Creepy: and on Halloween!!!!

[Jo Dirt]

I'm a home health nurse and I'm on call this week. I just got a phone call from a lab to report a critical lab level on a patient. A patient that has been dead for three months!

I said, there must be some mistake, this patient has been dead for several months. She said, no, it can't be, he is a 71 yr. old male, gave me his address and social security number. The lab was drawn today, she said.

I told her, I'm sorry, it has to be a mistake, I remember when this patient died.

She says (kind of in a snotty way) "so you are refusing to take the lab result..." I said no, I wasn't, but the lab result couldn't be from this patient. I asked her what the lab was for (just out of curiosity, it was kind of a strange moment) and she said she couldn't give me lab results on a patient I refused to acknowledge.

I'm starting to wonder if this is some kind of sick Halloween joke. I called my boss and she said she would find out what was going on but I could tell she was really perplexed as well. I can't believe it was a joke, why would they lie?

I don't really believe in ghosts and all that paranormal stuff, but

I'm kind of freaked out, myself.

[BSNtobe2009]

I bet someone was playing a joke, but I'm like you, it's not a very funny one, creepy, but not funny.

[slou!]

That is really creepy, update is and let us know what you find out!

[bewell]

that is really odd-and of all nights for that to happen!! if it was a joke-NOT funny. do keep us posted if and when you get to the bottom of this.

[SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

That is odd. Please let us know what you find out.

[kate1114]

That is bizarre! My first instinct was that someone was using falsified info (like using someone else's insurance card), but then it would have been too much of a coincidence for you to be called for the info. Maybe if it was an ER visit or something...

Could be a computer glitch, with a date mixed up? I'm grasping at straws, but that is certainly a strange call, especially on Halloween!:chair:

[morte, LPN, LVN]

betcha it was someones idea of humor, when they refused to answer your question, because you "refused to acknowledge" the patient existed, made me think they had no answer........do keep us posted......

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

I've had too many conversations with lab that could only be understood under the context of "This must be a joke". But they weren't. Please don't get me started on lab.

Please, please let us know the conclusion!

[babynurselsa, RN]

Chances are that someone transposed a number when pucnhing in the info.

Funny with the timing though. The fun part is gonna be figuring out WHO"S lab result it reallly was.

Either that or ya'll need to find a slightly speedier lab....:)

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

Wow...my first thought was I hope that persons identity didn't get stolen...not that they are going to be held liable..LOL!

Could have been a prank, but if they used the name of the pt...it was a big HIPPA abuse there...

Yeah, I would be worried about ID theft though. Some people watch the obits and raid the trash to get their ID because it is easy.

[mariedoreen]

Probably not a joke, probably not a ghost, probably not identify theft...

Probably, someone accidentally chose the wrong patient in the system when they were doing a draw.

[rjflyn, ASN, RN]

Considering I often times work at triage in the ED and see pts getting quick regged getting asked SSN. They will key this number in and sometimes two or three names come up. One night it was so bad this particular pt - a crack addict no less gave her name and DOB and she had 2 SSN's in the system. More often than not its just number transpositon but in this case the numbers were not even close.

RJ