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Lessons from a Dentist Visit
Aug. 9th, 2005 10:25 pmWarning: This entry due to blog buddy.
I finally made a long-overdue dental appointment. That's good.
Then a large meeting was scheduled for the same time at work. Although I had a conflict, I was the only one, and it would be over a month before everyone could meet. That's bad.
It's okay to come into the meeting late. That's good.
The day before the appointment, I came home from work to a message from the dentist: "There's a problem with your insurance. Please call." Well, I had probably declared my primary provider too late to make the deadline, so I probably needed to make an appointment for the following month instead. I called. Of course they were closed. And the recording said to call back during regular business hours but neglected to mention what those hours were. My appointment was for 8:00 a.m. I called the next morning at 7:10, still no answer. That's all bad.
I decided to go to the dentist in person, just in case, rather than call from work. I arrived at 7:40, because I had been told to arrive 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork. The hours posted on the door showed that the office opens at 8:00. Bad.
I was let in at 7:45 by someone who took care of me right away, before even putting her purse away. She called the insurance company, which insisted on confirming my provider choice with me personally, and then approved it. That's good.
I needed fillings and deep cleanings. Bad.
I could get the fillings that day. Good.
But then I would miss the whole meeting. Bad.
So I went to work and got to the meeting half-way through the scheduled time. Not bad.
No one was there. Bad.
I went to my boss, who was also invited, and asked if the meeting was over already. No. It was cancelled that morning.
Lessons: Your provider may be able to help you get around rules with your insurer. Twenty-four-hour notice is much, much more helpful than fourteen-hour notice or negative-one-hour notice. Dentists are more important than meetings. Good brushing and flossing with no dental visits may keep your teeth healthy but maybe not your gums. It hurts no less being stabbed--ahem, prodded--in #2 gums than in #5 gums.
I finally made a long-overdue dental appointment. That's good.
Then a large meeting was scheduled for the same time at work. Although I had a conflict, I was the only one, and it would be over a month before everyone could meet. That's bad.
It's okay to come into the meeting late. That's good.
The day before the appointment, I came home from work to a message from the dentist: "There's a problem with your insurance. Please call." Well, I had probably declared my primary provider too late to make the deadline, so I probably needed to make an appointment for the following month instead. I called. Of course they were closed. And the recording said to call back during regular business hours but neglected to mention what those hours were. My appointment was for 8:00 a.m. I called the next morning at 7:10, still no answer. That's all bad.
I decided to go to the dentist in person, just in case, rather than call from work. I arrived at 7:40, because I had been told to arrive 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork. The hours posted on the door showed that the office opens at 8:00. Bad.
I was let in at 7:45 by someone who took care of me right away, before even putting her purse away. She called the insurance company, which insisted on confirming my provider choice with me personally, and then approved it. That's good.
I needed fillings and deep cleanings. Bad.
I could get the fillings that day. Good.
But then I would miss the whole meeting. Bad.
So I went to work and got to the meeting half-way through the scheduled time. Not bad.
No one was there. Bad.
I went to my boss, who was also invited, and asked if the meeting was over already. No. It was cancelled that morning.
Lessons: Your provider may be able to help you get around rules with your insurer. Twenty-four-hour notice is much, much more helpful than fourteen-hour notice or negative-one-hour notice. Dentists are more important than meetings. Good brushing and flossing with no dental visits may keep your teeth healthy but maybe not your gums. It hurts no less being stabbed--ahem, prodded--in #2 gums than in #5 gums.