-Borderline -...on the NET!
18 Feb 2003
Arnold R. Schaffer
Chief Executive
Providence Health System
San Fernando Valley Service Area
15031 Rinaldi Street
Mission Hills, CA 91345
Dear Mr. Schaffer;
I was a Holy Cross patient back in late 1991 thru early 1992, and have some major problems still with the service I received. And am now preparing to approach the media with my case.
First of all, in December '91 I was referred to your facility for some further examination by a family general practioner we had and trusted back then. With the problems I was describing, I was soon off for a CT Scan. That finished, my problem was discussed by myself and a few doctors, and it was determined I had an absess on my pancreas, and that it would be aminor procedure with the aid of another CT Scan to probe a needle in me and aspirate this absess, putting me back in proper shape within a day, with perhaps a same-day discharge..
Minor procedure.
Unfortunately, it was NOT a minor procedure. The problem was, your Chief Radiologist was indulging in drugs at the time he performed this minor procedure (worst case), or was just an over-emotional doctor not capable of performing this minor procedure on this day..
I still remember being in CT Scan for a good hour or so, and all of a sudden this doctor comes running out from the CT Scan monitor room screaming: “Oh shit, I missed.” He was rather frantic, with hands/arms flailing all over the place. Just a wonderful method of speaking to a patient!
I quickly responded with:“Oh shit, I hurt!” And I was in intense pain all of a sudden. I asked him to have a nurse come in and quickly inject me with some morophone sulfate. He responded with: “Give me a minute, I'll reposition the needle, and you'll be just fine.” I came back at him quickly with: “Now you're down to 30 seconds – I demand a nurse in here to give me some morophine sulfate, or I'm going to unattach myself from this machine and...” A call was made, I had a nurse quickly arrive and inject me with what I felt was necessary. The drugs put me out, and the procedure continued.
I have a more thorough and precise version of this factual story at:
http://borderline.gotdns.org/hepC.html
By early the next day I was in a comma. It is quite obvious at this time that something very wrong happened during this minor procedure. I was in a comma for 2.5+ months, with two exploratory surgeries – upper abdomen showing much damage but no root cause, and a week or two later lower abdomen.
During the lower abdomen exploratory surgery it was discovered I had a 5 inch long segment of my colon that needed to be removed. It was, I was stitched back together, and was out from comma within a few days or so. Dr. Lim really saved my life in all this (he was your head of surgery back then).
During my initial cited 'minor procedure' that I started this letter with, your head of radiology back then nearly killed me while he was indulging in drugs, by ripping my colon during this 'simple procedure'.
In essence, he helped you, Holy Cross, defraud my then insurance carrier.
At the time I was released from your hospital, I was then your longest surviving ICU patient. And as I shared my information with my family, I was encouraged by them to get ahold of a full set of my medical records regarding my foul experience with Holy Cross this time.
I did – two bekins boxes full. I had this paperwork reviewed by two different medical-malpractice legal firms. I had an initial red light with this, as I only wanted to pursue action directed at your radiologist back then, not at the hospital itself. I had one firm drop it as it was too complicated for them. So I chugged all this paperwork off to another firm – they reviewed it for a couple weeks, and called me in for a visit. As we discussed things, I was made aware thatnothing regarding what most likely happened to me had been recorded on paper. If I had a witness, I could have made some good progress.
I was busy back at work again, it became too involved for myself and family to pursue this any further. So at sometime in 1993 I made the determination it was case closed.
I've had a lot of life changes since then, including an employment change and a new insurance carrier. I now using Kaiser Permanente for anything medical, and am pretty pleased with their services.
Unfortunately, you seem to be defrauding them as well. I was informd late last July I now have hepatitis C. I have just started a year long peg-interferon/ribavirin medication for this. Expected cost for this, medications only, is $24000 – this is a base amount you now owe Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills. You see, I know where my hepatitis C came from – none other than Providence Holy Cross in 1992-1993.
With 70+ pints of blood, and 1 month+ on dialysis, I know precisely where my hepatitis C came from. I had NO hepatitis C prior to this Holy Cross visit, and I've taken on no blood since.
Strange how I've spent years participating in high-risk sports (off-road motorcycle competition), and it's nothing more than a doctor on drugs taking me down.
It's obvious I am far beyond any duration for me to pursue a lawsuit again. Regardless of the several calls my wife received back then that if she wanted to see me before I expired that day, she better get over to the hospital quickly.
The negative impact Providence Holy Cross has had on my life, and that of my family, has been horrorendous! The bill for my stay back then was well over $1.5Million. And it was a doctor indulging in drugs that did this!
I have even gone as far (back then) to pay for an ofice visit with Dr. Lim just to discuss my thoughts and ideas of what really happened to me back then. And once again thanked him sincerely for discovering what the problem was, and saving me. And still feel solid on him! But in regards to my theories, his comment was: “maybe yes, maybe no.”
But now, YOU owe ME. You only have the short of my story here.
And if within 30 days I don't hear something from you, such as offering some sort of financial assistance, and as well see some monies go directly to Kaiser Permanente for my hepatisis C medication expenses,I will pursue all sorts of media attention on all this.
This whole process devastated my family. Daily my wife would hear from a variety of doctors that I would not survive the day. My son was a junior at Alemany right next door, and practicing JV-baseball daily at the time, his practice field looked onto the window of the ICU room I was in, as my wife had an afghan from my grandmother draped in the window.
So, for the short of things, I have a few items I'm quite upset with:
Hospital defrauding insurance carrier (knowingly, or not, by $1.5+ Million)
Hospital still defrauding insurance carrier (over my hepatitis C meds)
Hospital permitting a doctor who indulges in illegal drugs or not competant to remain employed
Hospital defrauding insurance carrier (I still have a herniated abdomen to have repaired)
The issues I've raised in this letter are just, real and qualified. Unfortunately, back then your head of radiology along with using drugs illegally almost murdered somebody (myself) at your hospital.
You have two ways to address items I've raised here, ignore them, or beg me to be quiet and make amends as bet you can. Should you ignore me, please do expect to see Holy Cross get a myriad of media coverage, FoxNews and elsewhere.
Should you need to discuss this, to perhaps get more information to make a proper decision on your end, please take it to email and use the first one I've listed in this letter header.
Best regards,
-Pat
Patrick Martin xxxxx xxxxxx Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311-2xxx
818 576-xxxx
REF: Providence Holy Cross web pages