Customer service rants

I run a business.  Part of running a business is creating happiness for others. You follow up when you say you will.  You call when you say you will call.  At our office, we offer food and drinks and let people watch tv while they wait on rides.  We have magazines for them to read.  We give a reminder call and help with transportation.  You keep clients if someone else does it better.  I am not the only game in town.

The key to a therapists success besides clinical skills and case notes is to be located easily.  This is achieved by being on EAP and insurance panels.  I take everybody.  Some give me one or two a year, some have given me 20.  None of them pay the same. It usually takes 90 days to complete the process.

The thorn in my side is Humana.  I have been finished with everyone else for months.  Some even did an office inspection. Humana’s policy is 120 days from start to finish. December 23, 2015 I started the process.  In the meantime, I have heard nothing.  I call and they say it will take longer.  I email.  I was escalated, sent to a supervisor, and apologized to.  Still no contract to sign.

The reality what can I do.  Curse them out, will just put me back further than I am.  I am at their mercy.  They are not aware that the inability to accept Humana patients costs me money.  It keeps me off the list. The patients will call someone else that will accept their insurance. Complaining only gets me angrier and still no credentialing.  I haven’t given up yet. They have a large Medicare population here.  I guess if one of my EAP clients wants to use their Humana insurance, I will suggest that they call and demand me to be out of network or speed it up. Customers are why we are here.  January they can change to a new insurance company.  I would suggest they use one that puts as many providers as possible as quickly as possible so the clients have choices and can get appointments more quickly.  Optima, Anthem and Cigna work well.