F***ing bureaucracies!

[SueC]

How is this for seeing your tax dollars hard at work? I have to check on 50+ Medicare claims (well actually more than 80 but I've already done about 30) for a little project I took on and since the automated system doesn't tell me the right info I have to speak to the customer service reps. They will only tell me 3 claims at a time, but only after we have a conversation about why I am not using the automated system, to which they argue with me about whether or not it is telling me the correct information. I have spoken with a supervisor twice to try to get permission for somebody to spend just 10 minutes and just tell me the status of the claims but they have too many calls coming in and she doesn't want to tie up the line! I told her I am tieing up the line becuase as soon as they tell me 3, I hang up and call right back and will do so until I have checked all of the claims. The reps are irritated at me, I am irritated at Medicare, and it is taking way to freakin' long to get this damn thing done! On the plus side, while I'm on hold, I am getting really close to solving my spider solitaire game! :c

Sue, I can't even imagine. I would need lots of deep cleansing breaths to keep from pounding the phone against the desk.

*fingers crossed* I think I am done calling M'care on behalf of my deceased FIL. OMG, they are such a pain in the butt. I can understand privacy protection....but give me a break. Thousands of dollars in claims in limbo because a dead man can't authorize us to talk to them and no letters yet issued from the courts. Crazy making. I've had to call a few times for my MIL but am supposedly an authorized representative for her now. I'm sure they'll mess that up in some delightful way.

I hope you are done soon, soon, soon! Maybe if you are lucky enough to get the same person a few times they will just give up arguing with you about it. haha

Ugh...what a nightmare!!! I feel for you.

[Meenah]

That just sucks, I'm sorry.
Luanne

I can't believe that is STILL going on. We talked about it last week and you've probably only knocked 10 or so off the list since then (9, actually, since it's multiples of 3).

[SueC]

Yeah, I finally got geared up to make the calls again and then their systems were down so I wasted a whole hour calling them every 5 minutes and they never got it going again before 4:30 (when they quit taking calls). After my conversation with the superviser today, I'm determined to be as big a nuisance as possible so you better bet they'll be hearing my voice on the phone every day! I might even start getting chatty with them just to cause them further irritation. Talk about being passive aggressive.

Yeah, I finally got geared up to make the calls again and then their systems were down so I wasted a whole hour calling them every 5 minutes and they never got it going again before 4:30 (when they quit taking calls).

:thud:

Yeah, don't you just love the hours available to actually talk to someone?

Throw a few time zones in there....and I need Annie's devil with flames.

Keep fighting the good fight, Sue! You'll have to let us know what you find out about their childhood pets, hobbies, favorite icecream flavor.... ...or rather, what you tell them about yours!

Some people are just idiots!

[SueC]

The calls are done!!! Dear, sweet, Jenn (j3qpatel) took pity on me and came over and helped me finish up. I can't tell you how good it feels to be done! Just as soon as we wrapped up, I got an email from somebody at the company I'm doing this for wanting to know what is going on, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

may I just say that I have NO IDEA how you managed to do this for all this time w/o banging your head against a wall?? Those people are nutty!

It was my pleasure to help - especially after all you've done for us!

[DCJenn]

Hey-

I think we should put you all on the moonlighters who aren't getting paid and then you can take on the Air Force for Matt and the Army for me.

I'll cough up a percentage of the money owed!!

Jenn

[SueC]

Hey, you might be on to something Jenn! That might be a profitable, though aggravating little business venture!

Re: F***ing bureaucracies!

How is this for seeing your tax dollars hard at work? I have to check on 50+ Medicare claims (well actually more than 80 but I've already done about 30) for a little project I took on and since the automated system doesn't tell me the right info I have to speak to the customer service reps. They will only tell me 3 claims at a time, but only after we have a conversation about why I am not using the automated system, to which they argue with me about whether or not it is telling me the correct information. I have spoken with a supervisor twice to try to get permission for somebody to spend just 10 minutes and just tell me the status of the claims but they have too many calls coming in and she doesn't want to tie up the line! I told her I am tieing up the line becuase as soon as they tell me 3, I hang up and call right back and will do so until I have checked all of the claims. The reps are irritated at me, I am irritated at Medicare, and it is taking way to freakin' long to get this damn thing done! On the plus side, while I'm on hold, I am getting really close to solving my spider solitaire game! :c

*feels for you*
I'm a Medicare billing follow-up specialist and HATE HATE HATE their new IVS. I actually have access to their online claim status stuff and surprisingly enough, it's FASTER than calling them.

Just keep breathing and refuse to take on MC projects from here on out! hehe

[SueC]

Ya' gotta love Medicare--thankfully I'm pretty much done with my business (though I have a few loose ends to tie up sitll). As of late I've had 2 major issues with Medicare claims that they are supposedly fixing.

Ya' gotta love Medicare

At least, I know, that with the amount of problems they have, I'll never be out of a job since I solve their problems!