Aauugghh! Dr referral issues..

[Jennyfoo]

So my pcp office just called and said my referral was denied because dr Ciricillo at Sutter Neuroscience Institute doesn't see adult patients, only pediatric, which I know is bull. They said they'd call his office, call my med group, and try to straihten things out. I called his med group just to double check and they informed me that they won't see patients from my medical group, even with an out-of-network referral.  Last month, they told me I needed to secure an out-of-network referral in order to see him.  Furthermore, I know that is bull too, because the patient care advocate I've been working with said they refer pediatric patients over to him regularly.

I'm so freaking' confused, fed up, tired of being misled and tossed around. I'm tired of living like this. I've possibly wasted a whole month, a month of horrible pain, trying to see this doctor. I'm at wits end here! I can't take much more of this runaround.

I called the patient care advocate and left a message. Hopefully she'll call me back and be able to shed some light on this. I'm so sick of this crap!

-Jenn

[mshkiki]

Please be careful using Dr. ****** on adults. He could not answer any questions about my surgery. He did my back surgery twice and my spinal fluid leaked out both times. He did not even check my surgery site; the nurse found the leak two weeks later. I would not let him do a third surgery because of his incompetence.

[selmaS]

I understand.....I was hoping to have fund raising done to help with my surgery...the only thing not covered by my insurance was the NS's fees...which r not small.

Some chiari drs do have payment plans too...so do not settle, make sure u have the dr u feel is right for u!!

"selma"

[Jennyfoo]

Oh, I'd rather see a true chiari specialist too. It's just not in the cards. Not with my insurance and very limited funds. I'd love to go to dr Heffez or Dr Di or the Chiari Institute in NY. My insurance is going to insist that any NS can do the decompression surgery and is qualified. I'll be lucky to even see Ciricillo I think. He doesn't specialize in Chiari, but he's done a lot of decompression surgeries and certainly knows what he's doing better than an average NS, I think. He's head of neurosurgery at Sutter Neuroscience Institute.

[selmaS]

OIC...well, I would rather a NS that does nothing but chiari but that is me.....what is important is that u r comfortable with ur choice...

There r many chiari drs and not everyone will feel comfortable with them regardless of their experience....

I pray u get this all straightened out so u get in to see this dr.Isn't insurance a pain?...goodness next u will be required to jump thru hoops while blindfolded....lol....

The insurance I had I was able to go to ne dr I wanted...so I did not have the out of net work issues...but have had my share of insurance problems.

Keep us posted

"selma"

[Jennyfoo]

This dr worked at UCSF, specializing in Chiari. He averages over 50 decompression surgeries/yr, he's been published re: Chiari surgical options, and he was recommended by a mother who's 4 year old saw him last year: had decompression surgery, and who only had good things to say. He's also not 70 yrs old + like the other dr in my area that's been recommended.  Those add up to some pretty good chiari credentials IMO.

I'm asking for a referral to the neurosurgeon my Opthamologist recommended too, while they work out the one to Ciricillo. Unfortunately, she's booking a month + out. Ugh. I called their office and asked if she was familiar with and has experience treating chiari malformation. I was put on hold, and after a few minutes, the receptionist came back on and told me that she does treat chiari. I'll give her a chance. I've got nothing to lose here.

The other dr  is about 72 yrs old and also out of my network. He's with UC Davis, and they are notorious for not allowing out-of-network patients because UC Davis Med system has too many patients of their own to handle. I used to be with UC Davis, but left, because the wait-list to see an in-network podiatrist was 7+ months and I was in agonizing pain. They wouldn't allow me to continue care with my out-of-network dr that I was sent to, after the contract disputes were settled with their in-network podiatrist. They expected me to wait 7 months, unable to walk. Ya. Lol. So I switched to the network my podiatrist was affiliated with.

[selmaS]

Hi Jenn...I am so sorry...the royal chiari run around I call it...and it stinks big time.
many of us have had to go thru this dance more than once to get to a good dr .

Is there another chiari dr u might be able to get to ?.....y did u pick this one?

I so know how u feel...try to relax, regroup and push for what u need : )

"selma"