get the documents signed

[kaysixteen]

So now many of you have seen over the years that I have a primary care doc who is, ahem, well... what he is.   It indeed, for various reasons, may well be that I will move at roughly the end of the summer, to get a new one, but right now I am stuck with him, largely because I have some presented health issues which have required me to 1) seek various new specialists and assorted stuff, that require PCP authorization, and most recently, to 2) take a medical leave from my job.  Now the conditions, and I do mean conditions, multiple, are not life-threatening, but they are more than annoying and could have become debilitating if left untreated, and when I had to go  on leave, six weeks ago, I really could not work at that time.   I am improving, and hope to be able to return to work in about ten days (tentative return-to-work date, with my employer, is indeed Weds. 26 June).   Problem is, well, the PCP has to sign off on this, meaning he has to sign my employer's med leave processing vendor's doctor's return to work authorization form, or job will not let me return.  The date on this can be extended, indeed, has already been extended once, but, while the return-to-work date is  totally up to the doc  and can be extended indefinitely, the paperwork cannot be extended indefinitely and this is up to the vendor.   As of now, it is due tomorrow, which is when I am returning to the doc in any case.   I saw him two weeks back and had the paperwork for him to sign, but he would not do it then, esp because a new complication in my health required a two-week min extension in my return to work date.   He also had me call his office last monday to tell him something about my health he wanted me to check, and I reminded the staffer that he had this paperwork and I would need to be taking it back tomorrow.  But for various and sundry reasons, I am concerned it may still be a problem, and that I cannot have.  Thus, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to what to do if it is not done (BTW, in addition to the docs for work, there are the forms for the state, which when completed by him will allow me to get some short-term disability leave payments -- I have had no income since going on leave-- and similar state forms which will allow me to get a handicapped license plate, which doc tells me he approves of and should get)?

[Hegemony]

I'm sorry you've run up against this. I don't fully understand why he would be preventing authorizing your return to work — what is he afraid will happen?

[kaysixteen]

Last fall, when I had to take another three week leave due to the same condition that prompted this one, he signed the papers then the same day I saw him, no problem, but this time, well either he was lazy, diffident, whatever.   But even if he extends the treatment cycle for the complication he diagnosed two weeks ago, which will further extend my leave, I must leave his office tomorrow with this paperwork signed.  I will have duplicate copies in case he lost the ones I left him.   I hope all this is enough.

[apl68]

The documents might have gotten mislaid around the office--though that's an explanation, not an excuse.

[kaysixteen]

Worrying about the possibility that he might do exactly that, lose the docs, was why, when I called up last Monday, at his direction, to relay my weight info, that I reminded the nurse/secretary/his wife, that I had given her these docs (which he had agreed to sign), what they were, and that I needed to leave his office today with them.  Ah well.   He lost the documents.   I had duplicate copies, which they were grateful for, and I gave them to her.  He did not sign them today, even though, well, I reminded them that they were necessary.   She told me that he should be able to get to them by Fri, and she will call me when they are ready for me to come collect (this is a 45 min ride).  I told her this was ok--really, what else could I say?  It is true that a call later this afternoon to my employer's leave processing vendor got the date extended on that document, and I will be able to do the same with the state short-term disability benefits docs tomorrow as well (I cannot finish the appl for said aid till these docs are completed by doctor, and of course I did remind them that since I have been out of work for six weeks now, without pay, I sortta kindda could use those bennies.  Ah well, again.

It is true, that, on a very positive note, that the doc was very pleased with how much weight I had weed off on the weewee pills, that I do not need hospitalization, etc.  It is true that I will need to remain on a somewhat reduced dose of said weewee maker for another month, and he will reevaluate my daily and ultimate body weight then.  I am going to try to go back to work in two weeks-- we will see how that works, never having tried to work this job on even a normal weewee pill dosage.  Ah well for the third time-- this is a blessing nonetheless.

[apl68]

Glad to hear that you've got good news, even with the paperwork snafus!  Prayers for you for continued improvement, and as you get back to work soon.

[kaysixteen]

This is underwhelming to me.  When I left doc office Monday, nurse/wife told me doc would not be able to get to documents Tues or Weds, but should probably be able to get to them after that, and she would try to call me when they were ready, and if I had not heard, to call today.   I had not heard, so call today I did.  Five times over the course of an hour between 2p and 3p.  Not only was there no answer, but I also got no voice mail or answering service, just about a dozen rings and then disconnection.  I verified number.  So I decided to ride on up there, seeing as I could then hop over to my aunt and surprise her (8 miles).  It is of course 25 miles overland to doc.   I got there, and office closed.   I will have to try again to call Mon, and I will arrange to go up again later this week, when I am going to go back to aunt to do some things for her (cannot be done Mon).  This should be enough-- everyone I have talked with here agrees doc is wrong to have not done this yet, and everyone suggests I make certain that I remind nurse/wife that I must have both sets of documents signed in order to return to work and to be able to get that short-term disability payment from state.   We will see what happens.

[Ruralguy]

I rarely say this  about doc offices, but it sounds like they need more and better middle management.
Although docs still complain about lots of paperwork, I think in the big practices, a lot is handled
by nurses and other staff managers, and they weed out the laggards fast because they can cause a lot of problems,
as you have noticed!

[kaysixteen]

This practice is an old-style Marcus Welby-esque one, although the doc is several years older than Welby was at the start of the series (68/9 v. 61), the nurse/secretary is also the doc's wife, and the doc has never taken on a junior partner (apparently c. 15 years ago their daughter was in residency, and they planned fo her to join them, but then she and her husband moved to Israel, where she still lives).  The practice used to actually employ a secretary, but let her go during the Great Recession, and never hired anyone back.  IOW, there is no 'middle mgmt' here to do anything about these snafus and other assorted delays.  I did drive up there today, after having called Monday and told them I would do so unless I had heard from them earlier, and also reminding them just how much I need these docs signed.   I suppose, results-wise,  one might say that the glass is half-full, which is how I am going to view it.   They had all the paperwork and had me confirm that I had correctly filled out all the parts I had to do, and then, more or less made it clear that they would be able to get it done asap- I have to be back in their city Monday for another med appt, and she told me that the forms would be done by then (I did, on reviewing the forms, realize that the doc's part is perhaps more complex than I had recalled, but he did do his parts on the exact same two forms for my last leave last fall, in less than 10 mins whilst I waited, so he can do this in a month, which is what Monday will be (though of course he has only had this set of docs for two weeks, having lost the first set, although  on reflection it appears that the set I saw today was indeed the set he lost before).  I am counting on them to have these docs ready for me as they said they would, on Monday, and the five days' extra wait for being able to file for the state short-term disability benefits will be an annoyance, but tolerable.  More or less any delay beyond that, however, not so much.