Mammogram

As some people know, I prefer healthcare in the U.S. to healthcare in Sweden.  I don't want to go into unpleasant specifics, so I'll just leave it at that.  But I had a good experience today, and I like to give credit where credit is due. 





Every year and a half, every woman in Sweden, between the ages of 40-75, receives an "invitation" to have a mammogram.  With the invitation comes an appointment time.  One is not obligated to accept the invitation, but it is extended. 

My mammogram was scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8:05 AM.  Because I was not sure of the exact location, I decided to "kill two birds with one stone" and get some exercise while finding the building.  So, while riding my bicycle, it occurred to me that I might as well ask if they happen to have any time available.  So I did.  The woman I spoke with looked and hesitantly said it might be a wait.  I asked how long.  She answered a half an hour.  [In Sweden, if you wait longer than 20-30 minutes for a medical appointment (I can't remember the exact amount of time), you don't have to pay for the appointment.]  I sat down in the waiting room, opened a magazine and was called around 3-5 minutes later.  I was out the door in around 12-15 minutes.  I will get the results via the mail within two weeks.

I asked the woman who did the test how many mammograms she thinks she has done.  In the conversation, she mentioned that there are 100 mammograms booked per room per day.  I guess they must double book to accommodate for no-shows.

Anyway - it was a good experience and since I have done my fair share of grumbling about healthcare here, I thought I would publicly praise this aspect of the system.