tnt said:
CDAGRIZ said:
This blows. Hang in there. Side note: if they've already read the MRI, that is some speedy freaking non-emergent radiology!
MRI's are read within minutes. If not by the staff radiologist by a contract service. In Missoula that service happens to be in Australia. India is also a popular choice. The reading is s quick, the results are in the ER docs hands often before the patient is back from the pricedure area.
Emergent MRIs, yes. Twenty minutes is the rough average target for a turnaround time for a telerad service (although that is for a high volume ER, certainly not Bozeman).
Non-emergent MRIs, such as those for a shoulder injury, are usually around 2-3 days, especially over the weekend. Now, the hospital could have definitely made DM's MRI a stat, since he's the quarterback of the most important team in town. It looks like that is exactly what must have happened here.
All in all, your blanket statement that "MRIs are read within minutes" is patently false.