March 9, 2016
Recently, I’ve encountered numerous billing issues with my son’s specialty pharmacy—a frustrating reality for many parents managing a child with a chronic condition. The cycle of pharmacy errors, insurance complications, endless phone calls, and repeated documentation can feel overwhelming. Some days, it genuinely seems like I spend the entire day on the phone or glued to my computer screen.
For those who may not understand this daily struggle, here’s a glimpse into my morning. This was my fourth call this month regarding the same issue.
I dialed in and navigated through several prompts to reach the billing department.
On hold for 8 minutes. Not too bad compared to my last call, which had a 20-minute wait.
Customer Service: This is Jamie from billing. How can I assist you?
After three hours of explaining the same issue this month, I decided to ask for a manager. I just want them to bill my insurance for a month’s worth of medication I received over three weeks ago.
Me: Can I please speak with a billing manager?
Customer Service: I’m in billing. I can help you just like a manager would.
Me: We’ve tried resolving this multiple times, with calls lasting over an hour. I need someone who can actually fix this without further transfers.
Customer Service: Okay, let me transfer you.
On hold for 2 minutes.
Automated Message: Thank you for calling. Are you a new patient, existing patient, or provider? Press 1 for new, 2 for existing, 3 for provider.
I press 2.
Automated Message: Please provide the phone number associated with this account.
I enter my number.
Automated Message: Please hold for the next available patient care advocate.
On hold for 5 minutes.
Customer Service: Thank you for calling. This is Alex in billing. How can I help you?
Me: Can I talk to a billing manager, please?
Customer Service: I’m in billing.
Me: I need a billing manager because we have repeated issues, and I don’t want to explain everything again.
Customer Service: Let me transfer you.
On hold for 2 minutes.
Automated Message: Thank you for calling. Are you a new patient, existing patient, or provider? Please press 1 for new, press 2 for existing, press 3 for provider.
I press 2 again.
Automated Message: What’s the phone number associated with this account?
I enter my number yet again.
Automated Message: We’re sorry, your order cannot be completed through our automatic refill service. Please hold for the next available patient care advocate.
On hold for 2 minutes.
Customer Service: Hi, this is Jordan in billing. How can I assist you?
Me: Can I please speak to a billing manager?
Customer Service: Okay, let me transfer you.
On hold for 15 minutes.
Customer Service: Hi, this is Taylor. I can help you. Can I get some information to send to the manager?
Me: Sure.
Customer Service: Do you have an account with us?
Me: Yes.
Customer Service: Is this for you or your husband?
Me: It’s for my son.
Customer Service: Can I have his last name, please?
Me: Smith.
Customer Service: His first name?
Me: James.
Customer Service: Can you give me his date of birth?
Me: Sure, it’s 01/01/2015.
Customer Service: Please verify your zip code.
Me: 12345.
Customer Service: Can you wait while I get the billing department on the line?
Me: I’ve already spoken to several people today in billing. I need a manager who can resolve this.
Customer Service: I have to get them on the line first. What’s your name?
Me: Melissa Taylor.
On hold for 5 minutes.
Customer Service: Ms. Taylor, I’m still waiting for a rep to pick up to get a manager for you.
Me: Thank you.
Customer Service: Do you still want to hold, or can I give you a number to call back?
Me: I’ve already spent 40 minutes on this call without a resolution. How can I solve this? Is there a direct number?
Customer Service: I only have the billing number.
Me: Is it 555-555-5555? Because I already have that.
Customer Service: Yes, that’s the same number.
Me: I spoke with someone named Lisa last week who was a resolution team lead. Can you connect me to her?
Customer Service: Let me check the phone list for her.
On hold for 1 minute.
Customer Service: Yes, she’s a manager. Let me try to connect you.
On hold for 1 minute.
Customer Service: Ms. Taylor, she isn’t answering, but let me try another supervisor. Can you hold?
At this point, I’m 42 minutes into this call.
On hold for 5 minutes.
Customer Service: Ms. Taylor, I apologize for the wait. Do you want to keep holding?
Me: I have no choice. This is always what happens when I call. I’m already 48 minutes in.
Customer Service: I’ll keep trying to reach Lisa as well.
On hold for 9 minutes.
Customer Service: Hello, how can I assist you?
The voice is so quiet, I can barely hear them.
Me: I can hardly hear you. Can you turn up the volume?
Customer Service: No, I can’t adjust the volume.
Me: Okay, I might need you to repeat things. Are you a billing manager?
Customer Service: No, I’m a member of management.
I explain the entire situation, trying to remain calm.
Customer Service: I see a request was submitted last week for billing. I can reach out to the representative who submitted that request for an update.
Me: Don’t you want to collect the $35,000 for the medication sitting in my fridge? You can just “reach out” to someone? When will this be billed?
Customer Service: I don’t know what happened before last week, but I can check on the status of the request.
Me: How will I know when this has been billed? My son’s medication costs almost $400,000 per year, and I won’t be ordering any more until this is resolved.
Customer Service: I will look into it. Is your insurance XYZ?
Me: Yes.
Customer Service: I have your phone number as 555-555-5555. Is that correct?
Me: Yes.
Customer Service: I’ll investigate this. Is there anything else I can help you with?
No, absolutely not.
Customer Service: Thank you for calling.
Me: You’re welcome.
Minute 58:59. Phew, I escaped before hitting an hour! But based on past experiences, this won’t be my last call.
If you’ve ever wondered what parents of children with chronic illnesses do all day, or why they often skip coffee breaks or can’t enroll their kids in time-consuming sports, remember this story. We spend countless hours managing our child’s health care, which can be both exhausting and time-consuming. And then we blog about it. If you’re interested in more information, check out this post on intracervicalinsemination.com or visit Make A Mom for expert advice on home insemination. For a comprehensive overview of artificial insemination, you can also read through this Wikipedia article.
In summary, managing health care for a child with a chronic disease can lead to endless hours on the phone, navigating through a maze of customer service hurdles. Parents often find themselves dealing with repeated issues, and the stress can be overwhelming. However, sharing these experiences can help others understand the challenges we face.