My sister-in-law called last night. Jessica had a friend in ob/gyn at Kaiser. Maybe this person could help. In 30 minutes I was on the procedure list for the next day in SF. I was reluctant to give up my appointment in Richmond because it had taken so much to secure it. Irrationally, I was scared that the SF appointment was not "real". After many confirming questions about the procedure, timing, etc., I took the SF appointment. I felt more comfortable in a familiar place.
This last turn of events makes me feel very lucky. In the end, I got the outcome I wanted. But, it took hours of trying and a personal connection to make it happen.
From a physical safety standpoint, I don't understand why my nurse practitioner or any of the other nurses I spoke to on the phone didn't make this option available to me. Space could be made if needed. I don't know if it comes down to systems issues, cost or desired spare utilization in case of emergencies. It really makes me question the HMO concept. Clearly quality of care needs to be balanced with cost/efficiency, but balanced not compromised. And, is this a design issue - where whoever designed this system has a different perspective on "balance" from me, or is it poor systems/IT/process design that is impacting their ability to deliver the quality of care expected. I don't know where to take this yet, but I have a friend who is a consultant at Kaiser, engaged in process re-engineering. Will start with scheduling dinner with him...
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