relative value units

relative value units

Mary Bowman | Poetry

Medicare uses a physician fee schedule to determine payments for over 7,500 physician services. The fee for each service depends on its relative value units (RVUs), which rank on a common scale the resources used to provide each service.

— National Health Policy Forum, January 2015

birth control makes me crazy,

i was drunk, i’m not having sex.

is there any chance, how do you get that,

he took it off, will i see the baby,

i never asked him, i should’ ve known.

what would you do

if you were me

is there anything i can do to make this

more comfortable, is there anything i should know.

that is totally normal, that is not herpes,

everyone has herpes, it’s not your fault.

is there anyone you could talk to,

are you out to anyone yet, do you feel safe at home

everyone knows except

my dad my wife my boss my family

i have no one, no one knows.

my boyfriend will be there for part of it,

my girlfriend’s gonna give me the shot.

i am not like this, i never thought i’d do this,

i’ ve been thinking about this for years.

you mean i can start today, why do i have to come back,

i just want to get this over with, she answered all my questions.

can i ask a question, sorry i do have a question.

sorry i didn’t shave, sorry i didn’t shower,

sorry you have to do this, sorry i’m bleeding,

sorry i’m shaking, sorry for crying,

if i faint keep going, if i start crying

just ignore me,

i’m going to cry but it’s okay, is that it,

i hate this part, this always hurts

this is what too much bleeding looks like

if you go to the hospital please call i will call

you tomorrow to see if you got in

what’s the number, i will call and tell them

that they have to, that’s illegal

don’t get your meds in indiana, they don’t like us,

don’t go to walmart, they don’t like us,

tell them it’s for your cousin, you don’t have to tell them.

your parents might surprise you, is there somewhere else you can stay

does my vagina look normal, how does it look,

does my vagina look like a real vagina

is that normal, my life is over,

he told me he didn’t, he told me he did.

i can’t believe he did this to me.

he told me to get checked, he told me he could feel it,

he doesn’t like it, he said there’s something wrong with me.

can i get some for him, can he come here, he had work, he doesn’t know.

when i told him, he

insurance is awful, insurance is trash,

you don’t have insurance, is cost a concern

insurance won't cover it, what kind of insurance,

that depends on your insurance,

oh good you have insurance, i don’t know how much it will cost,

treat it like a bad period, you don’t want to do it at work,

i can give you a note for work,

when do you have to work, are you out at work, what kind of work do you do

you can do it overnight but you might not sleep

the worst will be over in time for work

i just had a baby, i have kids, my kids

are grown, i have two babies.

i can’t have a baby. i lost my job.

but i’m 40. but i’m 50.

here’s the paper my mom signed. if it were his, i’d keep it. my mom said keep it.

i threw up. i had no idea.

is it bad if i was drinking, can i drink tonight

sorry if this is a stupid question, i don’t want to talk about that.

you have to watch me take it, right

i can just take it, right

i don’t have any questions, i did a lot of research.

i’m on my parents’ insurance,

i stopped when i lost my insurance,

my insurance didn’t cover it.

i couldn’t afford it, my friend had a lot,

i ordered some on amazon, i read something on reddit.

my voice. my chest. my skin. my face. my hips. my hands.

i started saving, i found someone to pay for it.

does insurance cover it, i’m going to

florida, california, thailand, arizona.

i need a letter, can you sign this

i’ll sign whatever, i know what it says.

i’ ve known ever since i was

the most important thing for you is to rest and relax

i’m so excited for you

stress is a hormone in your body

you have to wait

24 hours, 4 to 6 weeks, 7 to 10 days, 20 minutes, 2 to 3 years

we’re putting you through the right puberty

you ’re doing a good job, you didn’t do anything wrong.

there is no cure. you deserve better.

it’s very rare. you won’t always feel this way.

we don’t know what causes it. we don’t have any research.

i don’t go over all this to scare you.

how are you feeling

do you have any more questions

Art credit: "Annie and Lauren at my Parents" (2021) by Emily Plunkett