Issue 1
Calling today to continue the immigration processes. I needed to talk with each of my doctors and request a medical history that I could take with me to the Designated Medical Practitioner (DMP) for the Canadian government. All three of my doctor’s offices open at 8 am or later, are open until 5 pm or earlier, and take a lunch break from 12-2 pm. Wish I could get such great hours.
The first place I call the medical records person is out or on the line and I leave a detailed message—no problem. Second place I call, the medical records person has no idea what I’m asking for (???) and transfers me to my doctor’s secretary. I explain that I need a letter or brief history explaining my medical condition while she’s been my doctor (for 12 years, btw). The woman tells me that my doctor is out of the offices until August 15. I say, “So?” She says, “Well, I can’t request it until then.” I repeat, “So?” She asks, “So you still want it?” I answer with, “Well, I need it from my doctor, I need it to be official, and I need her signature—if that means I wait until August 15, I guess that means I wait until August 15.” I didn’t put any sort of time frame on my need for this document—I just told her I needed it from my doctor. If she’s not in, she’s not in!
Anyway, I’m still not sure exactly why the records department cannot help me with a request for medical records—that seems strange to me. However, they are the second worst office staff I’ve ever dealt with, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.
I then call my other doctor. The person I spoke with asked what I needed, I told her, and she said, “Sure, I just need a medical release from you.” She’s faxing one over to me now and I can get that done as soon as I turn it around to them. Why wasn’t the last phone call this simple?
Issue 2
I called on my medication that I was unable to get due to some other bureaucracy prior to my last trip to SJ. While gone, I received a letter approving the continued use of that medication. The girl does her best to figure out what was going on with my prescription, determines that it is still valid, and then follows it up with “and you owe $145 copay on this.”
Er, what? $145 copay??
Apparently something changed in my PPO health insurance that now requires a $100 deductible to be paid. I called my health insurance company and the pharmacy end of things had no clue why it didn’t kick in the first of this year, as it apparently did for everyone else. She showed a change to my policy the day after I made the request for the medication. As far back as she could see, that deductible had never been applied to my account before. So, now, on top of around $80 a month for medications, I can add a $100 deductible each year. Great. And the change was not announced well, as I read most everything the health insurance company sends me (for obvious reasons).
However, she did tell me a way I can save $15 a month on that same medication, which I need to follow up with my doctor on when I next see him (can’t be done until I get a renewal on the prescription).
Issue 3
I am double-checking online with the Canadian Immigration web site to verify what is needed for the above mentioned medical histories. I find a line that very distinctly contradicts the information M and I have on these exams. It says that you turn in your paperwork and then they tell you where to go for the medical exam. All our paperwork says you have to get the medical exam and turn in the paperwork from that with your application. So M calls the Canadian Immigration hotline and asks, while I send an email to Immigration so we can get a confirmation on which is right. Turns out that the paperwork we have is correct.
Seems like something they should fix on the web site, doesn’t it?
Issue 4
Minor issue, but it appears that my new online only bank does not accept deposits from appropriately-linked ATMs. I have to mail them to the company and they will make the deposit. They assume you will have a local bank into which you can deposit the check and then transfer the money to them—which I cancelled. Now, I don’t get many checks, so my need to do this is not high, but it is annoying. If I had realized that, I would not have simply closed my previous account. I would have kept it with the absolute minimum balance required and used it as a place to deposit checks and get money (after transferring from my online account).
All of these issues have cropped up today, on top of my loneliness at leaving M and SJ and my tiredness after the trip back and all those issues. It hasn’t been what I would call a “good day.”
Just a thought, but perhaps you can call the first dr office back, explain how simply dr office #2 is handling the request for records, and see if that moves things along.
ReplyDeleteFreedom of Information Act does say those are YOUR records, doesn't it, so you have the right to request them at any time--and, I believe, there is a stipulated time frame within which they must comply, and it doesn't require the dr's request ...
I'd suggest you appear in person, which is always more compelling, but that's probably not feasible.
Sigh.
I mentioned to the Immigration agent that their website said something other than what I was led to believe. He basically kept on talking and didn't acknowledge that I was trying to tell him their website needed fixing. I didn't persist because he should have clued in the first time.
ReplyDeleteM called the Canadian Immigration number and the person she talked with was adamant that we use the info we had in the booklet. I emailed the immigration people and received a response that said to always use the web site, as things change constantly.
ReplyDeleteSigh
We are going to go with our plan to get it done first/now and pretend I never looked at the site!