Blame the Arabs

Today we went to talk to anyone who could help us at MD Anderson. We started with the Social Work department. Total waste of time. "If she is a foreign patient, you need to speak with the International Center." We went to speak to her International Patient Coordinator, a really lovely woman named Elnar, and she told us we could speak with the patient advocate, which we already had on the list, so that was good. She said she would also speak to her own boss, since she carried more clout, and they would get back with us. We spoke with the patient advocate next, another reasonable woman, who told us that there was one thing, it is called a medical override. Apparently, the doctors in the hospital's Vice President's office can authorize this if they are so compelled to. It would mean a better payment plan.

Then Iva's doctor came to visit her, after the patient advocate had told him all of this. He asked again about her going back to Macedonia and having them administer the treatment with him coordinating her care. We tried our best to explain to him how completely unacceptable that is just because the medical community there is unprepared to deal with any complications she might have. Then he brought up Austria again, which is also not a viable solution, because of the time issue. It would take time to get visas again, if they even could, and they would have to find a place to live, and they would have to wait for the hospital to have "room" for her (a problem in the past, which caused several delays in her treatment), etc. etc. Also there is the cost factor there. It isn't that much less expensive than here. The number one problem with Vienna, though, is there constant lack of urgency in Iva's case. There was just too much inaction on their part to ever make us comfortable with entrusting her in their care again. No thanks.

So Dr. Ludwig had the idea that he could ask them to treat Iva for a fairer price, he said "as if they weren't trying to make $100,000 off of her case," or something like that. He wasn't too optimistic. Unfortunately. He told us all about MD Anderson being a state hospital, about them trying to stay afloat economically, about their priorities being with Americans, blah, blah, blah. And interestingly, he told us that the self-pay foreign patients are always handled this way because most of them come from the middle east and have the cash. Just like the price of gas, you can blame the cost of care at MD Anderson on the Arabs too. :)

Tomorrow we are suppose to hear what they decide. Another fret-filled day.