By MATTHEW HOLT
(I’m sharing this here for easy access as it has garnered over 65 comments on LinkedIn. The situation is too frustrating to detail completely,but I’ve now been transferred four times during a single call to marinhealth, attempting to schedule an echocardiogram (EDIT-not an EKG as I initially stated). They have misplaced my referral from One Medical on two occasions. fortunately, I was able to download the referral and send it via email (thankfully it’s accessible through the One Medical platform). Each representative has requested my date of birth and phone number. The last person who received my email read the referral but then transferred me again. The current representative seems confused and insists that I need to fax him the referral. Eventually, he connects me wiht his supervisor who informs me that radiology and cardiology departments operate separately and cannot accept emails due to HIPAA regulations. (I jokingly pretended to be someone else just for a laugh). Now I’m left figuring out how to fax them this document while waiting for a promised callback from the supervisor—who also had to ask for my phone number….
I should mention that while booking an echocardiogram through MyChart is not possible, scheduling a mammogram is straightforward.
I’ll provide updates in the comments section. By the way, that phone call lasted 19 minutes.
UPDATE: after some effort, I managed to send them a fax using a questionable e-fax service whose “free trial” I must remember to cancel later. The supervisor did return my call; however, there was an issue with my phone not ringing! He left me a message confirming an appointment—but at their facility in another county! (Sonoma is stunning though). This means I’ll have a 45-minute drive instead of just ten minutes from home. While I can see this appointment in UCSF MyChart and can cancel it if needed, I’m unable to request any changes or check availability for closer options at this time—so I’ll likely need another call on Monday….
UPDATE: Today’s follow-up resulted in successfully changing my appointment location closer by one day… so stay tuned; I’ll let you know if everything checks out with my heart in two weeks!
A further update: A staff member called unexpectedly and canceled my new appointment as apparently the technician was ill. Still no confirmation about whether or not there’s actually anything beating inside me!
FINAL UPDATE: I’ve finally undergone the echocardiogram! Marin Health utilized an iPad-based fast check-in system which worked quite well—I didn’t recognize whose software they were using though. The procedure itself took about 45 minutes; it felt somewhat like having someone press down on yoru chest continuously throughout! But yes—I do indeed have a heart! More details will follow soon.