How long did it take you to get MRI results back?

[Anonymous]

I have to get a brain MRI every 6 months. I just got mine at Fairfax Radiology, and they say results in 3-5 business days. Tomorrow is day 5 and I still don’t have results, so they are not kidding.

I did a prior MRI at Virginia Hospital Center, and I think it was faster. I’m wondering what everyone else’s experiences have been on turnaround time.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

vhc likely has a portal that you would get results from; i think fairfax doesn't do a portal but would send results to your dr and postal mail you the report.

you could always call and ask.

[Anonymous]

Don’t go to VHC.

[Anonymous]

FRC has usually been very quick with my results - within a day or two. I'd call. And even though they aren't supposed to hold results, if your doctor put release results to doctor then the ordering doctor might have them.

I'll also say Washington Radiology gave me results quickly.

[Anonymous]

Are you connected to Fairfax Radiology’s portal? I could see the knee MRI results by the next business day. (I’m sure reading a knee MRI required less of a deep dive than an MRI of a brain though, to be fair.)

[Anonymous]

OP why are you not going to an actual hospital for the regular MRI? I ask this as a brain tumor patient who only used radiology companies in the very early initial stages of diagnosis, until the hospital / surgical team took over my care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP why are you not going to an actual hospital for the regular MRI? I ask this as a brain tumor patient who only used radiology companies in the very early initial stages of diagnosis, until the hospital / surgical team took over my care.

Because my brain surgeon recommended Fairfax Radiology. And they do have a portal. The MRI just hasn’t been read yet. This is taking absurdly long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP why are you not going to an actual hospital for the regular MRI? I ask this as a brain tumor patient who only used radiology companies in the very early initial stages of diagnosis, until the hospital / surgical team took over my care.

Because my brain surgeon recommended Fairfax Radiology. And they do have a portal. The MRI just hasn’t been read yet. This is taking absurdly long.

Ok that makes sense. It might be taking a long time because they deem it "unremarkable" which is always a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP why are you not going to an actual hospital for the regular MRI? I ask this as a brain tumor patient who only used radiology companies in the very early initial stages of diagnosis, until the hospital / surgical team took over my care.

Because my brain surgeon recommended Fairfax Radiology. And they do have a portal. The MRI just hasn’t been read yet. This is taking absurdly long.

I had an ultrasound at Fairfax and had problems with getting my report. I had to call and ask specifically for them to upload it to my portal. They gave me a bunch of crap about how they are "consultants to physicians" and send the report to the ordering physician. The radiologist who did the reading wouldn't respond to any questions about the report - again saying they are "consultant to physicians" and any question had to come through my physician.

The failure to share the report with the patient is actually against the law (CARES Act? I think). And they did finally upload the doc and images.

I used them at the recommendation of my doc because what I need to see is often hard to capture on imaging and she said this guy was good at this type of ultrasound.

Not a great experience. Not sure I would return unless he is the only guy in DMV who can do what I need.

[Anonymous]

My mom has annual brain MRIs at Fairfax radiology to monitor a stable tumor. I have always scheduled them on a Thursday and made her appointment with the prescribing physician on the following Tuesday. Reliably the results posted to the portal the same day of the MRI or the next day. This year (last month), no results, so I called Fairfax radiology and was told that they’ve changed their turnaround time and it is now 5-7 business days. The person I spoke with put a “wet read” request, when I explained that the appointment was coming up and that I did not know about the increased review time when I scheduled. We had the results within an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t go to VHC.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom has annual brain MRIs at Fairfax radiology to monitor a stable tumor. I have always scheduled them on a Thursday and made her appointment with the prescribing physician on the following Tuesday. Reliably the results posted to the portal the same day of the MRI or the next day. This year (last month), no results, so I called Fairfax radiology and was told that they’ve changed their turnaround time and it is now 5-7 business days. The person I spoke with put a “wet read” request, when I explained that the appointment was coming up and that I did not know about the increased review time when I scheduled. We had the results within an hour.

This is interesting that it’s a change in policy. I could swear that I’ve gotten same day reports in the past — late in the day on the day of the scan. Perhaps I have and they have changed things.

I got the report today, on day 5, and honestly it’s very poorly written. It’s adequate in that it lists the measurement of the tumor, but it doesn’t compare those measurements to the prior scan. I had to go pull that report to compare it myself. The person writing the report listed very little detail. It’s hard to switch horses in midstream but this wasn’t a great experience. If I’m going to be doing this every 6 months or year, I might want to go elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom has annual brain MRIs at Fairfax radiology to monitor a stable tumor. I have always scheduled them on a Thursday and made her appointment with the prescribing physician on the following Tuesday. Reliably the results posted to the portal the same day of the MRI or the next day. This year (last month), no results, so I called Fairfax radiology and was told that they’ve changed their turnaround time and it is now 5-7 business days. The person I spoke with put a “wet read” request, when I explained that the appointment was coming up and that I did not know about the increased review time when I scheduled. We had the results within an hour.

This is interesting that it’s a change in policy. I could swear that I’ve gotten same day reports in the past — late in the day on the day of the scan. Perhaps I have and they have changed things.

I got the report today, on day 5, and honestly it’s very poorly written. It’s adequate in that it lists the measurement of the tumor, but it doesn’t compare those measurements to the prior scan. I had to go pull that report to compare it myself. The person writing the report listed very little detail. It’s hard to switch horses in midstream but this wasn’t a great experience. If I’m going to be doing this every 6 months or year, I might want to go elsewhere.

Go to Johns Hopkins. Henry Brem. Top of the neuro surgeons nationally.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. I have a surgeon. He's out of town, so I need in town MRIs. Being unhealthy is stressful, expensive, and super inconvenient!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. I have a surgeon. He's out of town, so I need in town MRIs. Being unhealthy is stressful, expensive, and super inconvenient!

Yes, understood, really I do.