Like many in the HIV/AIDS community, my health care has taken a sudden, unexpected turn. With the resignation of Barry Rodwick from his practice mid-September, I already feel uncomfortable without an HIV specialist.
Rodwick appears to have acted in our best interest. He expressed that the quality of our care was suffering and he couldn't bring himself to continue to give us second-rate care. Rodwick should be commended for this.
On the other side, the way AHF, the management company, has treated his patients is abysmal. To date it has not communicated with any patients about the change, rather opting to “spring” the news on us as we have our regularly scheduled appointments.
That is not acceptable.
I am not satisfied just seeing a temporary replacement to cover my HIV health care needs. Barring an unexpected cure, my disease has a lot of permanence to it. I need a permanent professional who I know and respect to manage my care, not some “scab” brought in from South Florida.
The lack of communication rests entirely with AHF. Rodwick does not have access to our records and was not able to communicate to us directly.
My next regularly scheduled appointment is Nov. 1 and I plan on keeping it, if for no other reason than to see firsthand how AHF handles this situation. Honestly, it’s likely I will demand my records and find another HIV professional who will accept me as a patient. My plan is to not make a scene, but I intend to be quite firm with these folks.
My biggest concern is that I won't have a physician handling my health care. I don't want to act rashly with AHF, but even if a permanent replacement is named in advance of my next appointment, there is no guarantee I will feel comfortable with that specialist.
My HIV specialist isn't an easily replaceable commodity. I will need to interview a new person”whether they are at AHF or elsewhere”before I would even consider discussing my health. AHF has shown a casual disregard for the faith and trust we place in our HIV specialists. I will not casually forgive it for that.
Like many HIV patients, I am on disability, which means I have Medicare and it's a little easier for me to go to another HIV specialist.
Virtually all of them take Medicare. However, one of the reasons I went to Rodwick was that he took Medicaid, which at the time was my only health care insurance coverage. At the time, no other practice in the area would accept Medicaid. Today, those who find themselves in a similar situation may be locked into AHF.
Because of this, other providers in the area should reconsider their acceptance of Medicaid.
I am also concerned that there will be an overwhelming flight from AHF to other practitioners and I might get locked out of seeing anyone. I am weighing if I should just go ahead and make an appointment with one of these other options so when I leave the AHF office Nov. 1 that I feel like I'm covered.
On the other hand, I would strongly consider going back to Rodwick if he opens a new office. What I don't want, however, is to bounce from one HIV specialist to another. I have lived with HIV for 21 years and I know how important continuity of care is to my health.
I also have other health issue. Some handled with strategies that work for me but could be controversial in the hands of someone who doesn't truly understand my needs.
So Dr. Roswick, if you are reading this and you indeed plan to open a new practice, we need to know about it sooner rather than later. Many of us would probably follow you, but right now we have no idea how you will communicate with us.
I need to know. We all need to know. So we can make the appropriate decisions. You've acknowledged that this is going to be traumatic for us, but you can alleviate some of that trauma by making decisions quickly and relaying those to us.
This is a dramatic development for all of us and we have some serious decisions to make about the future of our health care. You have my commitment as a journalist and as an outspoken representative of the HIV/AIDS community to share whatever inside information I can glean with you as soon as I know it.
If we don't panic and stay informed, as Rodwick said in his letter to patients, “it should all work out.”
At least, let's hope so.
