Dear Health Plan: Please Know My Name

I received a survey from my health plan this week. It looks as though it will take me about 10-15 minutes to complete and mail back to the corporate office.

Usually, I am happy to complete surveys for my health plan, and I will probably do this one because I like my doctor and am happy to rate her and her team as outstanding. But what irritates me is that the business letter introducing the survey begins like this:

Dear Ms. Gaertnerjohnsto,

My last name is not Gaertnerjohnsto. It's Gaertner-Johnston.

We all know the problem is the computer software. But does the software have to rule our lives? Is there no human being who could have checked the letter and perhaps crossed out the silly rendering of my name and written it in correctly? The initiative and personal touch would have warmed my heart.

If you know the answer to this question, please comment: Must I forever be Lynn Gaertnerjohnsto when my health plan writes to me?  

Lynn--Gaertner-Johnston!
Syntax Training

Comments

[Cathy Miller]

Good Morning Lynn Gaertner-Johnston!

I worked over 30 years in the health care industry for insurance carriers, brokers and consultants. Part of my past life included the role of Project Manager for claims & customer service audits of health plans.

Since I paid claims before God invented computers, I was dismayed when I came across computers taking over the human thought process.

One story that I love is where the human did not let the computer get in the way. A claim was denied correctly by the computer because the services were before the person had insurance. The human claims processor could not understand why it did not issue a payment so she just changed the date the insurance was effective. LOL!! Just thought I'd show you the flip side of the coin. :-)

But I couldn't agree with you more! Good customer service doesn't let a computer replace the human brain. The other thing I found, however, is changing a computer-generated problem moves even slower than Congress!

[Waqas ALi]

Why not to write them a request hand letter for correction of your last name!

It'll definitely get their attention.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Cathy, thanks for sharing the other side of the story. You got me smiling! I believe you are, unfortunately, right about the slowness with which change comes to computer systems.

Waqas Ali, good suggestion!

Lynn

[Laura Rice]

Having lived with an 11-letter last name for 27 years of my life, I am familiar with having everything "official" address to Ms. Brommelsie rather than Ms. Brommelsiek. It was humbling to add a box to my SAT ScanTron in high school so I could have my K appear...

[Gehoorbescherming op maat]

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