I was quoted $3000-3500 depending upon what was required. I live in Whitby and the quoting doctor is in Ajax. Agreed, snail pace, but I think it is because GPs are generally behind in the head injury dept, and do not know what to do. I am still wondering if there is a way around the OHIP rules because, in the final analysis, I will not know what all of my cognitive deficits are otherwise.

I feel that proof is important because the neanderthal mentalities in the work place (management) can be very frustrating for us. They think they know it all, you know, lazy, dumb or doesn't know anything. I want proof, because a little part of me wants to rub their noses in it. :-) Sorry, showing my frustrations....

Jamie

I would suggest working with your GP to get all the usual testing as they mandate. For me, I decided to take a more active role in my health care and have seen or tested for: psychiatrist, sleep study, brain scan, blood work etc. In the end I was referred to a Neurosurgeon by the OBIA. I politely asked my doctor for a referral. She was very surprised at the resulting rehab I was given, as if the brain scan was not enough to convince of the fact that I have very real cognitive deficits.

LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. It helps to know what the medical people are talking about.

Jamie

Hi Jamie, nice to know there are many other Canadians! I am still new to all of this, my TBI was just shy of a year ago. I have started to do the same things, OBIA has been amazing. They too got me into a neurosurgeon. I am trying to educate myself as much as I can, well as much as my brain will let me.

I agree with you about doctor's ignorance about TBI.

However, they are also following protocols established by the bureaucrats who set the rules for treatments/payments within our provincial plans. In short, the decisions your doctor makes about your care are not driven solely by her/his assessment of your clinical situation.

For example, in my province, aside from treating acute trauma (broken bones, internal bleeding, etc...) the mandated protocol after someone has been in a car accident is to do NOTHING for six months.

The bean counters have determined that most patients will recover (or, at least, stop complaining) in that period, so why waste money on expensive, specialized tests?

Only after six months of suffering, and wasted time, will the doctor maybe start to intervene. In my province, doctors are also under instruction not to admit mva victims to hospital, unless the situation is dire. (Our politicians wouldn't want to upset the car insurance folks.)

I only learned this from my lawyer. Clinician friends conceded it was true. These protocols should be published, so taxpayers have more insight into the factors that determine our care. As it stands, most patients haven't got a clue and so don't press for tests, etc...

We don't have a healthcare system, as much as we have a health rationing system. Your GP is only allowed to order so many tests a year. If he's already used up his quota, you may find yourself out of luck.

In short, if you do not advocate for yourself, you will not get care.

I am in Ontario, and learning slowly how little care there is for us. I feel like the big fancy brain clinic and the neurosurgeon who specializes in concussions don't even know what to do besides wait. I go to appointment after appointment where I tell them what I am struggling with and weird symptoms I am having and they tell me it is normal and see me in x number of weeks/months.

I have gotten MRI's literally 24 hours after seeing neuro. EMG is done at neuro as well as vestibular testing.
I think in America tests and medication may be given too quickly and the medicare fraud runs into billions.
There should be a happy medium between Canada's approach and US approach.

That is interesting Mark! No wonder all of my US family have asked why I haven't had an MRI done yet.

In the states, if there is a reasonable insurance plan, the imaging and other tests are requested as a way of protecting the doctors from malpractice law suits. They are not just for patient care. This defensive medicine is a big part of why our health care costs so much.

Plus, imaging centers need to keep their MRI's busy. They are expensive to operate even when they are not in use. The super conducting magnets need to stay at below -200C or -450F.

Plus, a lot of our healthcare is do it now, bill later and push the patient into bankruptcy is needed. An MRI can be billed at $4000. An insurance company will pay $1600 because of contract discounts. The uninsured get the full $4000 bill and is often quickly taken to collection. The truly poor will get a discount if they know how to ask for it.

that just happened to my girlfriend!! insurance said certain very expensive blood tests were not covered. It's not going to kill us at 700 bucks (that's after no insurance discount) but she is appealing it. Mark is right. The insurance company would pay them maybe 100 bucks for those tests. I've seen bills for 3000 dollars worth of blood tests and insurance paid 400. why don't the testing places just charge the cheaper price initially?