The story of my attempt to gain access to my MRI and CT scans continues.
I do at least know have copies of both and that is where it is stalled.
I have put a redacted MRI image on the side bar of my blog site, but if you are reading this you have probably already seen it.
So here is part two of the story.
But first a quick summary of events so far (for a more detailed account see previous post - My MRI Scan - What Rot!). As is my legal right I requested copies of the MRI and CT scans that I had taken when I was in hospital after my last Stroke (see posts - Hospital - Admission, Hospital - Inpatient and Hospital Discharge) only to be told that it was impossible as I had AppleMac computers.
The answer to the question I posed at the end of my first post on this subject is - A Long Time.
In early April 2016 NH the RIS Co-ordinator at the hospital informed me that she was looking into the matter with the intention of getting the scans to me as soon as possible.
On the 29th of April I received an email from her in which she confirmed the results of her investigations were that there was no software that would allow Mac users to view the scans as they could in hospital. She did however assure me that she could provide a disc with JPEG images on but as it would have to be unencrypted I would have to go to the Radiology Department to pick it up personally. She also said that if this was acceptable to me she would go ahead and would let me know when the disc was ready.
On the 3rd of May I replied that I was happy that NH had found way round the issue and asked if it would be possible to email the images to me.
I waited.
On the 27th of May I decided that the waiting had gone on long enough so sent another email to NH which I copied into SK (Patient Administrator), in which I asked if she had an answer to my question about emailing the images to me. Within moments I received n automatic response from NH telling me that she was not checking her emails “on a regular basis”. Twenty minutes later I received a reply from SK In which she claimed to have sent me two emails during May, one on the 11th and the other on the 12th. SK confirmed that she had agreed with NH that she would produce an unencrypted disc and if I was happy she would post it out recorded delivery. I sent a reply thanking her and giving my permission.
I expected an another disc to be winging its way to me by in the very near future.
On the 10th of June I got tired of waiting.
It had been more than six months since my first contact with the hospital and I have to say that I was frustrated and perhaps a little angry.
I asked for the telephone number of the Cheif Executive Officer. Within moments I found myself talking the to a lady called RT who was actually the PA to the Chairman but was covering for the Chief Executive’s PA while she was on holiday. I told her my story and she promised to look into it and get back to me. A few minutes later she was back on the phone when she told me that she was asking the head of IT, a gentleman by the name of MS, to look into the issue and almost immediately I received a copy of an email that she had sent. Hot on the heel of this one an automatic reply landed in my inbox which indicated that MS was out of the office. As there were contact details for MS I dialled the number. The phone was answered by a member of his team who listened while I went through my story again. The young man who told his name was PT agreed that the software for scans was not compatible with AppleMacs but that it should be easy to find a way round the problem. He left me with the promise that he would get back to me.
Again I prepared to wait but this time is was only that afternoon when I got a phone call from PT telling me that he had Flash Drive containing JPEG images of both my CT and MRI scan and asked me what I wanted him to do with it.
The Partner hand Step-daughter where on holiday in Corfu and I was fairly sure that work would be quiet on the Monday so I asked if it was possible for me to pick it up in person. He agreed that it should be possible but he would leave it for SK to make the arraignments. Not long after that call ended SK was on the line confirming that she could leave the Flash Drive with reception for me to collect. She did tell me that as it contain private information I would have to provide a form of identity.
On the Monday I made sure that I had my laptop with me and after making a few deliveries I made my way to the Hospital. When I gave the receptionist my name and told that I was expecting a packet to be waiting for me she dug out a white DL envelope which she handed to me after I had shown her my Driving Licence. Taking my laptop and the packet to a table in a small cafe area near by I got myself a coffee and them ripped open the envelope and emptied the black Flash Drive into my hand. Inserting it in to one of the two USB slots of my laptop I was not surprised to see a window open asking for a code to be entered, even though SK had told me that it would be unencrypted. Taking the letter I received with the first PC disc I entered the code that was printed at the bottom of the page. To my irritation it had no effect. I phoned PT from IT who confirmed that he had used the same code as had been used on the first CD. When I read the him the code as it appeared on the letter he told me it was a digit short. When I inserted the now complete code the Flash Drive sprang open to reveal two folders: one labeled CT Scan which contained 345 images and the other called MRI Scan with 623 images.
When I called SK to thank her she told me that she was pleased to finally completed my request even if it was a long way outside the 40 days that the government tells organisations have to do so. She also told me that the only reason it had been resolved so rapidly was because I had gone to the CEO!
HOW SAD IS THAT?
So now I had the images that I wanted.
All I needed now was someone to interpret them for me!
The story continues ………
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