We've pretty much hit the jackpot when it comes to the people who make things like insurance and medical billing happen. Given the quantity of tests, treatments and traumas, insurance and billing have, overall, been smooth sailing.
It helps, though, to have encountered some Marlyns along the way.
Marlyn works for the large regional group system that includes much of Kevin's cancer care--chemotherapy, radiologists, nursing, lab, hospitalization. With the bulk of his medical care billed under their name, a typical monthly bill runs in the $30,000 range.
A couple of months ago my frustrations mounted against an immovable force of an anonymous woman who wouldn't/couldn't attempt to investigate a billing problem for me. Normally, I'm no pushover. That day, though, I was overwhelmed with the ongoing storm of Kevin's care and this little wave felt like a tsunami. I shoved the papers in a cubby hole on my desk and let them drift for the next six weeks.
Today I forced myself to make another attempt with the billing office. A woman identified herself as "Marlyn" as she answered my phone call. In minutes Marlyn had the information she needed from me and asked if she could call me back with an answer. In a short time Marlyn was on the phone, confirming she had located the error and corrected our account.
I now have Marlyn's direct office phone number in my files. I know that she is off on Wednesdays through this month and she knows Kevin's chemotherapy is drawing to an end and we are hoping to never have to light up her phone line again. Marlyn sounded genuinely pleased to hear Kevin is recovering.
Marlyn was so efficient and helpful that I wouldn't have minded if the error had been found on my side rather than the billing office. I would have felt good about understanding it and been happy to pay it feeling Kevin's case was getting attentive care from all angles.
The world would run better--and we would all feel better about it--with a few more Marlyns.
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