Mixed feelings on this one

[trystinn]

All non-critical appointments (including my Diabetic one) have been canceled because they have sent 20% of the Navy Hospital's medical staff to Haiti.

*sigh*

Comments

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Sounds like one of those, "it really sucks, but you can't really bitch about it without feeling like a total jerk" situations. :(

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Yep, it is exactly that. Problem is, we were already grossly understaffed because so much of the medical personnel had been sent to Iraq & Afghanistan. I spoke to one gal who seems to think we're running at nearly 50% staff from pre-war levels.

There's not a single contingency to handle folks like myself who have very serious health concerns and who now cannot see our doctors.

[brock-tn.livejournal.com]

Under Tricare, if you cannot be treated in the MTF, they are supposed to send you out to a civilian care provider. I would speak with the patient advocate at the MTF about this, and see what can be done to get you referred to the TRICARE health-care finders to locate a civilian specialist.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I've put in a request to be treated "out in town" (as the vernacular goes) and am waiting on approval. Tricare typically takes about 3 working days to approve this sort of thing. The nearest endocrinologist, of course, is on the mainland. Grr.

I'll give it another shot tomorrow, thanks for the reminder.

[preachan-sidhe.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how it works with the Navy hospital but I'm on Tricare Prime and do not deal with any military doctors. I signed a form at Madigan stating that I felt I would receive better care in a civilian sector and they transferred me to a civilian PCP.

At the very least they should be temporarily sending you to civilian care. Though with health issues that have been ongoing, that would have to be difficult to transfer to new doctors who aren't familiar with you. Ugh. It's a bad situation. I hope you can get it worked out.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I'm considering it, believe you me!

Finding doctors on the island who will accept Tricare can be a bit difficult.

[preachan-sidhe.livejournal.com]

I had that problem in Salem when I lived there while Miah was in Afghanistan. There was literally one PCP I could find for myself and she wasn't that great of a doctor, so I can relate to that frustration.