Community Chat

[scotttie]

I just had another thought. This DOB deal could be a problem when focksie seeks reimbursement from the insurance company! They will want the DOB to be correct for reimbursement. Have you had any issue there focksie?

[skuggles]

This is so typical of the health care system now. Get it redone or get it writing. No way of proving that it is in fact your imaging result, unless you have an identifying mark like a titanium clip left behind to mark the area or something. Even then who knows. Can't tell you the breadth and scope of medical errors ,clerical and otherwise, that I've personally run into lately. It could make your head spin.

[dandyoo]

On 3/18/2014 beammeupscottie said:

On 3/18/2014 BlueCollarBabe said:

Focksie, listen to me. I am in the medical field and I do not believe that you have to endure another painful arduous biopsy. The imaging center will have the actual biopsy films, slides, whatever. Have your doctor or you yourself go there and explain what happened. Show them the erroneous report. Have them recheck that the results are indeed of your biopsied tissue. Those would be clearly labeled with your name, medical #, etc..

You are right in being concerned and you want there to be no doubt that the report is yours but it should not have to involve a redo.

Hello Focksie!

Blue Collar Babe has given you excellent advice. Indeed if you want to go further take your results to another doctor.

Another point that is, I think, important is this. No more phone calls. Do everything in writing. Writing shows that you are documenting your case.

You have a right to have this issue taken seriously. You are NOT overreacting.

That's a good point. And if someone else is involved you may not only be helping yourself but that person. Human error isn't malpractice, but if an error is brought to attention and nothing done to correct it, then it is legally important. You could start by sending a letter documenting the entire course of events to your doctor, and cc the imaging lab, and whoever else has a part in this.

[maryebrown_1]

We had several patients in our Orthopedic office with the same names. We put a sticker on the front of their charts with SAME NAME ALERT, since they were filed alphabetically. Their superbill was printed out the day before and paper clipped to the front of the chart for the next day's visit. Once in a blue moon, the wrong chart was pulled, the assessment that the nurse filled out when the pt. was seen was wrong, so the wrong insurance was billed based on a wrong pt.'s superbill.

[moonstone dunes]

It is a good idea to request your medical records even when you no longer are seeing a practitioner. This is just to ensure their data on you is accurate. Some doctors sub out their medical transcription overseas, but commingling of patient records can occur even in-house. Scary...happened to me.

[focksie]

On 3/18/2014 beammeupscottie said:

I just had another thought. This DOB deal could be a problem when focksie seeks reimbursement from the insurance company! They will want the DOB to be correct for reimbursement. Have you had any issue there focksie?

I have an employee insurance plan, so only have to pay a small co-pay for participataing doctors/facilities. Ironically, I just got a bill in today's mail from the imaging center for my insurance co-pay, so they must have submitted my correct DOB to my insurance company and been reimbursed already. I pointed out the DOB error to the registration desk when I first arrived at the imaging center.

[gazelle77]

I just had an interesting phone call....an automated call from my orthopedic surgeons office saying I had an appointment tomorrow.....Which I do not....I called back and the office person said I made the appointment last December for a cortisone shot... I am thinking WHAT? I told her I have had both knees replaced last June, and never have had or made an appointment for a cortisone shot EVER. So she cancelled the appointment like it was no big deal....I wonder if someone else wanted those shots....will show up and have no appointment now?

[maryebrown_1]

On 3/18/2014 gazelle77 said: I just had an interesting phone call....an automated call from my orthopedic surgeons office saying I had an appointment tomorrow.....Which I do not....I called back and the office person said I made the appointment last December for a cortisone shot... I am thinking WHAT? I told her I have had both knees replaced last June, and never have had or made an appointment for a cortisone shot EVER. So she cancelled the appointment like it was no big deal....I wonder if someone else wanted those shots....will show up and have no appointment now?

Probably!

We used Medical Manager software, and the Office Mgr/Receptionist and I both answered the phones, and made appts. We always put a note w/ the appt. about the visit: if it was a follow-up, injection, pre-surgery, post op, etc. If a patient cancelled, we put a note in the system which indicated when they called and why (since just cancelling it, removed them from the schedule)...it was also useful for patients who would request prescription refills without keeping their scheduled appts. (flagged them).

Apparently, they erroneously made an appt. for 'you' and I bet the person who wanted the appt. has a name similar to yours.

[Vamp]

You have to be your own advocate, Focksie. I believe you are doing the right thing by insisting that you get retested.

[Burnsite]

Imaging tests carry a radiation risk, but I would definitely contact your personal physician and also insist that they validate the test.

I would agree with brii about repeating the test, but you didn't say what kind of imaging it involved. Try to resolve it short of reimaging, if that exposes you to radiation.

But if you can't resolve it, it's better to have another test than to not know.

I had a false "negative" once that was probably a mistake, so that is why I am advising that you err on the side of certainty.