Sharp & Children’s MRI Center

I had an appointment set up and the night before decided to check the reviews. After reading three horrible reviews I had a bad time sleeping! Well much to my surprise, I had a completely different experience. ALL staff were professional, courteous and friendly. I’m a retired RN and new to the area. I know what to look for and what’s great care. This was great! Special thanks to Angela, RN and David the tech.

I recently had an MRI w/​contrast. The nurse who started my IV didn’t wear gloves and then proceeded to use his mouth to remove the cap from the saline lock before plugging it into my IV catheter. Talk about a potential infection control risk! I was so bothered by this, and a few other things, that I sent a letter to the medical director about my experience. Never heard a peep in response.

Needed to go here for services. The staff and the receptionist desk could be friendlier. The volume on the TV was also way too loud at 6:15AM when there was nobody in the waiting area. I had to tell the receptionist two times to turn it down.

At first, I thought this was a nice place. The technicians were all nice and very accommodating. The front staff, however, was awful. I guess it really depends on who you get too because I had a pleasant experience with one of the ladies. It took me weeks to schedule an appointment. They wouldn’t accept my doctor’s orders because they don’t accept ER orders. I tried to explain that it wasn’t from the ER, but was a result of a follow up exam and it just happened to be at the hospital. They wouldn’t take it anyway. After going back and forth with them, Tricare, and the doctor, I explained it to another woman at Sharp and she asked me to scan it. When she got it, she said that it could be accepted, but they still needed the prescription for it with doctor signature. Another day goes by and they finally get it and I’m able to schedule.
Get there and everything goes well. They tell me to call my doctor in 2 – 3 days for the results. I call and I’m told they don’t have anything for me; that I should have received something when I left so I could drop it off. That was the first I’d heard of it. I call back Sharp and they said that if I couldn’t pick it up, they’d mail it, but it’d take 5 – 8 days. Picking it up is a little hard when you can’t walk and live on the 3^rd floor, so I just asked them to mail it. They also just then decided to fax the results to the doctor.
Another day goes by, I call the doctor to see if they received it. They received the fax but not the film (which is what I expected), but can’t tell me the results until I come in. Their first appointment isn’t until the following week. At this point, I haven’t been able to walk for 5 weeks due to the difficulty of trying to schedule and work with two offices and PT won’t schedule me until I get a diagnosis. I should be at least 3 weeks into my therapy now, so I’m very behind. I called Sharp to see if I could speak to a doctor there, ONLY to tell me the diagnosis so I can try and make an appointment. The woman told me that there were no doctors to talk to and HUNG UP as I was in the middle of saying «OK thanks» (albeit a little begrudgingly).
Long story short, the technicians were great, but the front staff was a nightmare. I understand there are procedures, but it was next to impossible to deal with. Add the abrupt hang up and that put me over the edge enough to write this.

I went to get an MRI today. My daughter suffered a sports injury at school.\. They charged me $ 375.00 dollars, I did not get an MRI and I my daughter was seen by a nurse practionioner. Horrrendous services. You are better going to Tijuana! I am fighting this charge with my credit card for misrepresentation of services!!!

Stay away! This MRI Center commonly engages in a practice known as balanced billing. You go there for a service which is authorized by your insurance company for a negotiated, contracted price. After the service, you are billed for the difference between the MRI center’s retail price (what the MRI center would like to get in a perfect world, which is often times a ridiculous price, say $ 1800 for a non-​contrast MRI of the knee) and the contracted price, which is the more fair price that they have agreed upon with insurance companies. I had a simple extremity MRI done there, which costs about $ 500 to $ 600 at other outpatient centers, if you pay cash. My insurance company paid about $ 1200 which was their full contracted rate (more than fair at approximately double the retail price of the service). I subsequently got a bill for an extra $ 300 by the MRI center, which after a long fight, I paid to avoid any more inconvenience. I am a SHARP employee and I know this has happened to several other employees using this center. Balanced billing is illegal in many states, illegal in California for certain medical services, but unfortunately not radiology/​MRI services. It is an extremely unethical practice as you are never told what you will be charged upfront and the rate is different depending on the type of insurance you have and how you choose to pay. I would go without an MRI before I used Sharp MRI Center again!