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Wednesday, August 6, 2014

It's Not MY Insurance

All information is only as current as what we are given when it is presented. If you drop your land line and only have a cell phone number now, it would behoove you to tell us that instead of complaining you are not receiving any calls. And don't get all huffy and say: "Dafuq is wrong with you people? I haven't had that number in like 3 years". Not our fault.
The information that tends to change most often is insurance information. People change jobs and insurances more than phone numbers, addresses, and in some cases, underwear.
We try to expire old insurance information...if we are certain it is expired.
Some patients have multiple insurances where they carry their own coverage and are covered by their spouse's plan. It is NOT MY insurance. It is YOURS. It is YOUR job to stay up to date on YOUR insurance. I am responsible for mine.

Painfully Irritating Insurance Lady: You billed the wrong insurance.
CP: We billed the one that worked.
PIIL: Well that's not the right one. You people do this to me every time.
CP: Perhaps you should find another, more competent pharmacy.
PIIL: What?
CP: Or perhaps the problem is with you and your insurance. We only bill what we have on file. The one you are asking me to bill is not working. It rejected, directly from the insurance company, as: Member not active on date of service. Coverage Expired. In short, it no worky.
PIIL: Then what is your problem?
CP: That you keep yelling at me as if I have some Wiccan Powers to bend the insurance universe to my Almighty will. Call YOUR insurance company. Ask them to explain the problem. Yell at them. Tell them to fix it.
PIIL: Why did you bill the wrong one in the first place?
CP: It is the only one that worked. Let's play pretend. You are so frustrated with your pharmacy for messing up your insurance that you have to go on a binge shopping therapy trip to the local outlets. At the first store, your American Express is declined. What do you do? Yell at the clerk? No. You pull out the Discover Card and tell her to run that. Declined. Do you yell at her yet? Nope. Pull out the Master Card. Denied. (Because you keep your cards alphabetically in your wallet...) Visa? Success! It worked! Now you can continue shopping with reckless abandon and spend away your frustrations at your pharmacist. Same thing with your insurance here. Primary denies so we try secondary. It works. Success! Got it?
PIIL: I'll just call my insurance.
CP: And your credit card companies too.

(15 minutes later)
PIIL: Try it now.
CP: It worked. What happened?
PIIL: I don't know. They said they had to fix something.
CP: You're welcome. And I won't hold my breath for the apology I feel is not imminent. And while I wait for that I shall bite my tongue and eat the "I told you so". Deal?
PIIL: <click>

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