Hi All - So I'm a 36 YO woman with bilateral sensioneural hearing loss. I was born hearing - was HOH from age 5 on - went to gally but married hearing man, had hearing kids - I lipread pretty well. ANYWAY...I've only just started requesting interpreters for my doctor's appointments. I live in the Savannah, GA area - not a huge city but certainly not a small town. So this is what's been going on...
Learned pretty quick that even though I ask for an interpreter, and even provide the interp referall service info - giving more than enough notice I show up and the secretary just looks at me with a blank expression. Put up with it a few times, but my hearing fiance started getting mad, vocal because it keeps happening!
In March my mom was hospitalized - my dad - is deaf. my mom has been his ears for the last 30 years. He barely reads lips, he doesn't sign. So her emergency gallbladder surgery ended up becoming a 3 month hospital stay - mostly in CCU (Cardiac ICU). We told nurses, aids, PA's, hospital admins that he was deaf, that I'm deaf - so write things down for him or I would need an interpreter for Doc visits. The patient guide at the hospital even has a page about the ADA and accomodations for the Deaf. 6 weeks into everything, still haven't met a doctor, just get updates that mom is stable - called around to Doc offices telling them we wanted to meet with doc, with interp to know what was going on. Mom can't talk, she couldn't write well either because her hands were shaking so bad. She was intubated, lost her voice, ended up having 4 surgeries - one open chest surgery. Nurses would just write my mom's stats. My mom's hearing family comes up - one of her docs have a meeting with mom's cousin and her hearing husband, my dad standing right there. After convo, dad looks at moms cousin and said "I don't like the look of that conversation (their facial expressions)- My mom was a very very sick woman and they felt she wasn't going to make it! 6 weeks into her treatment this was the first time we were told anything like this - and her doc didn't even talk to her HUSBAND or write for him. After that, I got with hospital admin, figuring out how services needed to be provided. They're like can you bring an ipad for them to type on? (we don't have one and dad is still stuck in the stone ages) - I'm like, you can get someone to do open caption and transcribe for him. I ask for interpreter for meeting we set up after a procedure to meet doc and talk about mom was told interpreter would be there. Of course there was no interpreter! I was there with my 4 children, the doc had mustache beard and I couldn't understand him. I had to ask my 14 year old daughter what was going on. Anyway - mom lived - came home in june - dad had to ahve meeting with SSDI for her, etc - even SSDI didn't provide someone to translate for him. He's on SSDI cause he's deaf. So that's one story - my mom's first surgery actually caused all of her other problems, the doc perforated her esophagus.
So onto me - Now I'm requesting interpreters since my DF can't always come with me. I get a referral for a Neurosurgeon in August - told scheduling person I'm deaf, I need an interpreter. Called Doc office 4 business days before to tell them I need interpreter. Left message on voice mail with interpreter referral information and phone number. 2 days before appt was told that it would get set up and they'd call to finalize next morning. One business day before appt they call I call back relay they say can you give me the phone number again (was told this was already done and they called). 430 pm dr office call fiance voice and say they are having trouble getting auth to pay for interpreter. He loses it, tells them that they make it happen - been waiting since May for Neuro appt. Next morning - made arrangements to have kids put on bus so we could leave on time for 820 am appt - one hour drive. Show up. No interpreter. Go to office manager - 90 mins later he says don't worry we will get you in today we will ge interpreter go do some errands and we'll call you. you will see doctor today. 130 pm they call say they have appt set up for me at 130 pm 2 days later. I lost my mind - crying on phone because I was THERE that DAY - they refused to let fiance interpret for me because he wasn't qualified. Doctor said he would not see me without an interpreter. I offered can we write just so I can come in today - they say we have appt set up at 130 friday with iterpreter. Feeling stuck, I took that appt. Called Interpreter scheduler and find out that they never got call for interpreter until 3 hours AFTER my scheduled appt - had interpreter in town that said she would show up and stay to get me in that day. Med office called them and told them I said I would come in at any time on Friday - they LIED. Friday appt had interpreter they set up MRI scans - when they called to schedule we tell them (same building, same practice) I need interpreter they say can you just bring someone that can hear with you. Fiance says no - he is military and was already missing too much work. They set up, interpreter fine. 10 days later office called said they wanted me to come in next day but no interpreter avail so they set up appt for 4 business days out at 940 am interpreter would be there. Day before that appt, office emails me asking me for another contact number for interpreter because they say service never called them back. I tell them I give you this information 3 times already - get text and they want to change appt time to 1040 said they couldn't get someone at 940. I said fine - go to appt, find out I need to see neurosurgeon now I have condition that needs brain surgery. Before we left office they scheduled 1 month follow up with neurologist i just saw - called interpreter service to confirm that right away. Then called Neurosurgeon tell them I need appt asap - schedule for sept 5 told them I need sign language interpreter. August 31 I get email from Neurosurgeon saying they do not have interpreter scheduled so they cancel my appt and said they would contact me with new appt time. Fiance checks voice mail friday night and they said reason no interpreter was because they don't know how to do the billing/funding to pay for it. They never had deaf patient before. He is livid - he has to leave for army training will be out of contact for 3 weeks. One week goes by, no new appt. i contact neurologist via email tell them what happened - they say they will call and fix. Get email from Neurosurgeon saying they are waiting to confirm interpreter before they schedule me. I say I need a date - my fiance is deploying now and we need to schedule surgery asap so he can be there - I say please if I can write with doctor I will take earlier appt. They will not discuss and say they should know by tomorrow - Neurologist says they have appt set for 19 sept 10 am but waiting for confirmation from Interpreter referral service. Fiance calls livid says we want a new neurosurgeon, we want appt THIS WEEK. GEt email says they see me the 19th at 10 am - at this point was 10 days away still.
I am upset because in May I started physical therapy - we requested interpreter, I got to schedule my own appointments, they always had interpreter for me, they never cancelled, screwed up, asked me to bring a hearing person, told me they didn't know how to pay for it or didn't have the money or tell me I have to pay for it. They never had a deaf patient either and they were a small practice.
I'm sorry this is so long - I find out neurosurgeon only does the surgery at the hospital that my mom was at. So now I'm looking for new doctors - I don't care that they never had a deaf patient before they are not small practices and should know how to at least google "deaf interpreter doctor appointment savannah"
What do you all think? My fiance wants to sue - he's determined to sue. He leaves for deployment for a year so i have to do something to make sure this doesn't keep happening!
Learned pretty quick that even though I ask for an interpreter, and even provide the interp referall service info - giving more than enough notice I show up and the secretary just looks at me with a blank expression. Put up with it a few times, but my hearing fiance started getting mad, vocal because it keeps happening!
In March my mom was hospitalized - my dad - is deaf. my mom has been his ears for the last 30 years. He barely reads lips, he doesn't sign. So her emergency gallbladder surgery ended up becoming a 3 month hospital stay - mostly in CCU (Cardiac ICU). We told nurses, aids, PA's, hospital admins that he was deaf, that I'm deaf - so write things down for him or I would need an interpreter for Doc visits. The patient guide at the hospital even has a page about the ADA and accomodations for the Deaf. 6 weeks into everything, still haven't met a doctor, just get updates that mom is stable - called around to Doc offices telling them we wanted to meet with doc, with interp to know what was going on. Mom can't talk, she couldn't write well either because her hands were shaking so bad. She was intubated, lost her voice, ended up having 4 surgeries - one open chest surgery. Nurses would just write my mom's stats. My mom's hearing family comes up - one of her docs have a meeting with mom's cousin and her hearing husband, my dad standing right there. After convo, dad looks at moms cousin and said "I don't like the look of that conversation (their facial expressions)- My mom was a very very sick woman and they felt she wasn't going to make it! 6 weeks into her treatment this was the first time we were told anything like this - and her doc didn't even talk to her HUSBAND or write for him. After that, I got with hospital admin, figuring out how services needed to be provided. They're like can you bring an ipad for them to type on? (we don't have one and dad is still stuck in the stone ages) - I'm like, you can get someone to do open caption and transcribe for him. I ask for interpreter for meeting we set up after a procedure to meet doc and talk about mom was told interpreter would be there. Of course there was no interpreter! I was there with my 4 children, the doc had mustache beard and I couldn't understand him. I had to ask my 14 year old daughter what was going on. Anyway - mom lived - came home in june - dad had to ahve meeting with SSDI for her, etc - even SSDI didn't provide someone to translate for him. He's on SSDI cause he's deaf. So that's one story - my mom's first surgery actually caused all of her other problems, the doc perforated her esophagus.
So onto me - Now I'm requesting interpreters since my DF can't always come with me. I get a referral for a Neurosurgeon in August - told scheduling person I'm deaf, I need an interpreter. Called Doc office 4 business days before to tell them I need interpreter. Left message on voice mail with interpreter referral information and phone number. 2 days before appt was told that it would get set up and they'd call to finalize next morning. One business day before appt they call I call back relay they say can you give me the phone number again (was told this was already done and they called). 430 pm dr office call fiance voice and say they are having trouble getting auth to pay for interpreter. He loses it, tells them that they make it happen - been waiting since May for Neuro appt. Next morning - made arrangements to have kids put on bus so we could leave on time for 820 am appt - one hour drive. Show up. No interpreter. Go to office manager - 90 mins later he says don't worry we will get you in today we will ge interpreter go do some errands and we'll call you. you will see doctor today. 130 pm they call say they have appt set up for me at 130 pm 2 days later. I lost my mind - crying on phone because I was THERE that DAY - they refused to let fiance interpret for me because he wasn't qualified. Doctor said he would not see me without an interpreter. I offered can we write just so I can come in today - they say we have appt set up at 130 friday with iterpreter. Feeling stuck, I took that appt. Called Interpreter scheduler and find out that they never got call for interpreter until 3 hours AFTER my scheduled appt - had interpreter in town that said she would show up and stay to get me in that day. Med office called them and told them I said I would come in at any time on Friday - they LIED. Friday appt had interpreter they set up MRI scans - when they called to schedule we tell them (same building, same practice) I need interpreter they say can you just bring someone that can hear with you. Fiance says no - he is military and was already missing too much work. They set up, interpreter fine. 10 days later office called said they wanted me to come in next day but no interpreter avail so they set up appt for 4 business days out at 940 am interpreter would be there. Day before that appt, office emails me asking me for another contact number for interpreter because they say service never called them back. I tell them I give you this information 3 times already - get text and they want to change appt time to 1040 said they couldn't get someone at 940. I said fine - go to appt, find out I need to see neurosurgeon now I have condition that needs brain surgery. Before we left office they scheduled 1 month follow up with neurologist i just saw - called interpreter service to confirm that right away. Then called Neurosurgeon tell them I need appt asap - schedule for sept 5 told them I need sign language interpreter. August 31 I get email from Neurosurgeon saying they do not have interpreter scheduled so they cancel my appt and said they would contact me with new appt time. Fiance checks voice mail friday night and they said reason no interpreter was because they don't know how to do the billing/funding to pay for it. They never had deaf patient before. He is livid - he has to leave for army training will be out of contact for 3 weeks. One week goes by, no new appt. i contact neurologist via email tell them what happened - they say they will call and fix. Get email from Neurosurgeon saying they are waiting to confirm interpreter before they schedule me. I say I need a date - my fiance is deploying now and we need to schedule surgery asap so he can be there - I say please if I can write with doctor I will take earlier appt. They will not discuss and say they should know by tomorrow - Neurologist says they have appt set for 19 sept 10 am but waiting for confirmation from Interpreter referral service. Fiance calls livid says we want a new neurosurgeon, we want appt THIS WEEK. GEt email says they see me the 19th at 10 am - at this point was 10 days away still.
I am upset because in May I started physical therapy - we requested interpreter, I got to schedule my own appointments, they always had interpreter for me, they never cancelled, screwed up, asked me to bring a hearing person, told me they didn't know how to pay for it or didn't have the money or tell me I have to pay for it. They never had a deaf patient either and they were a small practice.
I'm sorry this is so long - I find out neurosurgeon only does the surgery at the hospital that my mom was at. So now I'm looking for new doctors - I don't care that they never had a deaf patient before they are not small practices and should know how to at least google "deaf interpreter doctor appointment savannah"
What do you all think? My fiance wants to sue - he's determined to sue. He leaves for deployment for a year so i have to do something to make sure this doesn't keep happening!
