Why is it so hard to get help!!!

I'm so frustrated.

The clinic I'm trying to get into finally received all of my medical records from when I was inpatient in january, after I had to go back to the hospital and have them faxed again.

I asked if I could finally make an appointment to see a pdoc, and they told me they had to review all of my records before they could even make me an appointment.

Why?!

Are they reviewing them to see if I'm sick enough to even see a doctor?

Will they not accept me as a new patient if they think I'm not sick enough?

This is seriously stressing me out. It should not be this hard to get help. And I need help NOW.

Just... ****!!!!

My goal is to NOT end up inpatient while I'm in between doctors.

Yeah (((raspberry))) wow this situation seems really unfair to me .... so much red tape just to get an appointment? That's nuts!

You need help so you should be getting it - I'm sorry that you're having to jump through so many hurdles.

You deserve better than this.

May you get the much needed treatment that you deserve.

Hang in there

Will the inpatient place hand you the files to deliver yourself? They legally have to but some will try to avoid that by charging you and arm and a leg (that happened to me when my family dr changed practices and the old one didn't want his patients to follow; they wanted to charge $25 plus $5 per every so many pages over the first few. No thanks, I can remember well enough).

Interestingly I've been waiting for probably 2 months for my surgical report from last year and I guess I'll have to call and request again. I think they really don't like to release to patients. I don't want to sue them, I just want to know exactly what was done.

I know about that story (regarding charging for your records). My previous "Psychiatrist" (which in reference to Him/Her ((It was a husband/wife duo)) I use very loosely) tried that. They said, get this, it was $150 for a copy of my records. They even charged me $100 to send a "Doctors Recommendation" to my insurance so my insurance would fill a prescription once. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker at that point. After now, thank God for having to change insurance, being with an amazing PDoc and Psychiatrist they both said that was outrageous. And the PDoc said it was against the law for a doctor to charge his PATIENT a fee to give HIS clearance and explanation to the insurance. I didn't pursue it and just ran for the hills. They were beyond "pill pushers". They would NEVER take you off a medication, only add. Before I knew it I was on 10 medications a day and 2 as needed. Long story short, as can be expected, I wound up in-patient. But, all things work out good and now I am with two amazing doctors.

I don't see how it is lawful for a doctor to charge you for YOUR records...Seems like it would be your right to have them. I realize HE/SHE is the one treating you, but it still seems since its the records of YOUR health they should not be allowed to charge you for that.

If I was a doctor I sure as heck would not charge my patients for their records...its theirs in the first place.

Blessings,
Matt S.

This place called it a "copying fee". Because it is so expensive and time consuming to shove a pile of pages in a copier and press "copy". I have a feeling that this wasn't just malice about my changing with my dr (although he said that happened to anyone who changed with him) but also the office staff got in trouble over me and blamed me. They called my home # at 3 pm on a weedday and said I was behind on my payments and if I wasn't up to date by 5 I couldn't be seen. I faxed everyone (the dr, the nurse and the office staff) telling them I WAS up-to-date according to the financial people about 2 days before and that I was coming to my appt. because I had an ankle in a splint and needed to start being able to move it. So I sat there and could hear the office staff discussing their error and how to cover it with me. I was even more angry. So I told the dr that part oo. And then my dr whisered "nobody knows this but I'm leaving here soon" and that was so good.

I'm having most of my medical records mailed to me (only one I'm not is the last place I was at because I didn't ask, and the hospital I was inpatient at in 2005). I'm not being charged for it.

I'm curious, are you going to read them? I've never been in a position to read psych notes and I don't know what I would do if handed them. Based on being handed a form with an assessment from my therapist I would impulsively read all of them and then feel weird but that had to do with some specifics in the assessment for that particular program. I've just never thought about having those records in my house. For anything else I'd jump right in and read (my family dr usually sends me his notes, I think because he knows I like feeling in control) but the mental health stuff could be tough.

I'll read them, even if they'll probably end up pissing me off! lol

IDK -- maybe they just need to digest your records to determine which doc to assign you to? Just a thought....maybe not. But I doubt they have any ulterior motive. I mean they get paid to see you by insurance or you or whatever, so why turn you away. That doesn't make sense.