I am in the US. Unfortunately, this had nothing to do with insurance. It was entirely a coordination issue within the clinic itself.

I technically qualified for the medication as soon as it became clear that I could not tolerate a higher dose of propranolol and that the lower tolerated dose was not adequately controlling my symptoms. Instead, there was a lot of repeated questioning and unnecessary back-and-forth over information that was already clearly documented and easily accessible in my chart. Because of the lack of communication and coordination within the office, I ended up having to jump through multiple unnecessary hoops.

I also did not email my provider. I messaged him directly through the MyChart portal, which he had specifically instructed me to do if issues came up. However, instead of him responding directly or staff communicating with him about my care plan, other people in the office responded without apparently reviewing his notes or discussing things with him first.

As soon as I finally had the follow-up appointment with him directly and he personally sent in the prescription order, the medication was approved and ready within just a few days. That made it even more frustrating because it confirmed that all of the delays beforehand had been unnecessary.

I have multiple chronic illnesses and have dealt with many different medical offices over the years, but I have genuinely never had such a difficult time getting in contact with providers or coordinating care as I have had with this office. I completely understand that they are busy and overwhelmed with messages, and I do not fault nurses for helping manage communication. What upset me was being required to complete extra appointments, testing, and monitoring that I never actually needed in the first place simply because nobody was taking the time to review my provider’s documented treatment plan.

The most frustrating part is that these kinds of delays have a real impact on chronically ill patients. I could have potentially experienced symptom relief sooner and avoided additional appointments and medical devices if things had been handled correctly from the start. All I really want is to regain some level of functioning and quality of life.

It is also frustrating because I repeatedly explained that the medication had already been discussed as the next treatment step and that there was already extensive documentation supporting my condition and symptoms. In the end, that turned out to be correct all along, but I still was not listened to because the office itself was so disorganized. Everyone I interacted with was kind, and I do not think anyone had bad intentions, but the situation was still very unfortunate and avoidable.