I came here for an MRI with contrast (MRI with IV). I get this done often to monitor a liver issue. So I gave the tech a heads up that the best way to do the IV was in the hand, since my veins are harder to find in my arms. Usually the techs can do my hands quite easily. But this tech really struggled. He tried both hands, both arms. He kept slapping my hand until it was hurting and I had to ask him to stop. Eventually he finally succeeded in getting the catheter in. I had expressed my concern in being late for bloodwork appt in Newport Beach, because of the delay in which it took him so long to do the IV. He said I should leave the catheter in my arm from this appointment, when going to the next appointment. He said I would thank him. And that my bloodwork Dr would be thanking him. Because they wouldn't have to struggle to find a vein (even though I told him my bloodwork Dr never has any trouble). I told the MRI tech that leaving the catheter in made me nervous, what if blood started coming out while Im driving on the freeway? He insisted it was a good idea.
When I arrived at my bloodwork appointment an hour later in Newport I was told that they cannot touch a catheter that someone else put in because its a medical liability, and if I were to get an infection from the MRI tech's work, I could hold the bloodwork lab accountable. I begged the lab to just remove it for me so I didn't have to turn around and drive another hour in traffic back to Crown Valley Imaging to have it removed, but they said they can't and said the MRI tech should have known better. I called every urgent care in the area, begging them to take the catheter out for me. They all told me the same thing. Its a medical liability and the MRI tech should have known not to leave it in.
Not only did I miss my bloodwork appointment because of the delay at Crown Valley Imaging with the IV (and the lab wouldn't touch me when they saw the catheter in my arm) but I also had to cancel plans with my family in Huntington Beach to turn around and drive an hour right back to Crown Valley Imaging in rush hour traffic to have the catheter removed. When I got there I asked to speak with the Clinic Manager (Eric) who couldn't have cared less. He said "can you not say anything to upset the tech, because its his birthday". Are you kidding me?! Beyond unprofessional. He had no concern for the patient's horrible experience and his only concern was not to hurt the tech's feelings. I knew I would never come back here again simply because of the thoughtless manager.
Then, I got a call from someone named Joseph at Crown Valley Imaging, saying they needed me to provide them with my results to my MRIs done elsewhere (which seemed odd) but I emailed them to the company's email (scheduling@cvimaging.net) but the email bounced back. So I tried calling Joseph back for an hour. I tried over and over and just kept reaching people who barely spoke English, who said they knew nothing about Crown Valley asking me for those MRI reports. They admitted they didn't work at Crown Valley and were an outsourced call center. I asked them to please have Crown Valley call me back.
So Eric, the manager calls me back after my lunch hour is over and says "yeah we have had to deal with you before", as if the patient is inconveniencing him by trying to provide the MRI studies that their office called me to request! I said, "excuse me, what is that supposed to mean? Are you referring to when your tech wrongly left the catheter in my arm and I had to drive an hour back to have you remove it"?. And Eric replies "you're just being you. I don't care to continue this conversation", trying to imply that the patient is somehow at fault.
This Clinic Manager has no empathy for patients and has no common sense on how to speak to human beings in general. He should be removed from this position immediately. I called a lawyer regarding everything that happened, and they confirmed that this is "medical negligence".
As if the issue with the catheter and the careless manager are not bad enough, the MRI tech had the cord to the headset you wear around my neck when I was put back into the MRI machine after the IV was put in, and it was choking me. I couldn't breathe, so I had to rip off the headset. And then the MRI was so loud without the headset covering my ears, that my Fibromyalgia pain levels flared way up and I was suffering. I would have pressed the emergency button they give you, but the MRI tech told me ahead of time that if I pressed that button for help, I would have to start all over with the procedure. Tramatizing experience, and this is from someone who gets MRIs and IVs regularly. read more