Did you ever get the feeling that you’re drowning in medical drama? I had one of those mornings. We stopped Alysa’s feeding therapy temporarily because she was getting very resistant to it and was no longer cooperative. Her weaning off Prevacid is going much slower than we hoped and I was introduced to OMT – Osteopathic Manipulation Therapy. The closest thing to it is chiropractic, but there are some big differences. OMT is performed by MD’s who are also DO’s. It goes beyond the spine and focuses on physical manipulation of the body to aid the body in healing itself. I was told about this by a Mom at Alysa’s gymnastics class. She does OMT but unfortunately does not take my insurance. Over a month ago, per the recommendation of our Pediatrician, I was able to get an appointment with the head of the School of Osteopathy at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Not only does my insurance cover OMT, but he takes my insurance. Initially I could not get an appointment until August. But I was pleasantly surprised when I was called and told he is opening up some Tuesday afternoon appointments and wanted Alysa moved. Our appointment is tomorrow. Of course, it’s bad timing since I work on Tuesdays, but J will be taking her and we are all going tomorrow.

Fast forward to this morning and I get a call from the office that his OMT office (he also has a family practice office in a different town) does NOT take my insurance, just his family practice office. So I’m no stranger to insurance frustrations, but this is ridiculous. I was then told she could be seen at his other office. I called there and he is not taking new patients there, so I have to see another doctor. She does OMT, but I was told she is not as extensively trained as he is. SO not what I want. But I scheduled it and was told to call my insurance because there could be some confusion since it is a family practice office and Alysa has a Pediatrician that we are keeping. I called and was told the other doctor takes my insurance company, but not our specific plan. But…she told me that I can see the other doctor at ANY office as long as they use his personal provider number and not the one for the practice. Thankfully, the office manager at the OMT office is willing to do it this way and accommodate me AND I still got my tomorrow afternoon time.

It was such a frustrating morning of phone calls and anxiety as I was so scared we would have to either forgo this new therapy OR pay out of pocket. All the while, I had to work while on the phone – always a bonus. :) Nothing like an insurance nightmare to make your morning fly by.

All I could think about this morning is this is what happens when we are stripped of all control over our medical care. It is so frustrating to pay all we do for our medical insurance premiums only having to end up paying out of pocket for care anyway (which we did with feeding therapy) OR to not be able to get the care we need or even want. I can only hope for a true free market health care system in the future which will end this craziness.

Please cross your fingers for a successful doctor’s visit tomorrow and that this will help her overcome her reflux and feeding issues. If it works for her, Kayla is next. Her GI doctor is having us wean her off her Prevacid right now, but I don’t have high hopes. I’m going slower than she told me to, so I’m hoping for more success than we had last year at this time. *sigh*