Bad Service

[gavelkind]

So I was diagnosed earlier this year, and qualified for ADAP. Now I've never had health insurance, so I was looking forward to getting all these different type of healthcare that I never had before.

My doctor recommenced I see a therapist/psychiatrist. I told him that I have issues taking drugs and that I've always been very skeptical of  therapy since part of me believes they just push drugs on you. My dr assured me it wouldn't be like that. So, for three months I see a psychiatrist who despite me claiming I was doing better, felt I wasn't doing well enough and would prescribe me more drugs. Meanwhile, I was supposed to see a therapist but that never happened. According to my doctor, the therapist tried for 3 months to contact me and every time he did, my phone had "issues." I thought that was weird as NOBODY has ever had issues reaching me by phone. After three months, I went off on my doctor telling him that I found it shady the therapist was always "missing" me, and that I felt drugs were being pushed on me. My doctor ignored me, so I turned to my social worker and told her everything. When I did this, my doctor flipped on me claiming I was wrong and was putting him in trouble by claiming I felt drugs were being given to me without reason. After this, I turned on him since I felt he was more concerned about how he came off as opposed to how he actually treated me. I requested a change and got a new doctor. Things are going well with the next doc. He actually listens to me!

Not only that, but I've always had issues with my teeth. I hadn't seen a dentist in years and when I got into ADAP, I was very happy as I knew I needed work. My doc assigned me to a dentist. I went and the dentist told me that I needed a root canal ASAP to save my tooth. However, that clinic was in the middle of moving, so scheduling a follow up became a challenge as they refused to schedule something for me until after they moved. I went to my doctor and told him about this and that I needed a root canal ASAP. My doctor went off on me telling me that there were people who were on ADAP and waiting for a dentist that didn't complain as much as I did. He refused to help me out and insisted I wait. I knew better and went to my social worker who quickly assigned me to a different clinic. By the time I made it to them, they scolded m for waiting so long to get the root canal AND that so much time had passed that I now needed that tooth extracted completely.

So now I have a tooth gone for good, and all I can think about is my asshole doctor telling me I was over-reacting and needed t be patient. I feel this is neglect on his part, and feel uneasy about just letting this go.

So, what do you do when you feel your caretakers aren't doing their job? How do I communicate this to ADAP? I know that if I was personally paying to receive bad service I'd be furious, so I feel I need to protect my ADAP insurance even though it's free.

[Jeff G]

It may be beneficial for you to listen to your therapist and open your mind that you may need treatment , especially if that is the recommendation of your healthcare team .

I'm hearing you say that you cant get along with and have issues with all of the people that's trying to help you and that's a sure sign that you do indeed need help .

[gavelkind]

It may be beneficial for you to listen to your therapist and open your mind that you may need treatment , especially if that is the recommendation of your healthcare team .

I'm hearing you say that you cant get along with and have issues with all of the people that's trying to help you and that's a sure sign that you do indeed need help .

Except, I get along greatly with my new doctor.

And after I complained to my social worker about my therapist, she assigned me to a new one. One that didn't take three months calling me on a daily basis and my phone magically missing their call. Even my NEW therapist has sided with me in this issue and told me that my doctor didn't handle things well.
 
Maybe it's just that I'm horrible at communicating things. I'm not very social though. People always think I am. So I've been told I don't always communicate things greatly, but I feel that my whole point just went over your head.

[oksikoko]

Hey, gavelkind. It's good you have a provider you're more comfortable with. My first doctor and I didn't have a good relationship either, but I thought it was all in my head. I switched providers and everything's been peachy ever since.

Maybe it was all in my head, maybe it wasn't, but it doesn't really matter now. The important thing is to look to the future and to be glad you found good care!

If you did want to file a complaint with ADAP, you could probably find an ombudsman by Googling your state name + "adap complaint". The ADAP people here (well, in Albany) are pretty nice, so maybe you can even just call the main line.

[mecch]

It may be beneficial for you to listen to your therapist and open your mind that you may need treatment , especially if that is the recommendation of your healthcare team .

I'm hearing you say that you cant get along with and have issues with all of the people that's trying to help you and that's a sure sign that you do indeed need help .

Gavelkind, I heard the same thing as Jeff.  Too much drama in your relationships.  Poor communication and inability to cooperate, every now and then, with a person here or there, is a normal experience.  Its occurring too often in your contacts.  (I'm not denying the possibility you got some poor service, though.)

If you are worried about overmedication or unnecessary medication - why dont you put it out here in the forum.  Did you get a diagnosis from your shrink?  And what medication...

You'll need adjustments in your world view to take care of mental health AND physical health.

As an HIV+ person you will have to change your attitude about doctors pushing drugs.  It would be best if you have educated yourself to know that doctors aren't pushing HIV treatment drugs on anyone. Its all driven by science and vast experience.

[intaglio]

Here's how I interpret it all.

The first psychiatrist pushed a pharmaceutical solution, rather than deferring it until non-phamaceutical solutions had been explored. Gavelkind objects to this method of therapy. Gavelkind makes his objections known to his doctor. Gavelkind is rebuffed for speaking up.

The first therapist was not making the phone calls -or was making the phone calls to a wrong number. (it happens) Gavelkind makes his objections known to his doctor. Gavelkind is rebuffed for speaking up.

The first dentist delayed treatment of a serious dental issue. Gavelkind makes his objections known to his doctor. Gavelkind is rebuffed for speaking up.

Gavelkind has issues with his first doctor's lack of concern and overall attitude. Gavelkind makes his objections known to his doctor. Gavelkind is rebuffed for speaking up. (see a pattern here?)

Gavelkind turned to his caseworker. The caseworker finds him a new doctor, new therapist and new dentist.

The new doctor listens. Gavelkind is happy with this change.

The new therapist shows up and makes contact in a timely manner. Gavelkind is happy with this change.

The new dentist confirms gavelkind's concerns and is unable to save a tooth that was previously savable if not for the first dentist's snafu. Gavelkind is kinda pissed he's lost a tooth that, if not for the lack of concern by both his previous doctor and dentist, he'd still have.

So, what do you do when you feel your caretakers aren't doing their job?

Just what you have done. You are the one who is responsible for your care. You speak up when others are not providing the service they have been charged with providing.

Who you speak to varies. Your caseworker was a good choice for getting you the care you deserve. Your care is what is most important here. The rest is a much lower priority.

You can report your first doctor to your state's medical licensing board. But don't expect anything to be done about him or be told if he is sanctioned in any way. Yeah, he has a lousy attitude, but until he kills someone in his care, he'll get to continue to practice.

Your first psychiatrist can also be reported to your state's medical licensing body. As with the doctor, don't expect to be told what actions are taken against him, if any.

The therapist didn't do anything other than not make connection with you. There's nothing you can really say about that situation other than it was unfortunate.

As for the dentist, yes, you can also report them to their license governing board. The same caveats I've given before apply here too.

Your reports have to be detailed. Dates, conversations, and witnesses, if any. You have to give an accurate and compelling account of these peoples' actions, how they affected you negatively, and why you think they failed their professional duties. Do you really have the time and energy to devote to this?

Frankly, you've got medical professionals working with you who are as concerned for your health care as you are. Move forward with them.

[emeraldize]

You are the only person who knows how each of these scenarios went down.  It is okay to trust your assessments. It is okay to leave a provider and find the one who fits you. You may have had an uncanny run of crappy luck. You may have some issues with people but who lives an issue-free life anymore?  And navigating life with HIV can surely make you more sensitive to treatment by anyone, medical or not.

There are great providers out there and horses asses too. Find your matches. Unless something is illegal or off the charts don't waste your precious energy or time reporting them.

Now...temper ALL of this with your self-confessed minimal experience with medical providers. Ask questions. Be an interviewer to learn how a particular provider or practice rolls. Read stuff. Become a savvy consumer.

Pre-HIV I leapt off an exam table when I knew that no eye contact, creepy bedside manner and no time for questions was sufficient proof of a bad match. Non-verbal clues are as important as verbal. 

Trust your gut. We are not beside you.