Today brings good news!
I texted my radiographer today to see if we could have a chat first thing tomorrow, and he phoned me straight back (on a Sunday - great service!)
He told me that he had spent one and a half hours on the phone to BUPA on my behalf on Friday and thinks their position is disgraceful. He has been a BUPA partner for 10 years and has only occasionally come across similar obstinance. However, he has requested that my case be escalated within BUPA and expects a decision from the higher authorities sometime around 10am tomorrow morning. He thinks it is about 50:50 that they will give us the green light or not. If they do, then it's back on track with the original Plan A.
In the meantime however, he has managed to get me an alternative appointment at the Yorkshire Clinic (definitely covered by BUPA!) at 3pm tomorrow afternoon, and we'll switch to that as plan B if BUPA say no in the morning.
Apparently, because this scaner is older, the results are sometimes (but not always) not as clear as from the Bradford scanner. It's a bit of potluck apparently. He did a scan there last week and it was fine.
So if Plan B comes into play, there is still a good chance that the scan will come out ok, and again we are back on track.
However, if the scan is not clear enough, then we move on to Plan C, which is to rebook a further scan at Bradford and for me to probably pay for it (although maybe we then have a case for going back to BUPA with the "I told you so" argument). Either way, we have two chances of everything working out ok before the possibility of having to cough up personally.
All-in-all very good news - I will definitely have a scan tomorrow, at one or other of the hospitals!
Again, I'm really impressed with the committment of my medical team - considering I have never actually met my radiographer (and may well not meet him tomorrow - they tend to stay in the little room separate from the scanner), he has been fighting my cause admirably!
On another note, the gig was fun last night. It was actually Widnes, not Wigan, but to me it's the same thing (anyone from Wigan/Widnes care to give me any abuse?) Oddly it was a 21st birthday party - we've done a few of those in the past and we always wonder why they book a band like us, as we probably don't play anything that was a hit since the audience was born (we are mostly 70's and 80's) - still they seemed to like it enough, and it's nice once in a while for us geriatrics to "get with the kids"!
Will probably go to the gym later, which will be the 5th day in a row - a lifetime record (by 3 days actually) - it's amazing what happens to your motivation when you have a genuine reason to get fit(ter)!
See you ...
[a happier] Colin x
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4 comments:
Hi mate. Sorry to hear about your troubles with BUPA/MRI scan. They are clearly a complete bunch of ***** and it's hassle you don't need or expect. It really makes your blood boil. Reminds me of that programme I saw about insurance companies in the US who emply people to actively go out and find where they can deny payments to people. In some cases to such an extent where it bankrupted people. Quite sick really. Glad the gig went well... the Stag was crazy... Dave
Good to hear the gym sessions are regular, use the BUPA frustrations to your advantage down the gym...it'll help.
Ref the letters, I'm like that too. Most of the time the squeaky wheel gets the oil!
BUPA shenanigans and other anonymnous message reminds me of scene in The Incredibles where Mr.Incredible has run in with his tiny obnoxious boss in insurance company. Maybe life will imitate art ... hopefully there is a bureaucrat somewhere being made to pay for their unreasonableness over scan (maybe just some bad karma though rather than the serious injury that resulted in Incredibles!).
Hope it goes well for you today Colin, Dai.
Hi Colin, we hope your scan went well today, 26 Jan. Sending you warm wishes from sunny south Florida! Love Al, Barb and Whammo!
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