How to avoid long MRI waiting list?

J_Dublin15

Not sure if this is the right forum but here we go.

Been having problems with headaches and dizziness and pressure for past few weeks, been to GP and he refereed me to neurologist in the Mater who agreed to see me but he has a waiting list of several months, and then another several months for any scans that need doing. That is useless to me.

I have thought about trying to go via A+E to get a scan to rule out what is going on, but A+E told me that if that happens they will just refer me to a public neurologist, the same guy I'm waiting for months to see as they cannot refer me to private imaging centres as that needs to come through a consultant, which I will have to wait several months for. I have been told that my GP cannot refer me to these imaging centres.

I have been told my alternative is that I should go to a private A+E and get them to do a scan for me, unfortunately my insurance would not cover this. Why can I not get A+E or a GP to send me to a private scanning centre. I have many who are willing to do such scans, but the system seems set up in a way that it is impossible to get refereed to them..

J_Dublin15

J_Dublin15 wrote: »

Not sure if this is the right forum but here we go.

Been having problems with headaches and dizziness and pressure for past few weeks, been to GP and he refereed me to neurologist in the Mater who agreed to see me but he has a waiting list of several months, and then another several months for any scans that need doing. That is useless to me.

I have thought about trying to go via A+E to get a scan to rule out what is going on, but A+E told me that if that happens they will just refer me to a public neurologist, the same guy I'm waiting for months to see as they cannot refer me to private imaging centres as that needs to come through a consultant, which I will have to wait several months for. I have been told that my GP cannot refer me to these imaging centres.

I have been told my alternative is that I should go to a private A+E and get them to do a scan for me, unfortunately my insurance would not cover this. Why can I not get A+E or a GP to send me to a private scanning centre. I have many who are willing to do such scans, but the system seems set up in a way that it is impossible to get refereed to them..

I'm not an expert here, but.....I hurt my knee last year, my GP said we should get an MRI on it, I had the MRI within 2 weeks. Now the MRI was at the Mercy University Hospital in Cork, which is a voluntary hospital but the MRI Centre there is a private enterprise, in effect a private imaging centre. I am also certain my Dad's GP referred him to a totally private imaging centre, Euromedics in Cork (there is also one in Dundrum, Dublin).

Taken from Euromedics website
MRI, CT, DXA, Mammography and Ultrasound are by appointment only. General X-Rays are available as a walk-in service with a doctor’s referral letter.

To make an appointment you will need to get a referral letter from your doctor, or ask your doctor to fill out one of Euromedic Ireland’s referral forms. Your doctor will be able to advise you what sort of scan is suitable for your condition. One of our appointment centre team will then call you to arrange an appointment once we have received your referral letter.

So who exactly is telling you that you need to be referred by a consultant?

beeno67

Go back and discuss with your GP or if not happy go to a different GP. You are assuming you will need a scan. Why? The vast majority of people with headaches do not need a scan. Discuss your options and possible diagnoses. Ask GP for the results of his examination and any tests/investigations already done. If GP feels there is something serious going on then he can try and fast track your appointment.

J_Dublin15

I am loathe to discuss my condition in detail here as I know that is not what this forum is about and I don't want to get things banned. My headaches are very severe and include dizziness so much that I cannot work right now. These have come on suddenly in the last two weeks and each days it gets worse and closer to a blackout. My pain is not relieved by any painkillers. I am in pain 24x7 for the last two weeks.

But the tests and the examinations done thus far suggest that there is nothing obviously wrong as for my GP can see and he says it needs further diagnosis including a scan because he has exhausted all what he can do. He said he cannot be sure what type of scan is needed because he is not an expert in this area.

I have been told the quickest I can get an appointment via fast track is a few months, with a normal appointment being a few months more, this is because the majority of the neurologists in Dublin are only operating publicly part time as they spend their most time privately.

I am told the average wait, from the hospital where I have been refereed to for a consultant appointment, is 3 months for a urgent scan or nearly twice that for a standard scan. So right now I can't even work or think properly so I need to wait months for an appointment and then a few more months to actually have a scan done.

I am told if it gets much worse go to A&E, but I have been told if I go to A&E they cannot refer me to a private imaging clincs, as these clinics will only accept GP or Consultant referral, they will not take a referral from A&E, if A&E refer me for a scan I need to go to through the public system, and the several months wait.

The current situation is made worse as my normal GP is on holiday and I'm having to deal with a Locum.

I am sorry to hear about your illness. Maybe if you rang a private imaging centre and your health insurance provider, they could tell you all you need to know about who needs to refer you, etc. Also I'm sure the GP could narrow it down to referring you for an MRI scan, a CT scan or a PET scan. If the CT scan picked up nothing, then try the MRI. The wait sounds horrible and a relative of mine faced a similar dilemma, so went to Euromedics, on foot of his doctors referral.

J_Dublin15

I rang Charter Medical imaging centre in Smithfield, they have a Mater clinic below them which is similar to VHI Swiftcare staffed by registrars, they said they'd see me for 100 euro, so I thought they would be able to refer me upstairs for the scan, as it seems so simple and logical when they are in the same building.

The mater urgent care centre on site is managed by Charter, but as they are registrars downstairs and not consultants or GP's they cannot process a valid referal from what I have been told.

I am with Quinn for insurance who deal with direct payment for MRI with Charter and CT with Euromedic,on a GP or Consultant referal so I don't have to pay for any of these scans as I'm covered, I just have more of a problem getting the scan sorted itself.

beeno67

Your best bet would be to get a second opinion. Your locum GP does not sound too sure, both with your diagnosis and with getting you seen. Don't concentrate too much on the scan. You may need one you may not. There are many, many causes of headaches with or without dizziness. Get a second opinion.

RobFowl

FTR I'm a GP.
Your GP can refer you for a private MRI and if it is covered by your policy then you don't have to pay for it.
This will not interfere with your public appointment.
Worst case scenario is that the condition being tested for is not on the list of designated conditions and then you will have to pay for the MRI (approx €250 in Euromedic).

kelle

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=64968620&postcount=5

What region are you living in, OP?

If you live in the northeast, you can get an MRI done in Drogheda free on the public system provided you have been referred by a Consultant in either of the 5 hospitals (Cavan, Monaghan, Navan, Drogheda or Dundalk) - and the waiting list is not very long.

TheBunk1

I'm not sure what insurance cover you have. I'm with VHI and have had 3 MRI's done sice April, with a maximum wait of 10 days. Initially Iwent to my GP and he advised me to try either South Infirmary or Euromedic in Cork (I live in Cork) but that I may have to pay part of the cost but I could later claim all this back. In the end I went to the consultants private clinic at CUH which was completely covered by my policy.