Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Does Anyone Read My Notes?

Dear Dr. Bozo,

I'm not sure if you're lazy, or stupid, or too busy, or all of the above.

I appreciate you sending Mrs. Oldlady to me. Her symptoms certainly were concerning for a TIA, so I ordered a work-up.

Her MRI yesterday showed a small right brain stroke, while the MRA showed a critically narrowed right carotid artery.

I saw her urgently this morning, and set up plans to change her medications and to see a vascular surgeon. After she left I quickly typed up a letter to you summarizing my plan. Since I believe in good communication, I faxed over all the MRI/MRA reports with my letter.

I therefore found it comical that about an hour after I faxed it over, your office immediately faxed the MRI report AND MY OWN NOTES back to me, with your handwriting on the report saying "HAS HAD STROKE! GET HER INTO A NEUROLOGIST ASAP!"

13 comments:

Heather said...

What an Idiot! Geez, what kind of office is he running? Sent back your own notes! OMG!

The Good Cook said...

Wow... what good advice to send her neurologist - get her to a neurologist... and I thought my teenagers never read my notes....

The D-Bag Daily said...

Sounds like the referring physician could use a consult for himself!

The Mother said...

Classically hilarious.

Guess you're just chopped liver, eh?

chadandnikki said...

I work for a surgeon and we see this all the time from PCP. Read the notes, that's why we send them!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. Grumpy,
Love your blog, read it daily. I work as a Unit Secretary in a busy cardiac unit at a hospital. I can tell you it is the NORM--Dr.'s don't bother to read each other's notes or orders. I'll be going into work in a few hours. I can guarantee you that there will be charts with orders from three different doctors 'consulting' on a patient...with their orders written on the same page no less...and they will say the same thing. One might say order 'cbc', another 'complete blood count'. It really makes me wonder sometimes...if they can't pay attention to such simple details, how did they make it through Med School?
(Rhetorical question)
Keep up the great work.

Anonymous said...

Now you're just feeding my doctor avoidance paranoia!!!

ERP said...

You are right. He no read.

Flavius said...

Haha, sounds like he concurred :)

-Flavius

Anonymous said...

groundhog day, Bill Murray.

you keep seeing the same patient over and over...

Maha said...

Professionalism and communication fail.

John Woolman said...

Dr Alzheimer has a prosperous practice. It must be so for he sees new patients every day.

Dragonfly said...

I would send back an appointment card for him for his alexia. Assuming Dr Bozo is male.

 
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