Prayers for orangeredblooded

#331
#331
Thank you for asking, someone from the local VA called last week to investigate a complaint coming from Washington on my behalf, on the hold up. The lady told me that she was looking at my MRI and didn't understand the urgency. I asked if she was sure she was looking at my latest MRI. She said "yes, the one you took in April". That really through me off, I told her, no the one I had done in first of March. Apparently, she was looking at one from 2 years ago. Nashville VA hasn't updated my files with new reports yet and until they do, no one can give me a consult. So, I'm in limbo.
 
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#333
#333
Orangeredblooded said:
Thank you for asking, someone from the local VA called last week to investigate a complaint coming from Washington on my behalf, on the hold up. The lady told me that she was looking at my MRI and didn't understand the urgency. I asked if she was sure she was looking at my latest MRI. She said "yes, the one you took in April". That really through me off, I told her, no the one I had done in first of March. Apparently, she was looking at one from 2 years ago. Nashville VA hasn't updated my files with new reports yet and until they do, no one can give me a consult. So, I'm in limbo.
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That frustrates me for you.
 
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#334
#334
Orangeredblooded said:
Thank you for asking, someone from the local VA called last week to investigate a complaint coming from Washington on my behalf, on the hold up. The lady told me that she was looking at my MRI and didn't understand the urgency. I asked if she was sure she was looking at my latest MRI. She said "yes, the one you took in April". That really through me off, I told her, no the one I had done in first of March. Apparently, she was looking at one from 2 years ago. Nashville VA hasn't updated my files with new reports yet and until they do, no one can give me a consult. So, I'm in limbo.
Click to expand...

I gave you like because I felt you deserved something and that's the best I can do for you.

Sounds like a PITA. Hate it for ya.
 
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#335
#335
Orangeredblooded said:
Thank you for asking, someone from the local VA called last week to investigate a complaint coming from Washington on my behalf, on the hold up. The lady told me that she was looking at my MRI and didn't understand the urgency. I asked if she was sure she was looking at my latest MRI. She said "yes, the one you took in April". That really through me off, I told her, no the one I had done in first of March. Apparently, she was looking at one from 2 years ago. Nashville VA hasn't updated my files with new reports yet and until they do, no one can give me a consult. So, I'm in limbo.
Click to expand...
Was the MRI done at a VA facility, or an outside provider?

If it was done at a VA, it will be in CPRS and viewable by any VA employee who needs to see it.

If it was done outside (sounds like it was), it might be one of two things:

(1) Outside provider has sent it to the Nashville VA, and scanning hasn’t added it to VistA Imaging yet. Call Nashville VA HIM (Health Information Management), ask for ROI (Release of Information), and raise hell. 615-327-4751 Be sure to have the date of the MRI and the name of the outside provider. Tell them that this is a life-threatening condition and they have until COB (close of business) today (or noon tomorrow if you don’t see this right away) to upload it and notify whichever VA physician is in charge of your case. Tell them you’ll do another Congressional on them if it’s not in by 4:30 Central today. Another contact number: Privacy/FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Officer: 615-873-6953. No telling how current these numbers are. Here’s where I got them: Phone Directory - Tennessee Valley Healthcare System

(2) Outside provider has NOT sent the electronic file to the VA, possibly holding it hostage demanding payment from the VA Community Care office (aka “fee”). If so, call the outside provider (radiology practice and or hospital), demand to speak to their Compliance Officer, tell him/her that they are in violation of HIPAA for withholding critical medical information (“Continuity of Patient Care”), and that you’ll be filing a complaint with the federal Office of Civil Rights. (That’s the agency for unlawful disclosure of patient info, so it should be the same agency for refusing to share.) This probably isn’t the exact jargon these days, but it should be a start.

As a patient, you have the right to EVERYTHING in your patient record. The healthcare provider owns the physical record (printed files, electronic, etc.), but the patient owns the content - the patient information - of the record.

If you REALLY want to stir things up, call Cynthia Breyfogle, the director of the VISN 9 network: Leadership Team - VA MidSouth Healthcare Network. You’ll probably get her Executive Assistant, but that should work. Bwah hah hah 1556213947607.gif Heck, I’d let Ms Breyfogle know that you had to do all this, even if you get speedy resolution. She’s death on crap like this, which is one of the reasons that the Nashville/Murfreesboro VA is a 1-star station out of 5 in SAIL (VA’s quality measurement system.)
 
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#337
#337
VolNExile said:
Was the MRI done at a VA facility, or an outside provider?

If it was done at a VA, it will be in CPRS and viewable by any VA employee who needs to see it.

If it was done outside (sounds like it was), it might be one of two things:

(1) Outside provider has sent it to the Nashville VA, and scanning hasn’t added it to VistA Imaging yet. Call Nashville VA HIM (Health Information Management), ask for ROI (Release of Information), and raise hell. 615-327-4751 Be sure to have the date of the MRI and the name of the outside provider. Tell them that this is a life-threatening condition and they have until COB (close of business) today (or noon tomorrow if you don’t see this right away) to upload it and notify whichever VA physician is in charge of your case. Tell them you’ll do another Congressional on them if it’s not in by 4:30 Central today. Another contact number: Privacy/FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Officer: 615-873-6953. No telling how current these numbers are. Here’s where I got them: Phone Directory - Tennessee Valley Healthcare System

(2) Outside provider has NOT sent the electronic file to the VA, possibly holding it hostage demanding payment from the VA Community Care office (aka “fee”). If so, call the outside provider (radiology practice and or hospital), demand to speak to their Compliance Officer, tell him/her that they are in violation of HIPAA for withholding critical medical information (“Continuity of Patient Care”), and that you’ll be filing a complaint with the federal Office of Civil Rights. (That’s the agency for unlawful disclosure of patient info, so it should be the same agency for refusing to share.) This probably isn’t the exact jargon these days, but it should be a start.

As a patient, you have the right to EVERYTHING in your patient record. The healthcare provider owns the physical record (printed files, electronic, etc.), but the patient owns the content - the patient information - of the record.

If you REALLY want to stir things up, call Cynthia Breyfogle, the director of the VISN 9 network: Leadership Team - VA MidSouth Healthcare Network. You’ll probably get her Executive Assistant, but that should work. Bwah hah hah View attachment 203288 Heck, I’d let Ms Breyfogle know that you had to do all this, even if you get speedy resolution. She’s death on crap like this, which is one of the reasons that the Nashville/Murfreesboro VA is a 1-star station out of 5 in SAIL (VA’s quality measurement system.)
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Outside provider and I’m the one that delivered it to local VA, even made copies to keep. Thank you for the information. Off from work tomorrow so I can work on this crap.
 
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#338
#338
Orangeredblooded said:
Outside provider and I’m the one that delivered it to local VA, even made copies to keep. Thank you for the information. Off from work tomorrow so I can work on this crap.
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Oh, now if the Knoxville CBOC is sitting on it, that’s awful.

Alternatively, they sent it to either Murfreesboro or Nashville VA scanning, and THEY'RE sitting on it. (I know that when I worked there, the CBOC didn’t have the capacity to scan in something like an MRI file.

Or geeze, they sent it to Mountain Home in Johnson City...

Raise hell!
 
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#340
#340
Thanks, volly!

I am proud of my 17-some-odd year career of annoying the hell out of VA bureaucracy. 1556219023821.gif

It’s really a process issue and needs the attention of a systems redesign team. That was a priority for about a year and a half before the DC Game of Thrones replaced everyone again.
 
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