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Military Families
Klikina
member
Need to vent RE: military healthcare
Klikina
member
When I was pregnant with DS, we were stationed in our college town for DH's ROTC assignment, so we used civilian healthcare. It was AWESOME. I literally wanted to clone my OB and take her with us for the rest of our future childrens' births.
So now, we are at Ft. Hood. And I'm really.hating.Darnell.
First, I haven't even had my first regular appointment yet. It's next week, when I'll be 10 weeks. That seems really late to me. Is that normal?
Second. I have really bad all-day sickness so I went in a few weeks ago for an appt to get a prescription for Zofran. It was a 1:30 appt. I arrived about 1:20. They didn't even call me back to take my temp or bp until after 2, yet all these other mommas who had appts way after me got seen sooner! The best part: about 2:30 I finally got into the exam room. At 3:30 I peeked out into the hall to find out when the F someone was going to see me. Oh, they forgot about me! I kid you not. The only reason I didn't peek out earlier was because I kept hearing doctors go in and out of the other exam rooms surrounding mine, so I just figured they were running behind. Nope, just FORGOT about me!
So this past Friday I was about to run out of Zofran and called to get another prescription because the doctor who wrote it in the first place didn't put it in with any refills- just said "to call". Ok, so I did, and the nurse said she would talk to the doctor and they would put it in, and to wait a few hours before going to fill it. Well, DS doesn't wake up from his nap until 4, so we went in after that (which at that point the OB clinic is closed.) Come to find out...they didn't put it in. And since they were closed, I've been sick all weekend because I couldn't call to find out why they didn't put it in.
Grrrr. I know I'm having a bad day and some of this is petty. But it's really making me mad that this is the care I'm getting. I'm almost really hoping they'll screw something up again, and I can have a come-to-Jesus talk with DH about using our tax refund for birthing at the local birth center in town (unless Tricare Prime magically now covers birth centers, in which case, fill me in!!!)
Thank you for listening to the rantings of a pissed off preggo lady. 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Need to vent RE: military healthcare
I'm sorry you had to wait so long. There's no excuse for that, but I can assure you it happens in MD offices everywhere, mil and civ alike. I've waited 3 hours on two separate occasions at DS's civ pedi.
And Tricare Prime does cover birth centers just like they cover civ OBs and MWs if your base/post doesn't offer OB or is full.
I am sorry you had a bad experience. Make sure you fill out an ICE comment card or a similar feedback survey.
However, it's not all military healthcare. I have had many positive experiences with military providers, and dh has as well.
It's the norm to not be seen until 9-11 weeks, civi or military. You only go earlier if you have a medical issue.
I hope your m/s gets better soon.
DS born via unplanned C-section at 40w6d
Tricare Prime covered mine. All I had to do was ask for a referal because I wasn't comfortable with the OB at our clinic. I ended up at the civilian hosptial because of complications, but it was all 100% covered. When I went for my referal, the woman in the Tricare office said Tricare loves birth centers. The total cost of $5k charged to them for all OB care and the birth at a birth center costs far less than a birth at the military and civilian hospitals.
OP, 10 weeks is normal for military and civilian care. That wait time for a doc visit is pretty crappy, but that could happen any where.
Sorry you are hating Darnall. I had an excellent experience there, though with the occasional hiccups.
First, it's completely normal to not be seen until after 10 weeks.
On your second issue, you can either ask to speak to the clinic Head Nurse. She's not the most approachable lady, but she runs a tight ship and can help out. Some of the providers run on schedule, some do not. You have the option of booking with whoever you want- ask who runs closer to on time. I wanted a particular Midwife. She was notoriously late. I didn't care- I wanted her because she was fantastic. If that's not your priority, that's okay..just book with someone else.
To address your medication issue, when you call the clinic to leave a note for the doc, you are doing what is called a telephone consult. The provider has 72 business hours to resolve the issue. Don't wait until you are almost out of meds to call. Also, check with the pharmacy before you go up there to pick up the med. You can always request a call back from the nurse when the Rx was entered into the system. Military healthcare is fantastic but you have to be proactive about it.
Thanks for the info.
With DS, I think I had my first appt at about 6-7 weeks, so 10 weeks just seemed late. Good to know that's normal!
I know wait times can be long. My issue was that I was waiting because I actually got forgotten about. They basically said that I got put into a room that rarely gets used, so they forgot someone was in there. It just seemed so unprofessional, and left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm hoping my appt next week goes well and that was just a random blip. I do plan on filling out a comment card about it.
As far as the meds, I wasn't sure when I needed to call about a refill. The nurse gave me every indication that it would be ready that day. I tried calling this morning and the nurse's phone number isn't even working - which has been the case half the time anyway. This is the first time I've ever been to military doctors, and I just don't feel like I'm having a good experience so far. I know there's good and bad in both military and civ healthcare. I guess it's just Murphy's Law that my military experience hasn't been great.
Again, thanks for letting me rant.
It is a weird system. In many ways, it's pretty crazy. The trick with military healthcare is knowing where good resources are for information, so that you can always cover yourself. Having been a patient at Darnall's OB clinic, I also know that place is a baby zoo. It's huge, there are a ton of patients and providers, and it also recently expanded so I'm sure that is contributing to the chaos.
When you walk into Darnall- into the main hospital doors- to the left is the info desk. To the right is the patient advocacy office. They are pretty great in there. If you ever have questions or concerns about the care you are being given, go ask.
Good luck, and H&H 9 months!
Some civilian doctors don't want to see you until 8 weeks but I had and OB GYN in CT that saw you at 4. It's not always the NORM, as some say, it depends on where you are and the local doctor's policies.
Switch to Tri Care Standard. It will just save you a long list of headaches when you're used to civilian care and are moving around tons in the future.
I am prior Nat Guard too and had standard care because it was the same place every time (Nat Guard doesn't usually move around like AD) and a small facility.
So far I've had pretty good experiences with the OB here. I've seen two doctors, and Iiked both of them. Me and my husband are trying to get moved into a one-story house because I have bad knee and back problems. I needed a doctor's note for it. I told my doc about it, and he had the note for me in about 5 minutes. He also put in a consult for physical therapy right away, and I always have all the meds I need from him.
On the other hand, when it comes to flight sergeons, I wanted to strangle mine. I stepped in a hole during my PRT and hyperextended my knee, then ran another 1/4 mile on it. After I got my score my chief took me to the hospital. I was put on crutches and given a wrap and pain meds. I saw my flight sergeon the following week, and he told me there was nothing wrong with my knee. (It was swollen to twice it's usual size) He kept giving me limited duty chits and sending me home. This went on for about two months, with no improvement. I finally got referred to see another flight sergeon, and he put in a referral to have me get an MRI. The MRI showed that my PCL (Posterier Cruciate Ligament) was torn almost in half.
I guess it all depends on the area, and the departments in that area.
Not quite accurate, they don't have to cover every penny of the maternity/prenatal care. If you are hospitalized you have to pay a per diem fee at the hospital (military or non). If you have certain procedures run you can be liable for a cost if it isn't considered "necessary," etc. Yes, most fees are covered and it's better than a lot of civilian insurance, but it's not 100%, especially if complications arise.
Forgot to mention that, the per diem, from what I was told, was $15 a day which really isn't anything and if you go to a military hospital or ER it is free if it is pregnancy related (this is what I was told, the PP might have had a different experience so don't take my word for it). Whether a procedure is covered because it is necessary or unnecessary is pretty standard in all insurances. My OB wanted to do an ultrasound not too long ago just to see if we can have an early look at what the gender was and I was concerned about being charged and he said that most Tricare providers will try everything possible to keep from charging the patient out of pocket including wording forms accordingly so that it sounds medically necessary. Other than that though, everything should be covered because of Global Maternity. Good luck!