Do you guys remember waaaay back, over a year ago when John was in hospital and I discovered that he had been misled into believing his test for diabetes was negative when in fact, it was positive and his blood sugar was 566 upon admission?
Well, (refresher here), he had been losing weight at a really alarming rate and so had figured he must have diabetes. We have never known anyone with this disease before and really had nothing to go on besides Wikipedia and medical websites, but it seemed obvious.
Also, understand that John was adopted, so there was no family history.
So, he made an appointment and went in and got his blood drawn and peed in a cup and just basically gave them all the info he could.
For some reason I will never understand the doctor didn’t just prick his finger right there in the office and look at a glucose meter. But, who am I to wonder at the wise and mysterious ways of quacks?
Aaaaanyway, a couple of days later the chick with the test results called and told John he was fine. His cholesterol was just a tad high-he needed to work on that.
He came right out and asked her, “So… I don’t have diabetes?”
“Oh, no, Mr. Lopez.” He was good to go.
So now, I am panicked. How could he have lost literally close to 60 lbs in 2 1/2 months?
Crap.
You know what I was thinking, don’t you? Cancer. And so was John.
We were scared to death.
OK, cutting to the chase now. That was in February. In October John was admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure and that’s when his blood sugar was 566.
I had the presence of mind to call the old doctor that USED to see him and ask for a copy of those test results from back in February.
You guessed it. He was very clearly diabetic. It was circled and everything. It was on the page after the cholesterol count and apparently she just hadn’t bothered to look at it.
Color me livid. And panicked, since there was some misinformation at the bottom of the page that said he tested positive for some kind of cancer. Come to find out that bit of info was for another patient and John was fine, which we knew as soon as the hospital ran the same test on him.
OK, now. Guess what I received in the mail from the same clinic that screwed up the delivery of his test results? Go ahead. You never will.
Unless you are skipping ahead before I tell you…
Are you?
Stop it!
OK. I received the test results for a Juan Lopez. Along with his correct address on the INSIDE.
The good news is Juan’s culture was negative. The bad news is I’m pretty sure I am supposed to be oblivious to this.
When I called the clinic and told them I had his test results in my hand there was a lot of gasping and a collective “Oops!”. They asked me if I would please mail it back to them. I asked why not just tear it up and throw it away? She indicated I could do anything I want with it, but they would prefer I mail it back to them.
I would prefer they get their shit together and communicate better with their clients.
Too much to ask?
AND, Is it evil of me to want to just hop in the car with this and run it over to Juan’s house and hand deliver it while explaining why it’s opened and the envelope is addressed to a John Lopez?
11 comments
Comment by Kristina P. on April 12, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Oh, wow! What a roller coaster!
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Comment by Grandma J on April 12, 2011 at 6:30 pm
They want you to mail it back so they can destroy the evidence, and you don’t sue them, or go to the press with it!
You are an angel, and I would consider taking it to Juan, but then I don’t know if it would scare him.
Pray for Henrietta to cast a spell!
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Comment by Red Hamster on April 12, 2011 at 7:19 pm
I would SO hand-deliver that test result to poor Juan, and tell him John’s story, so that Juan can get himself to a different clinic.
Grandma J is right, and funny.
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Comment by Karen on April 13, 2011 at 5:33 am
Wow, that is unbelievable. A screw-up of the proportion they did with John was bad enough, although you could argue that everyone makes mistakes. But obviously this office is full of idiots. I’d be sooo tempted to do something with that. And by “something” I mean walk into their office and loudly (so the whole waiting room can hear) explain to the receptionist what happened. Again.
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Comment by Nan on April 13, 2011 at 5:58 am
You should call him up… who knows whether he’ll ever get the right results?
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Comment by noe noe girl on April 13, 2011 at 6:25 am
Call him up and get him to meet you at the clinic and let those clowns explain it all to both of you! Freekin Zeroes!
Comment by K on April 13, 2011 at 10:53 am
That is alarming! I think I’d call him – he should know what’s going on.
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Comment by Kori on April 13, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Am I really the only one wondering if you took the time to google what kind of culture they were testing Juan for? Because I am a little sick I guess.
Comment by AF on April 14, 2011 at 2:29 am
Never, never, never, NEVER trust what medics say UNLESS you have an old fashioned doctor who actually KNOWS you and you know them!
It doesn’t matter HOW good the modern clinic may be, the bureaucracy behind it it just crap and the doctor could be reading the wrong notes, he/she could do tests (as in your John’s case) and all the rest, but it they can’t put the right information with the right patient, it’s meaningless and you’re screwed!
Very good post and I’m glad that at least things do appear to be getting sorted out at last – no thanks to the idiots at the clinic!
PS: I agree completely with noe noe girl…
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Comment by Roger on April 15, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Thank goodness the government is going to take over so none of this will ever happen again. 😉
I would take the results and Juan to the clinic and speak in your outdoor voices about how effed up they are. Then I would try to find a new doctor/clinic – if that’s even possible.
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Comment by Mr. Corvette on April 24, 2011 at 4:33 pm
SOMETIMES it helps to go directly to the doctor and the clinic administrator. So long as you are talking to the people who made the mistake, nothing will be corrected. You should make an appointment to see the doctor and the administrator and outline to them everything that has happened. If possible, get Juan to go with you. Most likely, someone was looking for Juan, saw a listing for John,and ASSUMED it was the same person. It is just an example of laziness. It is also a clear violation of HIPPA laws which require strict confidentiality of medical records. They just sent a portion of Juan’s medical records to you. Makes you wonder who might have yours or John’s.
The most conservative estimates are that 90,000 people DIE each year from medical negligence. That does not include those who are just injured or made ill. Not to diminish what happened on 9/11, but less than 4,000 people died in that incident. Then look at the response to that incident and all the money spent to prevent another attack and what we have to go through to get on an airplane. Yet 90,000 (yes ninety thousand) die every year from medical negligence and the only response by governmental entities is to pass “tort reform” and limit the rights of the people killed an injured by doctors and their personnel. Am I the only one who sees a problem here?
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