Discussion: MRI

Holy crap, that was fast! Your car engine is probably still warm from the ski trip where you twisted your knee!

Alberta, the land of money and privilege. Kidding. We submitted the request on Monday afternoon for a public MRI, with the intent that I would be open to paying for a private MRI if the public wait time was longer than I wanted. I heard back on Tuesday morning that they could take me on Tuesday at 3:30 (in Calgary). Either they had a cancellation or just aren't busy during Covid.

Holy crap. I just assumed you paid. That’s super fast. Same thing happened with my corneal transplant. I was told previously that I’d be on the list for 3-4 months, but got scheduled less than 2 weeks after my initial appointment. COVID.

Health care providers would rather do procedures on younger, healthier people right now, I guess.

Sounds like a cancellation though MRI capacity has been improving lately (in BC at least).

I don't think it is the health care providers making the choice of younger patients - more likely older patients turning down dates. I have many patients who are very averse to doing anything at the hospital and this is in a setting where our hospital has no COVID patients.

This was at the old Children’s Hospital building in Calgary. It has been repurposed as solely a diagnostic facility (MRIs and CTs). While people wouldn’t have to worry about the building hosting Covid patients, they probably don’t know which facility they would get sent to so they just choose to delay non-urgent scans.

We find the same thing with dental patients. Richard won’t see elderly patients right now unless they have an urgent need, and he is delaying most non-urgent aerosol-generating procedures for younger patients. On top of that, some patients just feel nervous about visiting any health care facility so they postpone their appointments. The result is: more skiing and snowshoeing this winter.