wheels spinning

I am trying to remind myself of things to be thankful for……Recently, I have been stunned by wheels spinning- moving, moving and going nowhere. There are “wheels spinning” and time wasting and nothing is happening. May I share my frustration? It may help me find the solution that so far has eluded me!!!

Scenario #1. I have a scholarship. It is for full tuition. I took 12 sh. For some reason, that fact cannot be clearly communicated between the Business Office of one institution to the Business Office of the other. We have here a Mexican Standoff of two grown adults, each pointing the finger at the other. They have “fixed” it, so they thought, but all that happened was a correction of a minor balance- less than 3 % of the real remainder. When I point out the obvious- I took 12 credits, full tuition is covered- each says, “we did what they told us to”. Really? What happened to the rules, the guidelines, the human decency factor, the collaboration to find a solution, the sensible approach-“How can we fix this?” We both know its wrong. So, I am wondering if we have differing levels of missing links and what level will it take to correct it. Where can I connect the dots for everyone involved so I get what I was promised?

Scenario #2. I had surgery at a premier hospital system. They have a medical records release policy. I followed it. The first document I received in the mail after I requested my surgery records ( and yes, I am the only one with my name and yes, I have only been there once and yes, they have my PHI- Birthdate, SS# and blood type on file) was the signed consent form 🙂 They needed me to tell them the date of service. I have been there once.  So, the second set of documents I received are 10 pages of pre-ops from their EHR and one lab report of a sample taken during the procedure. As my friend says, “A blind hog could root up that acorn”. Does anyone actually look at what they are doing or are we mindlessly following an electronic system that does not have a brain or a heart or “the nerve” to do the right things?  How can a person send lab reports and forget what they were attached to?

So, now I am frustrated, disappointed and totally lost on what to do next or who to complain to next. Do I keep trying to get through to the people who have made the same mistakes twice or do I go straight to the president of hospitals, educational institutions and state agencies? Do I stop somewhere in the middle? Do I write a scathing commentary or try to be nice as long as there is breath in my body?

Am I the same way? What kinds of things do I miss the mark on? Do people have to tell me twice? Do I have dissatisfied customers? I care, if I do. Do my counterparts care at these three locations? Do the people who take names and raise cain get more reaction or speedier resolution? How long do we let situations “work themselves out”? How long should we wait for people to correct their mistakes?

I will sleep on it and pray for divine intervention. That is more likely to happen than any other scenario I have experienced thus far. I can’t let it go on more than another week. There are “next” steps that cannot be taken until these steps are corrected.