My Job-

[hudjess 95]

My job is not very understanding or lenient when it comes to going to my appointments. I have basically exhausted time off and being able to go. I have completed everything that is needed of me but since I switched clinics my new surgeon wants me to see his psych and then I will be done. I have already been cleared with the one that I have saw but they want me to see theirs. I am truly at a lost of what to do because a month ago I told them that I had an appointment on the 19th and it would be my last appointment and they are refusing to give me that time off. I am in jeopardy of losing my job and I just don't know what to do. Please give me some insight and recommendations. Thank you.

[reree6898 1,164]

Can you get FMLA? That would protect your job for the appointments and time off.

[higher 966]

I would call your doctor's office and explain exactly as you did here - you can't take any more days off from work and you already have the required clearance.

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,443]

@@hudjess, when it comes to clearance for surgery, psychologists are interchangeable. It's not as though you were a patient of any one psychologist who was going to clear you.

If you saw and paid for the first evaluation, it's yours. Get the written clearance from the old surgery practice or contact the psych directly. You are the customer and the already-existing clearance letter or form is yours. Tell the new surgery practice to sit on a tack. None of these words, of course. You already have clearance. Be firm and sure when you make the calls.

Damned jackasses.

[hudjess 95]

I called them yesterday and the lady was very snotty, she said that this is the requirements by the insurance. I told her that I already completed them and that the surgeon wants me to see their psych for some unknown reason. She said well its his requirement so you have to do it. I have 9 diet visits when insurance only wanted me to do 6, I have met all other requirements and don't feel I need to go through this. But my job told me this morning they approved me to go, so I have another diet visit next Wednesday as well as meeting with the psych. Hopefully after this it will all be done. But I did stand firm and she still shot me down lol Also she said if you want to wait to have your surgery until next year that is always a plan too. I most certainly will not be waiting until next year. Thanks for your advice (:

@@hudjess, when it comes to clearance for surgery, psychologists are interchangeable. It's not as though you were a patient of any one psychologist who was going to clear you.

If you saw and paid for the first evaluation, it's yours. Get the written clearance from the old surgery practice or contact the psych directly. You are the customer and the already-existing clearance letter or form is yours. Tell the new surgery practice to sit on a tack. None of these words, of course. You already have clearance. Be firm and sure when you make the calls.

Damned jackasses.

[hudjess 95]

Unfortunately I cant because I've only been here for 6 months. But my job did approve my time off to go. So I am very happy about that.

Can you get FMLA? That would protect your job for the appointments and time off.

My job is not very understanding or lenient when it comes to going to my appointments. I have basically exhausted time off and being able to go. I have completed everything that is needed of me but since I switched clinics my new surgeon wants me to see his psych and then I will be done. I have already been cleared with the one that I have saw but they want me to see theirs. I am truly at a lost of what to do because a month ago I told them that I had an appointment on the 19th and it would be my last appointment and they are refusing to give me that time off. I am in jeopardy of losing my job and I just don't know what to do. Please give me some insight and recommendations. Thank you.

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,443]

The "snotty lady" is an imbecile. The psychologist and the psyh evaluation are independent of any particular surgeon. A psych clearance is a psych clearance. If the snotty lady is not the one who submits all the paperwork and request for coverage to your insurance company, you need to speak to the person who does. If it is she, then what you do next depends on how much you want to fight. I do suggest, however, that you be the one to make an appointment with the new psych and, at the time, mention that you've already been cleared in connection with your previous surgery practice. The new psychologist wants the income, but may have ethics to do the right thing, i.e., tell the office to work with the already-existing clearance.

Understand, @@hudjess, that I'm saying all this on the belief that you shouldn't have to repeat the process, but have no formal or other documentation to back me up. It's a matter of common sense. Surgery is surgery and our mental and emotional states are our mental and emotional states. A patient won't be more psychologically fit with one surgeon over another surgeon.

P.S. There's also a chance that the new surgery practice will derive some income from insisting on a new psych eval. Dicey ethics.

[hudjess 95]

No she is not the one that submits and I did not think of it the way that you are saying it. I did in fact tell her that I met all of my requirements but she said that is is required by my surgeon. My fiancé thinks they just want to get more money. Just like I have already completed all my NUT visits they have me going to 2 more with them. My last one is on Wednesday. I want to fight but will I really win because they know they have something that I want. I really don't want to go, I rather be at work and not having to go to unnecessary appointments. What should I do?

The "snotty lady" is an imbecile. The psychologist and the psyh evaluation are independent of any particular surgeon. A psych clearance is a psych clearance. If the snotty lady is not the one who submits all the paperwork and request for coverage to your insurance company, you need to speak to the person who does. If it is she, then what you do next depends on how much you want to fight. I do suggest, however, that you be the one to make an appointment with the new psych and, at the time, mention that you've already been cleared in connection with your previous surgery practice. The new psychologist wants the income, but may have ethics to do the right thing, i.e., tell the office to work with the already-existing clearance.

Understand, @@hudjess, that I'm saying all this on the belief that you shouldn't have to repeat the process, but have no formal or other documentation to back me up. It's a matter of common sense. Surgery is surgery and our mental and emotional states are our mental and emotional states. A patient won't be more psychologically fit with one surgeon over another surgeon.

P.S. There's also a chance that the new surgery practice will derive some income from insisting on a new psych eval. Dicey ethics.

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,443]

I really don't want to go, I rather be at work and not having to go to unnecessary appointments. What should I do?

No one can make the decision for you. Above I suggested that it depends on how much you want to fight. I'm getting the feeling that you would rather not fight.

If I'm wrong, I did suggest above that you speak with the person who actually handles the insurance submissions. Tell her/him that you'll get the paperwork from your previous practice. Let the new insurance person tell you whom else you may need to speak to in the new practice to eliminate the nonsense. It may be the surgeon. Let them know that the snotty woman is insisting you repeat things you've already done, that it makes no sense and that you don't want to duplicate your expenses for no reason (I'm thinking that you have co-pays or expenses by any other name). This practice should submit the equivalent paperwork from the last practice. Get on the phone today to get all the paperwork from the last place if you don't already have it; you probably should have it anyway.

I'm also going on the assumption that you haven't changed insurance plans. If you have, that could change everything, in which case all that I've written is wasted.

Edited October 12, 2016 by WLSResources/ClothingExch