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Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.

[ Edited ]

My husband needs to have a CT before he can have some other testing done by his doctor. He set up an appointment with an imaging place around the corner from his primary care doc to make things easier. Today, we were looking at maps to the imaging place and I noticed the reviews. My husband was very stressed so I didn't read the reviews to him. The reviews were unimaginably bad for this place. Every review had the same comments of complete disorganization, utter chaos, hours and hours of waiting times, patients repeatedly told to wait on the wrong floor of the center only to have to wait all over again, standing outside..no seats to wait in 90 degree FL heat,  appointments not honored, intentionally nasty, mean staff, inattentive staff, staff involved in personal phone calls ignoring all questions asked of them by patients trying to clarify where to go, or see if their insurance issues are taken care of, problems with all paperwork. Additionally, problems with procedures, constant errors of every type, It goes on and on.

 

My husband has been waiting for this appointment awhile. He has had to wait for his specialist to return to town for some weeks, so I only mentioned to him to make sure he was waiting for a CAT scan in the right place. He is not feeling well and is on edge, and very stressed, so I was trying not to make him feel badly before he left. 

After reading these horrid reviews I decided to check other CAT SCAN imaging places and I discovered that their ratings are all incredibly bad, with the exception of those doing mammography for women only. These problems have been going on for years. I guess we didn't realize the problem exists because any scans we dealt with were in a hospital setting in the last fifteen years. There were lots of billing problems and patients being told to come back other days, problems with technicians not being trained in administration of contrast. You name it. I looked at the Better Business Bureau to see if there were issues with specific testing centers and with the overall industry. These places are not members of the Bureau. Most places were rated F or D. One place had a B-, overall rating, but there were no ratings listed, so I'm trying to figure out how they got a grade with no reviews. I was so surprised by just how bad this industry is in the two S. Florida counties, Miami Dade and Broward, that are near my home. This problem needs some in depth reporting from some good investigative  journalists. 

Does your area have lousy imaging centers too? 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 69,397
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.

Whenever I've needed a CAT scan or MRI  I've gone to the radiology department at our local hospital, a branch of the UNM Hospital.  They're fast, efficient, polite and it has always been a pleasant experience. 

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment
Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,025
Registered: ‎05-23-2011

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.


@Kachina624 wrote:

Whenever I've needed a CAT scan or MRI  I've gone to the radiology department at our local hospital, a branch of the UNM Hospital.  They're fast, efficient, polite and it has always been a pleasant experience. 


Same here, at the hospital.

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(You don't Know) How Glad I Am- Nancy Wilson
Valued Contributor
Posts: 970
Registered: ‎07-26-2019

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.

@Mindy D 

 

Did you check sites recommended/listed by your insurance co, or were these the ones with the bad reviews? As a prior MRI tech and a representative working in pre-authorization, I know that many times the insurance will prefer certain locations. Just wondering if you encountered this.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,107
Registered: ‎03-28-2010

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.

My husband had to have w Cat Scans and a KUB recently.  Had the CT Scans done at a free standing out patient facililty and had the KUB done at another out patient free standing facility because the first place didn't also do KUB's.  I too looked around and found many to have bad reviews.  Thankfully where he had the CT Scan had good ones.  The reviews where he had the KUB were not as good as I had hoped but my husband was very pleased.  We also had to work with our insurance because pre-authroization was needed for the CT Scans, not the KUB.  There was a significant cost different between having it at a hospital versus out patient facility.  The hospital would of cost $1800.  The outpatient Cat Scan cost was a little under $400.  And, to add, the reviews for the hospital radiology department were the worst of the worst.  

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,788
Registered: ‎08-18-2016

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.

Wow, that's awful @Mindy D .

My heart goes out to you and your husband on this.

 

 My CT scans are done at a local hospital and I have to say their radiology staff are 1st class.

 

Due to the type of chronic illness I have, I undergo annual Echo or CT scans of neck, heart, lungs, plus a full abdominal with contrast every 8-9 months. All I can think is that you have no choice and your insurance compels you to use an independent imaging center.

 

In anticipating paperwork and billing errors, is there one your insurance carrier would prefer you deal with?

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.

[ Edited ]

@Xivambala wrote:

@Mindy D 

 

Did you check sites recommended/listed by your insurance co, or were these the ones with the bad reviews? As a prior MRI tech and a representative working in pre-authorization, I know that many times the insurance will prefer certain locations. Just wondering if you encountered this.


@Xivambala @My husband just tried making appointments with two places listed in his two or three year old provider book, I think. The first place he called didn't do CAT Scans so he used the second one. We had no idea we need to check up on these places  because we had no idea there were any problems with these places. I kept telling my husband to call his insurance company first and to verify whether the place he called is still part of his plan,  and to ask whether he needs pre authorization, but he was just going along with what the center told on the phone because he was in a great deal of pain from cluster headaches.The place told him they were with his plan. So far he has called the place three times to ask what his copay will be and he still does not have an answer. I would have tried to taken over to help my husband but he didn't want me to. He is at his breaking point from so much pain and even the slightest thing causes him to feel even worse. I just hope he has the correct pre authorization. Whenever I tried to dig deeper to find out he said he was told everything is done. He's fragile from suffering so much and I can't press him too much.

Thank you so much for responding. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,074
Registered: ‎10-03-2014

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.

Sounds like there aren't enough centers for the number of people living in those counties, consequently, overwhelmed.  

 

Is there any way your doctor or someone in his office can get your husband an appointment with a hospital?

 

To answer your question, I never had to use one, but my parents go to a hospital imaging center because they see doctors who work in the hospital outpatient department.  They are very efficient and try to keep patients on schedule.

 

 

 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.


@Foxxee wrote:

Sounds like there aren't enough centers for the number of people living in those counties, consequently, overwhelmed.  

 

Is there any way your doctor or someone in his office can get your husband an appointment with a hospital?

 

To answer your question, I never had to use one, but my parents go to a hospital imaging center because they see doctors who work in the hospital outpatient department.  They are very efficient and try to keep patients on schedule.

 

 

 

 

 


@Foxxee @He's already at the place waiting. If I had known about this before, I would have tried anything to spare him any problems. I'm hoping things go OK today. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: LOUSY IMAGING CENTERS ALL OVER MY AREA. I had no idea this was so prevalent.


@x Hedge wrote:

Wow, that's awful @Mindy D .

My heart goes out to you and your husband on this.

 

 My CT scans are done at a local hospital and I have to say their radiology staff are 1st class.

 

Due to the type of chronic illness I have, I undergo annual Echo or CT scans of neck, heart, lungs, plus a full abdominal with contrast every 8-9 months. All I can think is that you have no choice and your insurance compels you to use an independent imaging center.

 

In anticipating paperwork and billing errors, is there one your insurance carrier would prefer you deal with?


@x Hedge @I don't know if his insurance won't allow a hospital imaging center. I sure wish I knew about this before today.