Florida Dialysis

This will be a relatively quick posted. I decided to stay home on a Friday night instead of meet up with my friends for dancing for a few reasons.

Firstly, I have a test in my Training and Development class on Tuesday and I definitely want to study a bit. Also…salsa dancing with achy joints?? Mmm…maybe not.

The dialysis unit in Florida faxed my home hemo unit the other day. It was a contract for me to sign and send back to them, agreeing to make payment for the amount listed on the contract. My father obtained the fax for me and nearly fell out of his police boots when he read it. It had stated that the cost per dialysis would be $650 per session. GEEZ! I promptly spoke to the unit that I planned to visit to discuss our previous discussion about cost. She told me that since I was a repeat visitor, I could pay the same price that I paid the first time, which was exactly $200usd per session. I mean…that’s still a lot of money! But at least it isn’t three and a half TIMES the amount! It strikes me as off that the price went up so dramatically. It was only what, December 2007 when my father and I went to Florida? How did the price go up so dramatically in such a short amount of time?

The unit confirmed that yes, all I had to pay was $200 per session. Another contract would be faxed to me, since the actual dialysis unit that I’ll be attending and the place that I’ll be dialyzing are two different places.

The contract also stated that doctor’s fees are billed separately. The last time, I found myself paying approximately $185usd to have a doctor poke my ankles, take my blood pressure, and ask me silly questions for a total (and I kid you not) of 6 minutes. I waited and waited, wasting precious time during my 7 day vacation, to see a doctor for 6 minutes and pay almost $200. Their rule is if you plan to dialyze more than once in their clinic, the doctor’s visit is mandatory. I am putting my foot down this time. The first time, I was not a home dialyzor. I was not independant and in control of my dialysis. This time, I am. I don’t need a doctor to check my blood pressure. I don’t need a doctor to ask me silly questions. To be honest, I didn’t need it THEN either, considering the fact that they make my own doctor fill out a document the width of a phonebook before they allowed me to dialyze there. If they were going to disregard all that my very knowledgable doctor had to say and were going to have their own doctor check me out anyways…why waste my own doctor’s time?

This time, I’m absolutely refusing. Flat out.

I can’t wait to hear the arguements and disagreements that ensue because of my absolute refusal to give in to paying silly amounts of money for an unneeded doctor’s consult.