I have just wasted half an afternoon, and $8 in bus fares, because the radiology place didn't admit yesterday that they hadn't sent my doctor the films, and in fact the films had not yet been printed. However, I did eventually get handed over to a man named Craig, who by the time we were introduced I was mentally tagging as "Mr. Competent" because he seemed to both know what he was doing and want to get it right, unlike the administrative staff I was dealing with, for whom the kindest adjective I can find is "harried."

It took Craig a while to get me what I needed, in part because they told him the films should be in my folder and they weren't--the folder had no evidence that I'd ever had an MRI, in fact, though in going through it we found a small envelope labeled "reports," which turned out to contain reports on someone else's mammograms (I noticed this because I saw, out of the corner of my eye, that the patient was listed as 63 years old, which I am not). However, and seeming somewhat annoyed himself, Craig eventually got me the films, and I got the front desk people to print me a copy of the report (my GP has one, but this is for the orthopedist). This took long enough for it to start raining, hard. I waited out the first downpour, then walked past the bus stop because I believed the posted schedule, and was passed by a bus a block later. Three drenchings later, I am home with my MRI films and report, some miniature cream puffs and cannoli, and a cup of tea; my clothes are hanging in the bathroom to dry.

I think I'm going to look for a different radiology place for future mammograms (unless it's a follow-up on the one I had Tuesday, in which case it might be a hassle to switch in midstream, so to speak) and certainly for any future MRIs, simply because I have no confidence in them not to lose my records, or drop someone else's in my file and not notice. Yes, Craig Competent and I checked that the folder contained shoulder MRI films with my name on them, and I checked that they gave me my own report.
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From: [identity profile] wilfulcait.livejournal.com


Here's what I've learned: you should always keep your own films. All radiology places lose them or file them or can't find your name; without exception the only way I've found to keep track of them (and I have LOTS of them at this point) is to check them out and keep them myself. They'll make you sign a form agreeing that the films are just checked out to you and you'll bring them back, but that's just ass covering on their part.
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