Her insurance repeatedly refused to pay for the procedure. Women of reproductive age are not advised to take the drug that the insurance company determined was a better option.
She was subsequently informed by the insurance company that she was no longer deemed to be of reproductive age.
They left her with medical costs totaling more than $60,000. The bottom line will always take precedence over patient care until insurance firms are private, non-profit businesses.
8. Regarding the patient’s breast cancer treatment, the resident battled with a medical insurance agent.
“There are a lot of stories, but this one happened during residency and made me realize what I was in for.” A patient had breast cancer confirmed by biopsy.
For a mastectomy and lymph node dissection, I needed pre-authorization. “I’ll approve the mastectomy but not the lymph node dissection since it’s just for staging and not a treatment.”
