My sister, who is closing in on 88, had been having unexplained bouts of fatigue. To diagnose this situation, her GP recommended some tests at the Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center of Dignity Health. After a two-week wait my sister arrived for her appointment. Here’s her report:
“Don and I entered through a large automatic door to find an
enormous glass room buzzing with staff. Nearby were a myriad of chairs filled
with waiting clients looking as confused as I was. I approached the wide desk,
manned by several harried people, and told them why I was there. They sent me
to the second floor. This required a ride on an elevator whose buttons were so
obscure we couldn’t find them.
Eventually we found our floor and were directed down a long
hallway (while I’m thinking of heart patients more feeble than I). We came to
another huge, glassed area with a bleak, sterile atmosphere. Again, we had to trek
down a long hall past another crowd of people in chairs before arriving at a
reception cubicle behind glass.
Then began the sign-in. I was required to sign in while I
stood at a computer that I couldn’t make work properly. Don assisted and
finally—with the help of a man in one of the chairs—we managed. Behind her
glass and desk, the impatient receptionist gave me an ID bracelet and ordered
me to wait. We sat for a while, and I was then ushered down another hall by a
tech.
The tech looked me over, including at my walking stick, and
she and her partner agreed that they wanted an OK before administering the stress
test on a treadmill. They consulted a doc down the hall who didn’t emerge from
an office, and that invisible person decided the stress test wasn’t safe for
me. They sent me home.”
Update: My sister’s GP received an email from the Dignity
people. The message said, “Patient refuses to get on the treadmill.” My sister
was appalled and I am furious. They never even asked if she wanted to give it a
try! Plus they lied! I wonder if she'll get a bill. Grrrr.
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