Topic: cancer

A day in the life of a primary care physician: prior authorizations, denials, & delays in treatment

June 28, 2009 |

The national debate on health reform has uncovered innumerable “health care horror stories” in which cancer patients worry more about their bills than their malignancy or where pregnant women are laid off and dropped from their insurance soon before their due date.  These stories are tragic, and unconscionable for the richest country in the world, however, as a physician, this is not my typical experience.  Instead, what I see every day is patients with private health insurance who cannot afford the copays for their medications, delays in treatment as I grovel for prior authorization with a non-physician utilization reviewer, and patients stuck with huge bills for routine services that they thought they were covered for.

In my practice, patients have a mix of private and public coverage.  While I work with some extremely impoverished patients who qualify for public insurance through Medicaid, it is the people with employee sponsored private insurance who are most at risk for roadblocks to care.  As a primary care physician, it is hard enough to fit all of the recommended screening, health education, and chronic disease management that complex patients need into a fifteen minute visit.  When the burden of battling with insurance companies is added to the equation, there is no way that I can succeed.  My patients, especially the ones with private insurance, are forced to deal with the high copays, denials of claims, and delays in care. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Commentary | 2 Comments

CAMTAN: Serving the HIV/AIDS community

By Turner McCullough Jr. | December 27, 2008 |

In the current economy, many charities are facing bleak prospects for the coming year. End-of-year donations serve a dual function: boosting the bottom lines of non-profits dedicated to assisting people or meeting specific community needs, and giving donors the opportunity to make tax-deductible contributions that can be applied to their 2008 taxes. Over the next week, we will profile a number of community agencies and organizations who can benefit from your generosity.

CAMTAN is the local organization assisting individuals affected by the HIV pandemic within our own demographic. an IRS certified local 501 (C) 3 non-profit in need of community support.

As 2008 comes to a close, consider making a tax-deductible donation to this Clarksville-based non-profit. Started by a small collective of local ministerial leaders and lay people, the Clarksville Area Ministers Technical Assistance Network (CAMTAN) seeks to provide assistance, support and education to persons affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the greater community. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, Education, News, Opinion | 1 Comment »

© 2009 Clarksville, TN Online is owned and operated by residents of Clarksville Tennessee.
» We are Hosted by Compu-Net Enterprises; In Partnership with Discover Clarksville and Discover Paris