I recently made a mistake that I’m sure everyone of us has done some time during our life. I had a doctor’s appointment for Feb. 16th, I made the mistake of switching the six and the nine, thinking my appointment was for the 19th. When I woke up on the 19th, I wanted to double check the appointment time and that is when I realized what I had done. I immediately called the doctors office to see if they could get me in. They could not as my doctor had gone out of town.
Well at one time in my life that would not have been no big deal, but I now suffer from a chronic pain condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) For this condition I take two kinds of opioid pain medications, these have to be written out each month with NO refills. So once a month my husband (John) drives me to my doctors appointments.
I know that missing a doctor’s appointment is very complicated for me. This was MY mistake and I accept that.
What I have a problem with is a local hospital here in my town. After four days of trying to deal with this by myself and my pour husband, along with the extreme pain, at 6:30 am am my husband was awaken because I was rolling on the floor crying and in a lot of pain. My husband drove me to the hospital, I was checked in right away!
The doctor came in, I explained the mistake that I had made. About my condition and what medications I’ve been taking for the last nine years, he said he was very sorry, but the hospital policy would not allow him to prescribe pain medications to me/chronic pain patients.
I know that this is because of the ones who take advantage of the system and doctor and hospital shop, and or buy them illegally. He went and called my doctors office, spoke with the nurse who confirmed that I was a patient there and that I had missed my appointment, and that the doctor was out of town. The doctor came back and told me he was going out on a limb, and he cold get into a lot of trouble, but he was prescribing me enough of the two medications I needed to get me by until March 1st, even though I told him I could not see my doctor until the 4th of March. He was very stern and said “I never want to see you here again in this situation.” If he would have looked at my records he would have seen the last time I had to go to the ER for out of control pain was over five years ago!
I do everything I possible can to avoid going to the hospital, or to a pharmacy because I hate being treated like I’m a criminal, a pill popper, a druggie.
I do everything I possible can to avoid going to the hospital, because I’m sick and tired of going there, or to a pharmacy and being treated like I’m a criminal, a pill popper, a druggie. Funny when a criminal is arrested for breaking the law he gets a court appointed attorney, and remains innocent until proven guilty. According to The Joint Commission, (JACHO) every patient has rights!
According to The Joint Commission, (Jacho) http://www.jointcommission.org/ every patient has rights!
· You have the right to be informed about the care you will receive.
You have the right to get information about your care in your language.
You have the right to make decisions about your care, including refusing care.
You have the right to know the names of the caregivers who treat you.
· You have the right to safe care.
· You have the right to have your pain treated.
· You have the right to know when something goes wrong with your care.
· You have the right to get an up-to-date list of all of your current medicines.
· You have the right to be listened to.
· You have the right to be treated with courtesy and respect.
What is your role in your health care?
· You should be active in your health care.
· You should ask questions.
· You should pay attention to the instructions given to you by your caregivers.
· Follow the instructions.
· You should share as much information as possible about your health with your caregivers.
· give them an up-to-date list of your medicines. And remind them about your allergies.
http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/Complaint/
Do you have a complaint about the quality of care at a Joint Commission-accredited health care organization? The Joint Commission wants to know about it. Submit your complaint online or send it to us by mail, fax, or e-mail. Summarize the issues in one to two pages and include the name, street address, city, and state of the health care organization.
The Joint Commission encourages anyone who has concerns or complaints about the safety and quality of care to bring those concerns or complaints first to the attention of the health care organization’s leaders, which will often lead to more immediate resolution of the matter. Matters concerning billing, insurance, payment disputes, individual personnel or labor relations issues are not within The Joint Commission’s scope. Also, The Joint Commission does not review complaints of any kind in unaccredited organizations.
When submitting a complaint to The Joint Commission about an accredited organization, you may either provide your name and contact information or submit your complaint anonymously. Providing your name and contact information enables The Joint Commission to inform you about the actions taken in response to your complaint, and also to contact you should additional information be needed.
It is our policy to treat your name as confidential information and not to disclose it to any other party. However, it may be necessary to share the complaint with the subject organization in the course of a complaint investigation.
The Joint Commission policy forbids accredited organizations from taking retaliatory actions against employees for having reported quality of care concerns to The Joint Commission.
E-Mail:
complaint@jointcommission.org
Fax:
Office of Quality Monitoring
(630) 792-5636
Mail:
Office of Quality Monitoring
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
If you have questions about how to file your complaint, you may contact the Joint Commission at this toll free U.S. telephone number, 8:30 to 5 p.m., Central Time, weekdays.
(800) 994-6610
I am truly grateful for this doctor this morning, and his willingness to treat me he did give me some medicine, I could have done with out the lecture but all in all I’m finally starting to feel better.
Carol Rains
The American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA)
There is Hope...for Chronic Pain
In the Face of Pain
Caring for Those with RSD/CRPS
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