StevenVinson.com

Fear doesn’t go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

You have discovered a profound truth about yourself and your world. A real breakthrough in the way you relate to yourself, to the world, and to the people in it. It feels right. But how do you really know you are on the right track?

Because the universe almost immediately pounces in direct confrontation. Evidence starts to burst from the woodwork to contradict your reality. You are being reminded not to get too uppity.

Yesterday I reached a watershed moment in a years-long process of self discovery. I knew it already, I felt it already, and yesterday the left and right brains got together and decided what it all meant and how it would be a sustainable change in my life. I realized that through courage, openness, and by being deeply caring, I would have the life I want. And I could inspire others to have the life they want.

What a fantastic state of mind to bring to my next meeting at work. Humble, courageous, vulnerable, and with a clear head and heart, I walked into a the process improvement discussion and had my ass handed to me. It was a disaster. Damn universe didn’t even give me a few hours to enjoy my self-assuredness.

That’s how I know I was right. That’s how I know that the universe knows I’m right.

By the way, while fueling my car this morning, the tank overflowed and doused me with gasoline. And then I had another stressful meeting. Then I got to support a friend who’s dealing with an insane boss.

Yeah… I hear ya, Universe.

I got this!

Fear doesn’t go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

You have discovered a profound truth about yourself and your world.  A real breakthrough in the way you relate to yourself, to the world, and to the people in it.  It feels right.  But how do you really know you are on the right track?

Because the universe almost immediately pounces in direct confrontation.  Evidence starts to burst from the woodwork to contradict your reality.  You are being reminded not to get too uppity.

Yesterday I reached a watershed moment in a years-long process of self discovery. I knew it already, I felt it already, and yesterday the left and right brains got together and decided what it all meant and how it would be a sustainable change in my life.  I realized that through courage, openness, and by being deeply caring, I would have the life I want.  And I could inspire others to have the life they want.

What a fantastic state of mind to bring to my next meeting at work.  Humble, courageous, vulnerable, and with a clear head and heart, I walked into a the process improvement discussion and had my ass handed to me.  It was a disaster.  Damn universe didn’t even give me a few hours to enjoy my self-assuredness.

That’s how I know I was right.  That’s how I know that the universe knows I’m right.

By the way, while fueling my car this morning, the tank overflowed and doused me with gasoline.  And then I had another stressful meeting.  Then I got to support a friend who’s dealing with an insane boss.

Yeah… I hear ya, Universe.

I got this!

When we last saw our hero, he was (not) pining by the phone awaiting a call from ProScan, which finally came in the form of a voicemail.  Thanks to Nicole from MIlwaukee, I shall continue.  Unpolished, and nearly incoherent…

Next, I finally figured out the anthem.com cost estimating tool.  The same one the people on the phone use.  I found a place on the north side of Indianapolis, much closer than ProScan, for around $400. I called Northwest Radiology Network.  Having learned my lesson on the OpenSided strangeness, I asked for confirmation of the price before scheduling an appointment.  The strange conversation follows:

ME: Hi. I need an MRI on my left knee, without contrast.  I am with Anthem and I would like to confirm pricing.

Lady on Phone (LoP): Of course, sir, I would love to help with that.

ME: Fantastic

LoP: But, we are currently renegotiating our contract with Anthem so I do not have the updated pricing.

ME: Is it going to go up?

LoP: I don’t know.

ME: Ummm… What’s your regular price?

LoP: Around $1,200.  But it will not be that much.  It won’t be more than the self pay price, which is $800.

ME: I can get it at ProScan for $400.

LoP: If you would like to make your appointment now with us, we will have the pricing later

ME: How much later?

LoP: Well your appointment could be as early as tomorrow morning.  We won’t know the price by then.

ME: I’ll go someplace else.

LoP: Ok.

ME: Ok. Bye.

Now what?  I called the next closest one on the list: Meridian MRI.

Meridian MRI confirmed they were in Anthem’s network and they confirmed pricing ($450).  They also told me what was included (the image and the evaluation).  So far, so good.  Let’s make the appointment…

…flashback: OrthoIndy (remember them?) told me to call once I had an appointment so that they could do a “pre-certification”.  Whatever that is…

…back to present… Meridian MRI said they needed the order before they could make an appointment.  The following is the sequence of events from this point:

I call OrthoIndy to ask them to fax the order to Meridian MRI.  “Okie Dokie”

An hour or so later, I call Meridian MRI to make the appointment.  They tell me that now that they have the order, all we need is a pre-certification.  “Cool.  Let’s make the appointment and I’ll get that from OrthoIndy,” says I.  “Oh, sir, we can’t make the appointment until we have the precert,” says she.

Another call to OrthoIndy.

Another pining by the phone.  Should I call back? Should I keep waiting for their call?

Finally, I call Meridian.  They have not received the pre-cert.  So I call OrthoIndy back.  They have sent it.  They will call Meridian for me.

Another pining by the phone…

I can wait no longer.  I call Meridian.  They got it! Yay!  I get my appointment! Yay!

The rest of the story involves me getting an MRI (you can’t take your phone in, by the way), then having to make a few more phone calls to figure out how to get the results over to OrthoIndy.  Diagnosis: torn ACL, sprained ACL and MCL, multiple bone bruises.  Thus ended my short and not very productive sand volleyball career.  The Pike Alumni will have to go on without me.

You know what would have been much easier than going through all of the above?  Not worrying about the cost.  Just having the MRI done at OrthoIndy for about $800.  In fact, if I were not thinking about cost, I would have not known that it was $800.
It almost would have been worth the additional $350 to avoid the hassle of finding a $450 place. But $350 is $350 when it’s coming out of my pocket.  You know when $350 isn’t $350?  When it comes out of someone else’s pocket.  If I’m tempted to pay $350 extra next time to avoid the hassle, how motivated is an insured with low deductible to go through the hassle?

There.  That’s day 6.  Feel ya tomorrow…

By the time I get home I am exhausted.  Lots of hugs from my girls (two daughters, my lovely wife, and Poppy the dog).  Some refereeing.  News of the day.  Cook dinner.  Then, plop down on the sofa to watch cartoons before the kiddos’ bedtime.  Often, I fall asleep on the sofa like Dagwood.  So, so sleepy.  Then upstairs for tooth brushing and persuading 8 and 5 year-olds to put on jammies and GO TO BED! NOW!  Whew… Just a few minutes downstairs.  Finally to relax.  But first, straighten up, do some dishes, take out the trash, discuss family business.  Then, finally!  Sit down and relax.  Already 9 or 10:00.  Should go to bed.  Nah.  Up late. In bed, reading.  Reading or surfing the net (downside of a Kindle Fire HD – less reading, more net surfing).

Asleep by… Midnight??

Get up in 6 or so hours.

Go to work and get tired.

Come home tired and do it all again.

Can’t wait until the weekend so we can stay up late and then sleep in until… 8:30…

Oh, and for the next 85 days – insert “post something to the blog” anywhere in the above itinerary.

A recent knee injury cut short my sand volleyball career.  And by recent I mean about 18 months ago.  And by career I mean the two or three times I played sand volleyball in my life.  Anyway, I landed in kind of a twisty awkward way and heard a pop.  I also felt a jolt.  Then I felt what it was like to fall down in cold sand.  Being the diligent and dedicated athlete I am, I immediately went to an orthopedic surgeon for a diagnosis and recommended treatment.  And my immediately, I mean 18 months later.

The good Doctor ordered an MRI.  I knew from some asking around that an MRI ranges from five or six hundred to over two thousand dollars.  Now I am a firm proponent of the idea that the reason health care costs are increasing at the pace they are is that nobody price shops for medial procedures. Most people just go to wherever the doctor tells them to go without regard for price.  I, however, am committed to doing my part to reign in health care costs; I am a champion of social responsibility to ensure efficiency in health care.  And by champion, I mean that I have a six thousand dollar deductible health plan and would pretty much be paying for this MRI out of my pocket.

How hard could it be to shop around for the best price on and MRI?  Should be a snap.  There’s the internet, there’s my insurance company, there’s the providers themselves.  All great tools and great people with incentive to help me in my noble quest to bend the healthcare cost curve (i.e. keep more money in my pocket).

Spoiler alert:  it was not at all easy.  Rather than attempt to knit together the events into a brilliant and dramatic narrative, I shall simply list the steps I took and the results.  I think you will get the point.  Oh yeah, I did end up saving around four hundred dollars.  Had my motivation been pure and noble, I would have given up about three steps in.  Since my motivation was to keep money in my own pocket, I persevered and saved some dough.  Without further delay, here is the saga of the  price shop…

9/26/11: Jumpy, twisty volleyball move injures our hero’s left knee

2/9/13: Jumpy, twisty dance move further (and more severely) injures ligaments and bones related to our hero’s left knee

2/26/13: Vinson visits IndyOrtho. Dr. Brokaw orders an MRI after examination reveals possible tear, definite sprain of ACL in left knee

2/26/13, 1:29 pm: Vinson calls Anthem.  Anthem (after some confusion) tells Vinson that “OpenSided MRI”, 15 miles away, offers MRIs at the lowest cost in the area at about $400.  Anthem is not able to tell Vinson the cost of an MRI at IndyOrth or its affiliate, Indiana Orthopedic Hospital, but guesses that Community Hospital’s $700 cost may be close to IndyOrtho’s

2/26/13: Turns out that OpenSided MRI is closed, like, for good.  Their number has been forwarded to the Center for Diagnostic Imaging.  After several transfers, Vinson finds out that and MRI at CDI is $815.

2/26/13: Another call to Anthem.  Anthem is confused.  OpenSided MRI is closed?  Well, hell.  So anyway, there’s a place called ProScan that is around $415.  Thanks, person that answers the phone.

2/26/13: Vinson logs an inquiry on the ProScan website, seeking a quote for an MRI

2/28/13: ProScan finally calls Vinson.  Leaves message (turns out Vinson has other obligations than pining by the phone)

Alright, I warned you that this would be rough.  I have lost my train of thought, not to mention my notes.  I promise to finish this saga at some point.  I may even re-thread it to make it somewhat coherent.

Anyway, that’s a little something I like to call, “Day 2 Done”.

What does it take to develop a new habit?  How about repetition?  Fake it until you make it, I say.  For the next ninety days, I will post something on this blog each day.  Much of it will downright stink, I’m guessing.  This post, for instance.  No flow, no structure, just rambling.

But, some of it will be beautiful.  Some of the posts will provoke thought.  Some of them will spark discussion.  Some of them will be worth saving.  All of them will be worth writing.

The goal is to get into a habit.  Once I am in the habit of writing every day, I will not subject the internet to the drivel any more.  I will draft every day offline, edit, then post the words that seem worth reading.  In the mean time, since you stumbled upon this post, you have unintentionally assumed responsibility for holding me accountable.  

Go ahead.

Try to catch me not writing.

Help me make a habit of writing every day.

I promise it will be worth it for both of us.