[Noah930]

I've been trying to get onto a particular insurance company's MPN (medical provider network) list for the past couple years. Before they will send me patients/customers, they have to recognize/credential me.

The other screwy thing is that I don't get credentialed directly by this company. Instead while they set their credentialling criteria, they make Anthem (aka Blue Cross) do their dirty work for them. Once you're OK'd by Anthem, this other company may allow you into their network. I think that's the equlivalent of saying: I'll be your friend, but only if Bob over there thinks you're cool enough to be his friend, first.

Anyway, after a couple years of jumping through their hoops, I got accepted to the MPN back in October. They listed my primary office and one other satellite office. Fine. (I go to about 8 different places, total.) In December, I looked online on the insurance company's doctor finder search function, and found myself listed at 5 clinics: my home office, 2 satellite offices, and 2 other offices where I work as an independent contractor for a big national medical provider company. Let's call them company XYZ. Also fine, as I go to all those places.

A little background, company XYZ doesn't like me going to what they perceive as their competitors. I'm not an employee of XYZ; I'm a 1099'ed independent contractor. But XYZ doesn't provide enough work for me to work for them exclusively, either. I liken it to being a gardener. You may hire me to cut your grass, but unless you have an arboretum that requires me to work for you all week long, you can't prohibit me from working for other homeowners in your neighborhood. Still, XYZ has tried to do that and has threatened to cut me from their company entirely if I work for their competitors.

Jump to last month. I checked the insurance company website and only saw 2 addresses: the ones for company XYZ. The other 3 places (including my home office) have been delisted. Huh? I never did that. So I called the insurance company and Anthem, sent emails, faxed letters to try to add on the 3 places again. No one could explain to me what had happened.

Fast forward to this week. When I checked the insurance company's doctor finder, what did I find? I'm still listed at XYZ's original 2 clinics (that's OK--I still go there), but so are 3 other clinics...that belong to XYZ that I don't go to. WTF?

Gee, I wonder who's f'ing with me?