Surgeons Office Insurance Coordinator

Ok, I need some advice. The insurance gal at my surgeons office has faxed my request for pre-authorization 3 times now and my insurance carrier is saying that they do not have it. So I had to make a phone call to Care Coordination Department to get a referral # for a medical procedure for my son and when I had the gal on the phone I asked her if I could discuss another issue with her relating to me and so I proceeded to tell her what has been going on and she asked me if it was for inpatient surgery I told yes and she said the reason that nothing is happening is because my surgeons office is doing it wrong, she said that the insurance gal at my surgeons office needs to call into the Care Coordination Department tell them that they have an inpatient surgery with no date scheduled yet Care Coordination would ask her some questions, but the information in the system and assign a CASE #, then it would be sent for review and if they required any additional information at this time someone would contact the surgeons office and tell them exactly what they needed, who to fax it to and what fax number and this process takes approx 15 days for approval. After finding out this information I sent an e-mail to the insurance gal at my surgeons office and told her what I had found out regarding the way my healthcare provider said that it worked and gave her the gals name that I spoke to the phone number for the Care Coordination Department and asked her if she would please try it this way. She sent me an e-mail back saying that she did not know why that lady told me that but that is not how it works and if it did then she would do that for all her patients. At this point I really sensed the frustration in her e-mail and sent her back an e-mail asking her if she would just try it since my healthcare provider did not make me get a referral from my PCP to go see a surgeon that it's possible that they work a little different than most of the companies she deals with and that I would GREATLY appreciate her taking that little extra time and she came back to me and said that she would call me in a week or so once she has had a chance to talk to United. I also went one step further with her and sent her a Thank You For All Your Efforts bouqet of flowers to try and smooth over her frustration because I think she thinks I am trying to tell her how to do her job and I am not. So I called Care Coordination yesterday 7/27/05 and today 7/28/05 to see if she has called in and opened up a case number and I have been told no. So today while I was on the phone with someone new other than the first girl I talked to at my healthcare provider I asked her the same questions and I got the same answer expect the girl today said that the way she is doing it the paperwork will never get received or processed. At this point I do not know what else to do because I DON'T want to step on anyones toes, but in the same token after next tuesday I can not go any further in my journey until my healthcare provider says that they have the information and are reviewing it. I have to go back to Greeley CO next Tuesday for my Sleep Study and while I am there I was thinking about stopping by my surgeons office to talk face to face with the insurance gal and see if I can get her to make that phone call and if she will not pick up her phone then I will call from my cell phone to see and see if I can get her on the phone with them that way. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED ADVICE.

I would try calling your insurance back and then call your Insurance lady to see if they can talk while you are on the line.... Also, are you involved with the ABQNBB support group, go to my profile page and there is a link to our local ABQ group...talk to you later. We may have someone in our group that has used this office or may of had a simular situation.