" I responded, they haven't found the cause of my problems". "Yes, but you don't have anything dangerous (thanks to the mental handcuffs) so we can discharge you without any worries, as any further problems can be dealt with by your neurologist. We win. Bye bye".
Such is the sliminess of UK healthcare. If they can put your problem on the budget of another hospital they will. The whole concept that as an eye hospital they should be treating eye problems and even taking an interest in their own speciality, that if they wanted to be accountants they could earn just as much money with more integrity, that discharging a patient undiagnosed, untreated, and in pain, just because they are being seen by a neurologist and in that case it's probably 'something neurological' is how they work. Treating patients is far far down on the agenda, if there at all.
Can I have a Green Card and come to US and get some good health insurance please? Or is it worse there?
Thank you again to all reading this who've supported me so far :)
P.S. Quix I read your post. Feel stronger soon. You don't have to always be only a resource for us, you know - you can turn to us for support too. Talk to me or anyone here or on PM if you want. I hope you are not in too much trouble whatever the problem, but we are shoulders to cry on for you as much as you support us. You've advised me enough times not to suffer alone - I hope you're not. If you really need space though please take as long as you need.
Wish x
Am typing this whilst being harrassed (as almost daily) by noise from outside and can't concentrate, apologies for any mistakes!
Suddenly he leapt into the air in joy, kissed the little boy (my vision is bad) and came over to me pointing and saying 'ha ha..you have a neurological disease, I can now safely discharge you and atrrtibute everything to that and THEY can deal with the problem. We win." I was very medicated to the point of seeing things maybe not totally accurately but at least it was acting as some mental handcuffs. "I haven't been fully diagnosed yet" I responded, they haven't found the cause of my problems". "Yes, but you don't have anything dangerous (thanks to the mental handcuffs) so we can discharge you without any worries, as any further problems can be dealt with by your neurologist. We win. Bye bye".
Such is the sliminess of UK healthcare. If they can put your problem on the budget of another hospital they will. The whole concept that as an eye hospital they should be treating eye problems and even taking an interest in their own speciality, that if they wanted to be accountants they could earn just as much money with more integrity, that discharging a patient undiagnosed, untreated, and in pain, just because they are being seen by a neurologist and in that case it's probably 'something neurological' is how they work. Treating patients is far far down on the agenda, if there at all.
Can I have a Green Card and come to US and get some good health insurance please? Or is it worse there?
Thank you again to all reading this who've supported me so far :)
P.S. Quix I read your post. Feel stronger soon. You don't have to always be only a resource for us, you know - you can turn to us for support too. Talk to me or anyone here or on PM if you want. I hope you are not in too much trouble whatever the problem, but we are shoulders to cry on for you as much as you support us. You've advised me enough times not to suffer alone - I hope you're not. If you really need space though please take as long as you need.
Wish x
Am typing this whilst being harrassed (as almost daily) by noise from outside and can't concentrate, apologies for any mistakes!
I love you reserved Brits who contain their emotions! :-) Its no better or worse here I believe, it is just different.
You're up late or up early - I am definitely up late tonight.
Later,
Laura
You're up late or up early - I am definitely up late tonight.
Later,
Laura
Sorry deb meant to answer your question. Yes we do have such a service eg. patient sent to India etc. for operations to get them off endless waiting lists here. But it is generally for routine oversubscribed stuff such as hip replacements or cataract surgery etc.
My GP won't refer me in this country. So, I'm on the end of the queue. The neurosurgeon won't even book an appointment yet, got a letter saying they'll contact me in several months. I thought this man only saw serious and urgent cases? What would the wait be if it wasn't serious, several incarnations?
I'll have to stop banging on about reincarnation, for some reason it cheers me up, makes me think this life is not totally wasted, and if it is, must do better next time!
My GP won't refer me in this country. So, I'm on the end of the queue. The neurosurgeon won't even book an appointment yet, got a letter saying they'll contact me in several months. I thought this man only saw serious and urgent cases? What would the wait be if it wasn't serious, several incarnations?
I'll have to stop banging on about reincarnation, for some reason it cheers me up, makes me think this life is not totally wasted, and if it is, must do better next time!
Well I stand corrected about things being better over the pond!
At least we don't pay for our services (or get them) except through our taxes.
I'm thinking of phoning the secretary of the director or the strabismus service, who I was supposed to see before I asked to have the appointment moved forward, and ask for a second opinion. Just shifting me over to neurology isn't acceptable. I have a diagnosed eye problem which should be being monitored at the very least, and leaving me to go away still in pain with no explanation or follow-up, just because I am being seen by a neruologist for entirely different symptoms, was no excuse.
The consultant made a big deal of these tumours on my back, as though that was the diagnosis. Since when? The expert in the area hasn't even assessed me yet and this eye consultant knew nothing of the location size etc. of the tumours. Any excuse to discharge. He discharged EVERY patient that afternoon. I phoned his secretary earlier. Apparently he discharges just about everyone. The most popular doctor in the hospital I imagine. That was my punishment for asking for an earlier appointment. And yes my eyes do still hurt, and my vision is deteriorating, as is my balance, and my eye hand co-ordination is worsening.
We wait because we have to. That is what the British are famous for, queueing. We wait months for an appointment, hours once we get there, months for a follow up letter or treatment, years before being told we were actually in the wrong speciality. I spent two or was it three years on a hip replacement clinic, where they ignored all my symptoms unrelated to needing a hip relplacement. My hips are fine. Maybe in a few decades it may be an option, but wasting three years of my life waiting for me to age was not achieving anything.
And now I have to wait for the ego of my GP to settle, for another referral, for another long wait. Thank goodness I believe in reincarnation. I'll probably be born back into the same waiting room I die in.
And no I don't work for the UK tourist board.
Grumpy Wish :(
At least we don't pay for our services (or get them) except through our taxes.
I'm thinking of phoning the secretary of the director or the strabismus service, who I was supposed to see before I asked to have the appointment moved forward, and ask for a second opinion. Just shifting me over to neurology isn't acceptable. I have a diagnosed eye problem which should be being monitored at the very least, and leaving me to go away still in pain with no explanation or follow-up, just because I am being seen by a neruologist for entirely different symptoms, was no excuse.
The consultant made a big deal of these tumours on my back, as though that was the diagnosis. Since when? The expert in the area hasn't even assessed me yet and this eye consultant knew nothing of the location size etc. of the tumours. Any excuse to discharge. He discharged EVERY patient that afternoon. I phoned his secretary earlier. Apparently he discharges just about everyone. The most popular doctor in the hospital I imagine. That was my punishment for asking for an earlier appointment. And yes my eyes do still hurt, and my vision is deteriorating, as is my balance, and my eye hand co-ordination is worsening.
We wait because we have to. That is what the British are famous for, queueing. We wait months for an appointment, hours once we get there, months for a follow up letter or treatment, years before being told we were actually in the wrong speciality. I spent two or was it three years on a hip replacement clinic, where they ignored all my symptoms unrelated to needing a hip relplacement. My hips are fine. Maybe in a few decades it may be an option, but wasting three years of my life waiting for me to age was not achieving anything.
And now I have to wait for the ego of my GP to settle, for another referral, for another long wait. Thank goodness I believe in reincarnation. I'll probably be born back into the same waiting room I die in.
And no I don't work for the UK tourist board.
Grumpy Wish :(
I have a dear friend in the UK and we often commiserate about our system here and the NHS mess you have to deal with. The big thing here in the States is if you have insurance you get treated in such a different manner than the non-insured. And if you have good insurance that pays well for services, you get treated even better.
There's a raging debate going on in the heart board I use (thanks to my heart attack in January) about medical providers deciding who gets treatment and who gets passed over because they are not good enough patients (for example: knee replacement surgery for an obese patient).
And like your NHS, it is all about making money here. Yes, there are exceptions and I'm lucky to have a few of those doctors on my team, but the concensus is the bottom line profit is the most important factor. The drug companies, insurance companies, hospital corporations aren't in it to save people - they are there to please the stockholders.
I'm sorry to hear you got shipped out of the eye group there - it sounds like it may be next to impossible to get back in. I pop into the UK MS website every so often to read what is happening there and I am amazed at the posts about the medical system. At least here I can pick my own doctor and move on to another if I am not satsfied. And I can get appointments this year! How do you stand the waiting?
Sorry for my mini-rant here - for all the resources in this world, doesn't everyone deserve compassonate, efficient care?
Be well,
Laura
There's a raging debate going on in the heart board I use (thanks to my heart attack in January) about medical providers deciding who gets treatment and who gets passed over because they are not good enough patients (for example: knee replacement surgery for an obese patient).
And like your NHS, it is all about making money here. Yes, there are exceptions and I'm lucky to have a few of those doctors on my team, but the concensus is the bottom line profit is the most important factor. The drug companies, insurance companies, hospital corporations aren't in it to save people - they are there to please the stockholders.
I'm sorry to hear you got shipped out of the eye group there - it sounds like it may be next to impossible to get back in. I pop into the UK MS website every so often to read what is happening there and I am amazed at the posts about the medical system. At least here I can pick my own doctor and move on to another if I am not satsfied. And I can get appointments this year! How do you stand the waiting?
Sorry for my mini-rant here - for all the resources in this world, doesn't everyone deserve compassonate, efficient care?
Be well,
Laura
Health care in the US varies a lot and as Jen says overcrowding is a huge problem. Plus, if you don't have health care, your s*** out of luck. The price of medicines, like for MS, are completely unaffordable if you don't have insurance. And many times it's unaffordable even with insurance.
My health insurance premiums are over $500/month and that doesn't even cover everything. I have a copay on my medicines, doctor's office, tests, etc. after I pay my $500 deductible. When I go an get my MRI in October, I will pay a $500 deductible and then 20% of the remaining $5000. Thank goodness I don't have to pay the $3000/month for Copaxone. If I had no insurance, like Michael on this forum, I would not be able to pay for it and would have to try my luck without treatment.
As it is, I have an enormous debt from being sick and trying to get a diagnosis. The one major benefit, however, is that I can dump a doctor I don't like and find someone else. Competition does help.
I know you were just joking about the green card, but I was wondering if there was anything such as "out-of-area" treatment in other countries that is partially covered by your health care system? Does that exist?
Deb
My health insurance premiums are over $500/month and that doesn't even cover everything. I have a copay on my medicines, doctor's office, tests, etc. after I pay my $500 deductible. When I go an get my MRI in October, I will pay a $500 deductible and then 20% of the remaining $5000. Thank goodness I don't have to pay the $3000/month for Copaxone. If I had no insurance, like Michael on this forum, I would not be able to pay for it and would have to try my luck without treatment.
As it is, I have an enormous debt from being sick and trying to get a diagnosis. The one major benefit, however, is that I can dump a doctor I don't like and find someone else. Competition does help.
I know you were just joking about the green card, but I was wondering if there was anything such as "out-of-area" treatment in other countries that is partially covered by your health care system? Does that exist?
Deb
Well, medicine is pretty much the same all over right now. Everybody is very budget focused.
Our community hospital is a good example of that. For the last five years, it has been run with the goal of making money. They did that by turning away needy patients in favor of patients with health insurance and money, and raising costs so that uninsured patients would have a harder time paying for care.
Overcrowding is a real problem, and the staff has a history of cold, callous behavior toward patients. The emergency surgery rooms were not properly cleaned - in one incident, the nurses noticed blood, bone, and globules of fat on the walls and wheels of carts. Patients would spend weeks in the hallway, with filthy blankets and flies. They had a $381 million surplus last year, yet people would wait months for an appointment, and they would turn away uninsured patients.
In short, nobody could believe that a hospital with such obvious funding problems could have a surplus of money!
http://www.star-telegram.com/817/story/606891.html
The good news is that they've gotten rid of the administrator, added staff, and reduced copays for patients. It's been described as a culture shift - from making money for the hospital to actually HELPING patients, which should be what a community hospital is all about.
Our community hospital is a good example of that. For the last five years, it has been run with the goal of making money. They did that by turning away needy patients in favor of patients with health insurance and money, and raising costs so that uninsured patients would have a harder time paying for care.
Overcrowding is a real problem, and the staff has a history of cold, callous behavior toward patients. The emergency surgery rooms were not properly cleaned - in one incident, the nurses noticed blood, bone, and globules of fat on the walls and wheels of carts. Patients would spend weeks in the hallway, with filthy blankets and flies. They had a $381 million surplus last year, yet people would wait months for an appointment, and they would turn away uninsured patients.
In short, nobody could believe that a hospital with such obvious funding problems could have a surplus of money!
http://www.star-telegram.com/817/story/606891.html
The good news is that they've gotten rid of the administrator, added staff, and reduced copays for patients. It's been described as a culture shift - from making money for the hospital to actually HELPING patients, which should be what a community hospital is all about.
are you in a hospital? I'm sorry, I don't think I'm quite with it today... confused...
but I understand the part where the Dr are saying it's not 'OUR' responsibilty...now you can leave and someone else can take on the cost....Yeh..I'm from canada and it's alot of the same way here...
take care
andi
but I understand the part where the Dr are saying it's not 'OUR' responsibilty...now you can leave and someone else can take on the cost....Yeh..I'm from canada and it's alot of the same way here...
take care
andi
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