Compassionate Scheduling

[Colleens_Husband]

During a recent self-examination, Colleen found a new lump in her breast near the area of the initial surgery. I think it could be nothing more than scar tissue, and therefore nothing to make a big fuss about. (Plus, being the caregiver, it is my job to be reassuring and not inflame a pretty scary situation.) Colleen disagrees with me and thinks it could be a return of the cancer and is worrying a whole lot (I don't blame her) and she thinks I am not taking this seriously enough. I do take it seriously. It has me scared but inflaming her fear is not going to make things easier for her.

She went to her primary care physician, and he scheduled the high resolution mammogram and he told her he thinks it is just scar tissue. Colleen ordered the mammogram and was initially scheduled to have it taken on March 23rd. After worrying for several days, she called back and asked if she could get an earlier appointment. The radiologist said that he is allowed an exemption to a training seminar that he didn't want to go to anyway for compassionate care, so he moved the appointment up to March 18th, which is still ten days away.

Because of this, I thought about a way in which the HMO can change their scheduling policy so that people don't have to wait several weeks worth of emotional anguish to find out if they have a return of cancer or not. Today I am going to the customer service representative at the HMO to present to them what I call compassionate scheduling.

First off, it is important to realize that all mammograms are not equal. Someone waiting to find out if they have cancer should be able to have some priority in scheduling in order to relieve mental anguish. A routine mammogram for screening purposes isn't going to have the same importance or the same emotional value.

So I suggest that when people schedule a routine screening mammogram, they have the option of signing up for compassionate scheduling. If someone with the fear of cancer hanging over their heads needs a mammogram, the person who comes in for a routine screening mammogram has the option of trading their scheduled time with someone with a greater emotional need who was scheduled for a later date.

The routine screening patient would only be asked to trade once and only once and they would have the satisfaction of knowing that they are doing a tremendous thing for someone who is emotionally stressed.

To me, it seems like a win-win situation. The only down-side I see is a little bit of added paperwork for the HMO and it may add to non-compliance of women who are reluctant to get a mammograms in the first place.

My question to you, is this a policy that is worth pursuing? Is there some down-side that I do not see? What would be some stumbling blocks to implementing the plan so that I may have some answers to resistance I may encounter?

Your feedback is going to be very helpful to me. Thanks!

Lee