We LOST your MRI Film!!

I am so very upset this morning after yesterday, a trying day of trying to find an important MRI performed 7/02/02. I had to change neurologist recently as my Dr. Ford of 38 years retired back in November of 2004. He assured me all records would be secured either by the hospital that did the service or by a company called Iron Mountain that is the business of storing medical records long term.

The above is the preface to my story of my efforts to get copies of important tests to Dr. Swillie. He ask me last Thursday when I had an MRI last on my head as he did not want to repeat any tests I had performed recently. I left his office and called Healthsouth's Highlands Diagnostic Center in Birmingham about an MRI done back in 2002.

Now comes the interesting part. They switched me to records and Mary told me "Mr. Nutter, we have the doctor's written diagnosis of the last MRI but we cannot find or have lost the film?" I ask her if it could be miss-filed or did she have any answer to why it was missing. Mary said "We make copies for the doctors and our records show copies sent to Dr. Ford and Dr. Pappas and possibly Dr. Ennis." I told her I would call her back. Dr. Ford is retired, office closed so that is a dead end. I called Pappas and Ennis office and both said they had no records of the film? Dr. Ennis office said they had gotten a recent phone call (weeks, months?) inquiring about return of this film, but told them then they did not have it. Bottom line, I do not have a copy of an MRI, done with contrast, for a baseline for Dr. Swillie. What do I do?

It is the next day and I am knocking on the door of Highlands Diagnostic Center. I met two ladies at the front desk, and they have films from 1995 and the written copy I mentioned but no film. They repeated the story but this time saying doctors did not returned loaned copies as they are suppose to. I then ask that most important question, "But what about the original you keep on file for the patient?" "We may have sent this one to Dr. Ford by secure medical messenger as he was so good about returning film." The key one is MAY HAVE!

I thanked them for what they gave me, really no seeing anything additional I could do right then. I walked back to my car on their back parking lot, unlocked the doors, put the film on the seat, and sat down. Something was nagging me and I could not start the car! I called Dr. Swillie's office and they told me about Iron Mountain, the medical records depository here in Birmingham. I am not leaving, no I can't leave without pushing this issue while I am here. What is it they say about when preparation meets opportunity...I am here NOW!

I locked my car and back in the front door of HealthSouth HDC. I immediately see two women with owl eyes, not able to suppress their surprise! I would guess they have been on the phone with someone and now "he's back!" I went back up to the desk and politely ask to talk to, no see Mary, the lady I talk to in records. Mary soon arrived and we talked again about how the film may have come up missing. BUT she added that she had only been doing this for about 6 months and from the different hand writing and entries on the cover sheet to my records, this job has been passed around to several people. It appeared that over the last 2 or 3 years, several people have just filled in on this most important file keeping. She said their are procedures they go through when film is not returned in a timely manner. She admitted from our conversation that their were some ugly gaps in this job.

I was talking a little louder by now, questioning again what other steps they were going to take to 'make the problem' go away. The problem is ME! I suggested you can do one thing, and that is to do the MRI without exercising my Blue Cross card. They cannot blame the doctors when you lose the original which in my opinion should never be loaned out or leave the building for any reason. I told them there was an easy way and a hard way to take care of this problem. They can just read between the lines just as you are doing.

I called Iron Mountian Depository from HealthSouth HDC inquiring about this particular film to see if by chance Dr. Ford sent his ocpy to them when he closed his office. I will hear from them by Monday or Tuesday. When I hung up from Iron Mountain, I told all 3 women at HealthSouth, I would be back in touch if Iron Mountain does not have the film.

I walked out and would love to have been a fly on the wall before these #11's hit the sidewalk. I can hear the conversation with the legal department without even trying hard. News, of course, will be at 11:00. Jeff Nutter, Jr.