I was injured on Saturday and I have still not seen a doctor. I'm pretty old and with a long work history I've been injured on the job a few times, always a rough ride through red tape and always poor results. I understand that seeking medical care for an on the job injury is different from state to state but here in New York what it boils down to is pretty pathetic.
Because of past experiences I usually just pretend I did it elsewhere and get treated with my own insurance but this injury feels like something that will not get better soon. So once again, because I'm thinking that I might just end up collecting a few weeks or worker's comp, I'm back in a system that is so confusing, just about every decent sized employer in New York needs to hire someone to help a worker get treatment.
It was a weekend injury so building security became my consult. They did know the name of an Emergency Rooms that will accept Worker's Comp but because of experience I know I'll spend many hours in a Manhattan Emergency Room, followed by a few hours waiting in the X-Ray area and if nothing looks broken to the intern I waited several hours to see, then "treat em' and street em'" will add up to someone who graduated from medical school agreeing eight hours later that I have a swollen arm, suggesting some ibuprofen and a "follow up" that will really be starting from scratch.
The odyssey continues below.
Now I must point out that I'm not the least bit upset with my employer. The company I was working for is doing everything they can and being as helpful as possible. Monday came and I got a chance to call Human Resources. A very helpful woman offered a list of doctors from the insurance provider. I've been there before but I went through the motions. Called each doctor, one was retired and the rest no longer accepted worker's comp as payment. I've been in that position many times before. It is just the way the insurance company does business.
There were a few GP's listed within twenty-five miles of my apartment that is in the most densely populated area of the United States but the result of seeing a GP will be about the same as an Emergency Room. At the risk of sounding like a big baby, I'm in pain and I don't want to repeat past experiences, especially with my camera shutter finger out of commission. Drive to some Bronx neighborhood where I've never been, find a parking spot, cool my heels in some waiting room then be informed that there is no X-Ray on the premises and get an address to drive to so I can come back and get the same diagnosis I would have gotten from a high school drop out at the next bar stool. "Hey your hand and arm looks like a pork sausage but I don't know why." In the past that route has added up to nothing more than a referral to a specialist who does not accept worker's compensation.
Now this is the era of Google I can use the internet to avoid the game of being seen by doctor's who are way out of their league. I will describe my injury to the Google Box and see what comes up. The closest choice offered a talking telephone tree that was dedicated to my never actually speaking to an actual person. Scratch that but the second choice looks like a winner. At one of the finest hospitals in the nation and only about seven or eight miles from my home, Columbia Presbyterian has the "Center for Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine."
I call the hospital and then after be informed that they do accept worker's comp, I'm told that I need three things to make an appointment. I already have the name of the insurance carrier but I will also need a worker's comp case number and the name of a claims adjuster.
I get back on the phone to the nice lady at human resources and she informs me "that information won't be available for at least 48 hours." I mask my outrage and politely request that perhaps she could have them speed that up so I can get treatment. In truth I am very angry that this 48 hour hold combined with the fact that I hurt myself on a weekend means that I cannot even make an appointment with a specialist until 4 days after the injury.
I give it one more shot. I call the hospital again and politely explain the situation. They agree to "place an appointment on hold for 24 hours." Sort of like "stand-by" for people in pain but since the sacred information won't be released within 24 hours, I'm not very hopeful.
If I'm really really lucky, the nice lady at human resources will be able to extract a case number and a claims adjuster's name from the Travelers Insurance Company in just one day instead of the standard two day wait. If I am really lucky then today I will be able to transform my hold to a real appointment and on Thursday morning I will get to see Dr. Strauss, a specialist in hand injury.
Wish me luck?