Thank you Io and Cheryl,

Appreciate the quick responses. I will forward this information to my friend.
~ Kimberly

Thanks so much.

Thanks so very much

There are a number of organizations that provide financial assistance for various drugs. Some are allowed to provide assistance for Medicare beneficiaries and some are not.
The link below is from the International Myeloma Foundation provides many options to check out.
https://www.myeloma.org/online-resources/drug-reimbursement-information-assistance

Hello Robin,

There are many avenues to seek assistance. My client was on this drug last year and the CVS Specialty pharmacy applied on his behalf to numerous co-pay assistance programs. He was approved by the Patient Advocate Foundation. He is now on Pomalyst which his Dr. got Bristol Meyer RX Crossroads to supply to him direct, no cost. I…[Read more]

When you say the client has comple Neurological issues, what are you referring to? I too don’t think she should be admitted to a hospital. Given the hospital has circulating doctors on the payroll, she will not get the attention she desires. What do her concierge doctors think?

Hello Schandelle,

Although this is not what most people may do, but I have a “specialty invite” link in my Calendly setup that includes a couple of later evening and weekend hours. I only share this link with people such as your client, who work long hours and can’t pull away during the day to talk or respond to personal emails. I do this because…[Read more]

Hi Schandelle,

Would their concierge doctors request a consultation with or give your client a referral to a neurologist affiliated with the Stanford program? I have no idea if starting treatment would require a hospital stay, or allow for a hospital stay to be covered, except under some kind of extreme circumstance. The hospital-affiliated…[Read more]

I use only one contract whether it is the client paying or someone else. In my practice, this is a very common paradigm particularly among my corporate clients.

I make certain that everyone involved is on board with this. The client knows that the someone else is paying and the person who is the guarantor and signed the contract knows that unless…[Read more]

If the results prove to be abnormal and the doctor waited a month to reveal that, I would recommend a different cardiologist.

Does this doctor have a patient portal? Can the results be seen there?

The patient could make a formal request for her medical file and the results of the echo would be included since they typically report out within a…[Read more]

I reached out to the Advocate and had a brief call with her VP of Finance. They settled on the case and were responsible for their attorney fees.

The hospital called into action a law that intimated that by keeping this patient in the hospital it was affecting the ability of other needy patients from being admitted. I will get more…[Read more]

Thank you Schandelle, for sharing the rest of this story,
I agree. I do not think they will win. -The laws and ethics among other things are on the advocate and patient’s side. The patient was lucky to have them work so diligently with only their best interest at heart. This would be a great opportunity for the major advocacy organizations to r…[Read more]

Thank you Trisha. I will reach out to the advocate and attorney and let you know. We need to stand firm that she did the right thing for the patient. That’s her job!

A different angle for thought:

It seems like the facility got caught with its pants down which is problematic for their reputation, their legal standing, AND most importantly to them – for their bottom line.

The best defense is a good offense. So – they employ lawyers who decided that they would blame someone else instead! Gawdferbid they…[Read more]

I do find it troubling, although I appreciate the pro-patient bias the article presented it with. I am comforted a bit from reading through their lawyers’ response: https://californiahealthline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/Answer-to-Muehlendorf-lawsuit.pdf#page=4

If all or even most of these allegations are true, it’s hard to imagine…[Read more]

Good question Kathy, I guess it wouldn’t so much be subcontracting as, she does her part and I take care of my part ie; advocating with the transition of care and whatever advocacy the client feels she needs after our consultation

Thanks, Schandelle, for this post.

I’ve never thought of doing monthly billing, so I learned something new. I typically operate on a retainer only basis and require it to be refilled when used up, prior to moving on.

Do I refund? My contract states it will not be refunded, but I have made exceptions. It hasn’t happened more than twice. Once, the…[Read more]

One more thing, have her look at the documentation she would have gotten from her employer with her grace period to decide to take the COBRA coverage. If this provider visit happened before that expiration date and she had made a payment initially, maybe it could be covered? They have quite a long time to decide to take coverage but then they…[Read more]