Random act of bitching
Finally a fucking update. And, yeah, i'm in a piss poor mood.
What I do for a living
Work: I am a provider relations representative for a nation-wide Preferred Provider Organization. My territory covers Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin. I process changes to location or billing information for any and all providers in that area that are contracted with my company. By "providers," I mean physicians and other medical professionals, IPAs, PHOs, hospitals, ancillary and other facilities, medical groups, systems, etc. I also (apparently) oversee whatever there is to be done to maintain our affiliate networks - which should be a no-brainer, but to be perfectly honest... they're fucked. Besides information management, I also field communications from all providers in this area, regardless of what they want and whether or not they are contracted with us. They contact my company, they get me. Period. Sometimes it is as simple as a request for a contract and application to join our organization. Other times, they are calling to bitch me out because a claim with our name on it did not process correctly. At that point it's my job to track down information on the member, the provider, the specific claim, what part of the chain broke down, fix the chain, fix the claim, report back to any and everyone (and their dog) what the problem was and how it's been fixed. That's if the claim issue is fairly straightforward... like, they are contracted for payment of a percent of billed charges, and instead were paid $2.00 by mistake.
I say all this just to illustrate that I do have a full time job, and it's one that I love. It's a good job. I'm glad to have it. Besides genuinely liking what I do, I like the people I work with. It's a good life.
What else I do for a living
HAVING SAID ALL THAT...
Back in December my boss said "wouldn't it be nice to have a database to track claims appeals issues?" Then my boss said "How well do you know Microsoft Access?" And like an absolute fool I said "well enough, I guess." So I threw together a very basic, simple, un-complicated database in which our claims appeals personnel can quickly and easily see what issues they have open rather than digging through two feet of paperwork stacked in, on, and around their desks. Voila!
THEN my boss said "that's great! can we have one for Provider Relations, too? It would make our month end reporting SO much easier!!!" And like an absolute fool i said, "Sure!" So I threw together a basic database in which our PR reps (myself included) could track the issues we're working. Instead of writing things down on scraps of paper, we type them in the notes. And the database does our counting for us, saving each of us one full day of labor at the end of each month. YAY.
THEN my boss said "terrific! now link them." *sigh* So I link them.
And I'll abbreviate the rest...
Now our two databases are one. They can be accessed ONLY by one of 14 PR reps, 3 Client Services Reps (yeah, I had to build in functions for them), 2 claims appeals reps, and two customer care reps (who enter in all the claims appeals that come through the customer service line), as well as my boss, the customer care boss, THEIR boss, and (read-only) by the entire contracting department. The database tracks our contacts by name, title, phone, fax, and email. It tallies how issues enter our department (phone, fax, email, and so on). It counts what kind of issues we're working (claims, updates, terminations, etc). It evaluates how many issues come in from each state, from each group/contract/agreement. How many each rep is working at any given time. For what reason our issues are pending, how long they've been pended, and to where. A button click sends a request to the file room to send us a copy of a contract. A click of another submits a claims appeal to those poor bastards who are now sorry they ever agreed to try this. Another click will set an appointment for you in Outlook (for conference calls, follow up, meetings, etc). The database slices, it dices, it even juliennes french fries.
And I am in hell.
The primary reason for my absence
Writing (and I use the term loosely. This IS Microsoft Access, after all) the database has become a full time job as my boss down loads example after example of Visual Basic code that he wants me to integrate into our database.
On top of the frustration of wrestling sometimes unreliable or poorly written (or just outdated) code into my program, I must make time to train all of the aforementioned users. And I must troubleshoot for all of them.
On top of THAT, the contracting department is so impressed they've pressed my boss into loaning me out to write a new database just for them! So this full time job has split into TWO full time jobs - writing, training, troubleshooting, maintaining for two end user applications in two different departments.
On top of THAT, they want both databases OUT of the live testing we're in, and fully operational by Feb 1st. Ha. Good luck while they are giving me 10 hours a day of changes/updates/tweaks to make... let alone making sure that what's already there is functioning well enough to go life Feb 1.
On top of THAT (do we see a trend here?) I still have five states to maintain. On that end of things, I get a two inch stack of mail and faxes to sort, process and take appropriate action each and every day, and an equivalent amount to that in each of voice-mail and e-mail.
short side note
If my boss asks me one more time how things are going, I'll go to jail for manslaughter. If I hear "so, is it (meaning the database entire) done?" when he last handed me changes not 15 minutes before... If I hear "you're STILL working on that code?" when he hasn't done piss-diddly but pile the shit on me... I'll kill him. I swear to all that is unholy. I like this boss, he's one of the best I've ever worked for. But so help me, I'll kill him.
In other news
Joined a gym, and have been reasonably faithful about using it, and about sticking to my nutrition plan. Fitness, here I come.
Cut my hair Sunday.
The All-Star season of Survivor starts this weekend (airs right after the Super Bowl) and I can't wait for a little reality tv escapism.
In the mean time... I don't want to kneel. And I want to be forced to kneel. But I'll despise being forced... and not in a good way.
Anyway, he wouldn't enjoy it - so what's the point?
Back to work now... Heigh ho, heigh ho...
What I do for a living
Work: I am a provider relations representative for a nation-wide Preferred Provider Organization. My territory covers Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin. I process changes to location or billing information for any and all providers in that area that are contracted with my company. By "providers," I mean physicians and other medical professionals, IPAs, PHOs, hospitals, ancillary and other facilities, medical groups, systems, etc. I also (apparently) oversee whatever there is to be done to maintain our affiliate networks - which should be a no-brainer, but to be perfectly honest... they're fucked. Besides information management, I also field communications from all providers in this area, regardless of what they want and whether or not they are contracted with us. They contact my company, they get me. Period. Sometimes it is as simple as a request for a contract and application to join our organization. Other times, they are calling to bitch me out because a claim with our name on it did not process correctly. At that point it's my job to track down information on the member, the provider, the specific claim, what part of the chain broke down, fix the chain, fix the claim, report back to any and everyone (and their dog) what the problem was and how it's been fixed. That's if the claim issue is fairly straightforward... like, they are contracted for payment of a percent of billed charges, and instead were paid $2.00 by mistake.
I say all this just to illustrate that I do have a full time job, and it's one that I love. It's a good job. I'm glad to have it. Besides genuinely liking what I do, I like the people I work with. It's a good life.
What else I do for a living
HAVING SAID ALL THAT...
Back in December my boss said "wouldn't it be nice to have a database to track claims appeals issues?" Then my boss said "How well do you know Microsoft Access?" And like an absolute fool I said "well enough, I guess." So I threw together a very basic, simple, un-complicated database in which our claims appeals personnel can quickly and easily see what issues they have open rather than digging through two feet of paperwork stacked in, on, and around their desks. Voila!
THEN my boss said "that's great! can we have one for Provider Relations, too? It would make our month end reporting SO much easier!!!" And like an absolute fool i said, "Sure!" So I threw together a basic database in which our PR reps (myself included) could track the issues we're working. Instead of writing things down on scraps of paper, we type them in the notes. And the database does our counting for us, saving each of us one full day of labor at the end of each month. YAY.
THEN my boss said "terrific! now link them." *sigh* So I link them.
And I'll abbreviate the rest...
Now our two databases are one. They can be accessed ONLY by one of 14 PR reps, 3 Client Services Reps (yeah, I had to build in functions for them), 2 claims appeals reps, and two customer care reps (who enter in all the claims appeals that come through the customer service line), as well as my boss, the customer care boss, THEIR boss, and (read-only) by the entire contracting department. The database tracks our contacts by name, title, phone, fax, and email. It tallies how issues enter our department (phone, fax, email, and so on). It counts what kind of issues we're working (claims, updates, terminations, etc). It evaluates how many issues come in from each state, from each group/contract/agreement. How many each rep is working at any given time. For what reason our issues are pending, how long they've been pended, and to where. A button click sends a request to the file room to send us a copy of a contract. A click of another submits a claims appeal to those poor bastards who are now sorry they ever agreed to try this. Another click will set an appointment for you in Outlook (for conference calls, follow up, meetings, etc). The database slices, it dices, it even juliennes french fries.
And I am in hell.
The primary reason for my absence
Writing (and I use the term loosely. This IS Microsoft Access, after all) the database has become a full time job as my boss down loads example after example of Visual Basic code that he wants me to integrate into our database.
On top of the frustration of wrestling sometimes unreliable or poorly written (or just outdated) code into my program, I must make time to train all of the aforementioned users. And I must troubleshoot for all of them.
On top of THAT, the contracting department is so impressed they've pressed my boss into loaning me out to write a new database just for them! So this full time job has split into TWO full time jobs - writing, training, troubleshooting, maintaining for two end user applications in two different departments.
On top of THAT, they want both databases OUT of the live testing we're in, and fully operational by Feb 1st. Ha. Good luck while they are giving me 10 hours a day of changes/updates/tweaks to make... let alone making sure that what's already there is functioning well enough to go life Feb 1.
On top of THAT (do we see a trend here?) I still have five states to maintain. On that end of things, I get a two inch stack of mail and faxes to sort, process and take appropriate action each and every day, and an equivalent amount to that in each of voice-mail and e-mail.
short side note
If my boss asks me one more time how things are going, I'll go to jail for manslaughter. If I hear "so, is it (meaning the database entire) done?" when he last handed me changes not 15 minutes before... If I hear "you're STILL working on that code?" when he hasn't done piss-diddly but pile the shit on me... I'll kill him. I swear to all that is unholy. I like this boss, he's one of the best I've ever worked for. But so help me, I'll kill him.
In other news
Joined a gym, and have been reasonably faithful about using it, and about sticking to my nutrition plan. Fitness, here I come.
Cut my hair Sunday.
The All-Star season of Survivor starts this weekend (airs right after the Super Bowl) and I can't wait for a little reality tv escapism.
In the mean time... I don't want to kneel. And I want to be forced to kneel. But I'll despise being forced... and not in a good way.
Anyway, he wouldn't enjoy it - so what's the point?
Back to work now... Heigh ho, heigh ho...