For the purposes of this publication we will refer to her throughout as "Courtney." Actually this is her real name, but due to GDPR privacy and security laws, I am not allowed to include her last name ( I'm not sure I even remember it ). Anonymous or not, she took very good care of me personally (humanely; it will make more sense after the big reveal), during a recent, rather obscure cancer-related situation. A bureaucratic not medical one, which often can be MUCH more painful than anything that happens as a result of the clinic “red tape" runaround; even more painful than the dreaded bone marrow aspiration (I've had two; lidocaine works wonders).
During a typical once-monthly session at the clinic, I'll have a few standard procedures. Most of them gain access to my body from the insertion of an IV line to: draw blood for pre-administration analysis, add saline to my system as needed periodically in small doses to flush or support, the trimonthly infusion of other meds like Zometa (which helps prevent long-term bone damage from MM), and primarily the line is used for my monthly, 3-hour-ish dose of Intravenous ImmunoGlobulin (IVIG).
My regular dose of IVIG costs around $5,000 - just for the drug itself, not counting all of the other human involvement (ie: Pharmacist, Infusion nurse, Clinic overhead, etc.). In an ongoing effort to control the cost of medical care, insurance carriers are looking at an option of Home Infusion as a more economical alternative. I was recently contacted by a Nurse Navigator (the aforementioned Courtney) about my pending migration to Home Infusion of my IVIG after two more (last) in-Clinic sessions at CINJ. I acquiesced to the fate (you can't fight City Hall, right?). But as Courtney and I discussed more about the totality of Clinic processes, how the majority of them start from the insertion of an IV line (like administering my IVIG), and their collective interdependence, as a nurse herself she developed the sense that Home Infusion may not really be the best for overall cost-savings, or for the patient. I said nothing to discourage her from that perception.
This call took place about three weeks ago, and ended with Courtney saying she would get back to me after she spoke with some “higher-ups" to explain her assessment; and possibly even advocate for me to continue getting IVIG at the Clinic - for myriad beneficial reasons. Well, just the other day, she called with great news that she had convinced them to give me an exclusion from the recommended Home Infusion (or at any of their approved independent Infusion Centers), and keep my current routine of everything at one place - CINJ. It may not seem like a lot, but in essence Courtney had to go against the dictums of her company and selflessly advocate for me and my desires. We won and she is my hero.
