2 Week Check

Gavin is growing. . .He was up to 21 inches and 7 lb 5 oz up from 6 lb 8 oz a week 1/2 ago at his 2 week appointment yesterday. Hurray for Gavin. We also got his 2nd newborn screening done. Imagine my surprise when I was informed that I would have to take him to the hospital to have it done. The pediatrician no longer does this lab in the office because the insurance company doesn't pay for it there, but they will pay for it in the hospital.
I looked at this doctor in dismay thinking - no I will be paying for it there. Because you see. . . when it's done in the office it's covered under my co-pay. When it isn't, I have to meet a deductable and then pay 20% after the first $1000. So to say my insurance covers it is a bit mistaken. The reason the hospital gets paid is because it doesn't hurt the insurance company's pocket like it does mine. They seem to think they are doing me a favor by letting me get closer to meeting my deductable. I think NOT!
The other problem I encountered was that my pediatrician is adjacent to the OTHER hospital in town. Not the one I delivered at and I really didn't feel like loading up the kids to drive to the other hospital to have this done. So I asked if I could just walk over there and get this proceedure taken care of. Sure! What they didn't tell me was that I would have to REGISTER the poor boy so he could get some blood drawn. Ridiculous if you ask me. When I got to the admissions desk to do this - my poor boy was already an hour past his feeding time - angry and the girls were ansy. I only brought along my debit card to pay the co-pay so when they asked for my insurance and ID, I groaned. All that was still out in the car on the other side of the building. Fortunately the woman was able to get that all faxed over from upstairs. Thanks. I think she was well aware of my children's growing restlessness.
I really can't imagine how much more inconvenient this whole process could get. For my other daughters I walked across a hall from the doctor's office and the on location lab did the deed within five minutes of completing our session with the doctor. I miss my old pediatrician more and more.
I went to a gathering at a friend's house later in the evening and as my husband's co-workers were oohing and aahing over my little boy, one asked what the screening was for. You know - I don't really know. It's just something I've taken for granted that is to be done. I don't even really know what they are screening for exactly. I've never gotten results back for this screening from any of my girls nor for the first one done on Gavin in the hospital. So with this in mind and considering the inconvenience of the whole experience, the torture rendered to my 2 week old as they pricked his heel and squeezed his blood onto five spots the size of a nickel each as well as the expense that I have yet to see because there's that whole negotiated allowable cost thing that leaves it all very vague until the bill arrives weeks after you've forgotten you ever had the proceedure done, I'm feeling a bit rebellious and thinking if I had it to do over I'd just say - "NEVER MIND!" So if anyone out there knows what that screening is for - please enlighten me.