Man sues private imaging provider over ‘useless’ $1,500 MRI scan
A Canadian man has sued a private imaging clinic after he says doctors couldn’t access the digital data from his $1,200 MRI, rendering the scan “useless.”
Richard O’Brien, who lives in the southern region of British Columbia, traveled to outpatient clinic Priority for an emergency scan last summer, the Vancouver Sun reported Sunday. The visit included a CD complete with MRI, radiologist report and raw imaging data.
Months after that visit, however, his doctor couldn’t download the information from the disk or get Priority to digitally transfer the files, according to the news outlet. He sued the company for breach of contract and asked for a $1,200 refund plus $280 in food and lodging he spent traveling to Vancouver for a second MRI.
But the Canadian province’s civil dispute tribunal member for this case Eric Regehr sided with Priority in ruling there was no evidence the clinic was negligent.
O’Brien was unable to be reached for comment, but owner of the imaging center Dawn Haider gave her own remarks.
“We believe sincerely that we did what we were required to do,” Haider said to the Sun. “We have no control over what happens after we provide our service,” she added.
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.