Are Doctor’s paid to research? i.e. when they have a patient who has an illness they are not familiar with can they bill for the time spent learning as much as they can about it? I ask this question because I have severe narcolepsy as well as CFIDS; what is considered “invisible” illness. I was recently hospitalized for an acute and unrelated condition – a severe GI infection. I was NPO and unmedicated for any and all symptoms which as you know can mimic psychiatric disease. For the first time in decades I suffered – without medication, from symptoms of automatic behavior, hallucinations at night and during the day, disrupted nighttime sleep and more. I recently received a copy of my inpatient records and also of outpatient visits and tests too – all of which indicate I have now at age 64 been adjudicated with “mental illness of long standing duration,” “bipolar disease unspecified.” The discharge summary states, “Patient states history of narcolepsy and chronic fatigue, however psychiatry indicates diagnosis of bipolar disease…and so forth. There are statements such as how I am unable to follow a conversation, appear confused, inappropriate at times; of course I was; my prognosis was initially guarded and my husband was called regarding code status as I was deemed incapable of making decisions. I asked as did my husband that my providers familiarize themselves with the symptoms of my chronic illnesses. An outpatient visit with a gynecologist (!) states bipolar disease, in partial remission, most recently depressed, indicating this was discussed during that visit – which was not. (Nor has anyone informed me I am bipolar or is treating me for it…). My other questions are: What would you do and what should I do?

Age: 64
Female
Medications: n/a
General Information: no