Read The Protocol: A Prescription to Die for Free Online

soon.
    *
    “I see you have been doing some house cleaning,” said Eat as he surveyed her office.
    “Quit being a smart ass. You are not very good at it.”
    “So is this what you had delivered while we were talking? Or did it walk in?”
    “Yup. I haven’t had time to dig into it yet. Don’t even know what it is.”
    “Looks like a foot to me,” Eat walked over to the lab table. Even though he couldn’t fathom doing what Andy did for a living, it was compelling, if not nauseatingly interesting. She could be elbow deep in viscera all day, and still be game for eating Italian at night.
    Eat approached the table, and gazed at Andy’s latest delivery.
    “If this is a joke, it’s not funny,” he croaked.

Chapter 4
    Barbara’s sixth sense intuitively picked up on the woman as she approached her door. Before Natalie could knock on the door’s metal frame, Barbara piped, “Have a seat.” She pointed to a chair, not one of the larger ones at the nearby meeting table, but the small one in front of her desk.
    Natalie walked into the office, and sat in the leather accent chair she was directed to.
    Finally, Barbara looked up. She surveyed the grandmotherly woman with disdain, and was happy that she’d made her guest chair as uncomfortable and low to the ground as possible. She’d found it in the warehouse. It was next to the garbage, and waiting to be thrown out. Making those who were subordinate to her uncomfortable was definitely a perk in her position of authority. If Barbara had had her way, all of the old employees would have been laid off within days of the acquisition. But that would have been a PR nightmare; a distraction that she did not have time for.
    As the Claims and Accounts supervisor, Natalie was responsible for ensuring claims were processed correctly and that all accounts were current. Before Aequalis acquired her previous employer, her job involved ensuring customer satisfaction, within reason, but primarily it was to slow the claims process down to a very slow crawl.
    Send a letter asking the physician to clarify the method of treatment.
    Incorrectly code a procedure.
    Identify a recorded malady as a pre-existing condition.
    All of these slowed the process of claims payment down, and therefore slowed the output of money to a trickle. Natalie had done her job well over the years. Now, there were different rules of engagement for the Claims department.
    Barbara opened the folder that she’d prepared for the interrogation, and finally addressed the woman directly.
    “Do you understand why you are here, Natalie?”
    “No, Barbara. Is something wrong?”
    “Ms. Nordstrom.”
    “What?” Natalie looked confused. She was definitely uncomfortable.
    “Ms. Nordstrom. I am Ms. Nordstrom to you. You called me Barbara.”
    Barbara watched Natalie shift awkwardly in her chair. She moved from side to side to get a better position. Her face was red with embarrassment and tension.
    Barbara felt good.
    “Natalie. Have you looked at last month’s claim numbers? I’m assuming you have, since it is part of your job.”
    Natalie nodded that she had.
    “Good. Then is it safe for me to assume that you can tell me why the claims are higher than projected? Aequalis has very strict guidelines that must be adhered to.”
    “Some of the claims administrators are having trouble with the percentages. They have clients they’ve worked with for years. Developed friendly relationships.”
    “Having trouble with the percentages? Personal relationships? We have the 60-70-80 Guideline to make it easier for your team. Not more difficult. And, must I remind you, that they’re not here to make friends. Friendly relationships belong outside of our building walls. As a matter of fact, friendly relationships with clients is probably a violation of corporate policy.”
    When Aequalis assumed the reins from its predecessor, it instituted new claims rules as part of the formulary prescribed by Congress’ Healthcare for All Act .