Getting an Echocardiogram

We went to the brand new Virginia Hospital Outpatient Center to have my blood work drawn prior to cataract surgery in August and September. Unfortunately, our doctor office didn’t have the staff to do it there - so it was a bit inconvenient. But as outpatient centers go, this one was extremely convenient to access, and the process was simple. We should know - my husband is a retired surgeon and I am a retired nurse administrator. So when my husband needed to schedule an outpatient echocardiogram we would get to try the system again this week. The parking structure is specific for outpatients, away from the inpatient hullabaloo. You simply walk in to the building and there are so many way finders - people and signage - it makes it even easier to get where you need to be. This time however, when we tried to sign in using the cardiac center kiosk, it didn’t recognize the appointment so we needed to check in with the receptionist. We had already completed the registration on line before arriving so it was not complicated. I accompanied my husband to the exam room. It was huge - things are quite different from the days I used to work in the cath lab all those years ago - and all for the better. We didn’t know what the results would be, but they arrived on line via the patient portal within two hours. We will get to visit the center again on Monday to see the cardiologist. Hopefully everything will be well. So far, so good.