They threw it away!!!

Okay, so last week I posted about how a lab had screwed up a blood draw and tested for the wrong thing, so I had to go back in and get more blood drawn. Fine.  I did it. While I was there, the lab person couldn't wrap her finger around that fact that I (or my insurance) wasn't going to pay for it, given that it was a lab screw-up.  Finally, after a 15 minute call to Lab Corp home office (or wherever), they gave her instructions to put "self-pay" on the computer and then when it printed off, she was to scratch that part out and manually write "no charge" or something like that. So, today I get a call from my doc's office.  The lab didn't understand the reason there was "no charge" and didn't feel it appropriate to run my test, as they weren't going to get paid for it so they threw my blood away. They didn't call me for clarification.  They didn't call my doctor for clarification.  They just threw it away. I was SOOOOOO mad that I cursed at the poor nurse who was relaying this information to me.  She kept saying "I know you don't want to have to get stuck again".  I said, "That's not the point...I need my *(&#$% medicine and my health is declining because of this negligence" So, I filed a complaint with my insurance company (as they're in contract with Lab Corp) and had them document my entire ordeal.  They okay'd me to go to another lab, so hopefully, I should have my meds by the end of the week. Fortunately, I had the day off to take care of this, as I had two other appts today (ob/gyn & mammogram).  Geez...with all the poking & prodding & squishing, I feel so violated! Cathy

heeeheee, poking, prodding, and squishing all in one afternoon - heck they should have at least PAID you for it. lol 

Ok, I am going to shut up about my poor arm that is still black and blue from 8 vials of blood last week-your story is a saga.........Someone should hand walk the next sample through the entire process-while you wait at a nearby spa being handfed grapes by George Clooney.

we should totally start a riot...

make that being fed frozen grapes and i am with ya...lol sorry you had to go through all that.

I'm going "back in time" and reading older posts that I didn't make time to read before... Cathy, I'm sorry they did this to you.  I would be very mad too.  Sounds like you did the right thing in having it documented though and hopefully this will never happen again to you or anyone else in the future... I know I've had my fair share of medical mistakes that really irked me. One was my baby being switched in the hospital.  In 1998 when I had Miranda they took her to the nursery while I took a shower and when I was ready to have her back they wheeled the baby in, said "he" was hungry and stood there while I tried to nurse.  I asked the nurse why "her" hair looked fluffier and she said that they gave "him" a bath...  OK...  I guess...  Then I mentioned the clothes SHE had on.  It was OSU onesie and OSU socks.  That's not what I had my little GIRL in...  She said when they bathed 'him" that those were the clothes they put on him and that I'll likely never see my onesie again. I continued trying to nurse the baby and the kid didn't want ANY part of it!!  I got frustrated and started to put the baby in the bassinet when I saw "IT'S A BOY!!  JONES" on the bassinet!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!  I'm NOT JONES and my baby is a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, I complained, called the parent of the other kid, wrote the corporate office a HUGE letter and the nurse was fired.  GOOD!  she was a b!*@# anyway! Another one was when that same daughter, Miranda, had to have a MRI brain scan at 10 months old.  I had to sleep deprive her so she would sleep well through the MRI, they had to sedate her, and then they screwed up the test!!!  They were supposed to do half of it without contrast dye and then give her dye and do it again!!! They called me the next day and said QUOTE "Mrs. Thornbrugh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but....."  My stomach dropped!!!  I had to sit down!!!  I thought my baby had a brain tumor or something!!!!!!!!!!  Then, she went on to say that they had to repeat the test because of THEIR error!!  I was still mad!!!  I had to sleep deprive her again (which was just as hard on me) and she had to be sedated again!   End note: she did NOT have a tumor and is perfectly fine, but with a slight neurological disorder that she can live with. So...  Just know you aren't alone! Hang in there!  Hope your labs come out well and you get the medication you need.