Pediatrician Retires with NO NOTICE????

[Scurvy]

I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, OP. I can definitely understand why you'd be stressed about this situation. I hope everything works out well for your child.

 

[Hillbeans]

Okay, let's cut the OP a break about how she worded the last few lines. I think it's obvious to all of us that she's not just sitting around wishing illness on this person or their family. We know what she meant--that there's hopefully a good reason for the dr's abrupt departure. Or at least, I do.

Yes, this...obviously OP was just really upset and if I were in the same position i'd be upset as well. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the practice to send out a letter - maybe that is the plan but it just hasn't been done yet? I think it's especially hard on the OP since she obviously had a close relationship with the Doctor. Please update if you find out anything.

 

[arminnie]

Ugh, if I could find that stinkin' doctor right now. I could explode.
How is this an acceptable practice? I'm down to hoping the doctor or her husband are seriously ill themselves.

Aren't you a lovely example of kindness and humanity. And yes I read your responses. A dear friend of mine was diagnosed with a gioblastoma brain tumor. He was dead a few weeks later. He was the CEO of a major, major international corporation. The last thing on his mind was his business partners. He spent the time with his wife and children.

Are you a grown "snowflake" who thinks it's all about you?

 

[DawnCt1]

COLOR="red"]That's the only thing I could think of that made sense. She was always fantastic and really professional. That's why this just floored me[COL

OR="Red"]Your right. I worded that really bad. Not what I meant. I don't hope anything bad happened to her. I really liked her. I'm just so frustrated right now and I didn't say that right at all.
I won't say we were regular patients, but from what I've gotten from the clinic and then the local hospital, it appears they didn't inform anyone.[/COLOR]

Don't worry about it. I am sure everything will work out.

 

[crashbb]

Aren't you a lovely example of kindness and humanity. And yes I read your responses. A dear friend of mine was diagnosed with a gioblastoma brain tumor. He was dead a few weeks later. He was the CEO of a major, major international corporation. The last thing on his mind was his business partners. He spent the time with his wife and children.

Are you a grown "snowflake" who thinks it's all about you?

Wow, way to cut off what the OP said in a manner to make it sound as bad as possible.

OP - I hope your daughter's surgery goes well. I was taken aback by your original post (as were many), but I really commend you for your responses.

 

[arminnie]

Wow, way to cut off what the OP said in a manner to make it sound as bad as possible.
.

Yes - I do think it was about as bad as possible. I'm older so I've seen so many of my friends go through terrible tragedies. I've had doctors die, retire because of health problems, have children with terminal illnesses, etc. They are people too. And don't deserve death wishes from snowflake patients.

 

[Ceila]

Yes - I do think it was about as bad as possible. I'm older so I've seen so many of my friends go through terrible tragedies. I've had doctors die, retire because of health problems, have children with terminal illnesses, etc. They are people too. And don't deserve death wishes from snowflake patients.

Death wishes?? Get off your high horse. I guess you've never said or written something that came out wrong. Well congratulations - I guess you're perfect. The OP apologized profusely. Now you're the one who looks like a rude snowflake.

 

[Cinderella94]

Death wishes?? Get off your high horse. I guess you've never said or written something that came out wrong. Well congratulations - I guess you're perfect. The OP apologized profusely. Now you're the one who looks like a rude snowflake.

arminnie: The OP already apologized, what else would you like her to do about it? Words can't be sucked back in- at this point you're making her feel worse just for the sake of doing so.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Seriously? No letter, nothing???
We've been with this woman for 12 years and she just disappears with no notice whatsoever. I'm so aggravated right now. And how do I find out? When my daughter's eye surgeon tried to contact the office for information. GRRRRR!
Not only did I feel like an idiot when the surgeon's office called to tell me our pediatrician was retired, but now I'm forced to track down both the kids medical records through a P.O. Box.
Lovely.
Apparently I'm not the only angry parent, since the receptionist at the multi-specialty clinic where this doctor was based sounded completely harassed and defensive when I called.
Then, I let the stress over DD's diagnosis and surgery boil over and I start crying on the phone with this stranger.
Ugh, if I could find that stinkin' doctor right now. I could explode.
How is this an acceptable practice? I'm down to hoping the doctor or her husband are seriously ill themselves, because that's the only excuse I can come up with for this kind of incompetence. Even then, how hard would it be to have the office staff send out a mailer with information on how to access your records.

I would relax.

Could she be close to death, tragically lost a family member, taking care of a dying family member?

Wishing anyone "ill" is evil.

 

[jenrose66]

Wow that's terrible. I had a similar situation. I started seeing a ped I absolutely loved...she was one doctor from a 2 doctor practice. I took my son in for a regular checkup that was supposed to be with my doctor and they told me she took a small leave. I didn't care for the other doctor in the practice at all. I stayed with them about 9 months in hope that my doctor would return. She never did and of course the office had no comment. I heard thru the grapevine that the doctors had a falling out and my ped just kind of fell off the face of the earth. She wasn't that old, I don't know what happened to her, maybe she moved.

 

[disykat]

Thank you for your apology. My blood was boiling at your post. I'm glad to see you've calmed down.

My doctor left suddenly due to health issues a few years ago. We were not notified. At first it was hoped that he could just take a brief leave, then they hoped it would be a longer leave. Eventually, they realized that he would not be able to return. That was when they finally let patients know. Prior to that, his plans were private and really not our business. In both cases it was a little inconvenient for me, but really tragic for them.

As a person with some chronic health issues myself, I know how important it is to keep them private. It is very easy for people to start doubting your abilities if they think you are going to be "unreliable."

Something happened that was very similar with my children's orthodontist. Both times it was months before we knew anything other than they were on leave and how to access care and our records. Even at that,we only found out when we called them, because it really wasn't our business. However, we never had problems accessing care when we did call.

Call the number and find out who to talk to. I'm sure they have someone in charge of taking care of patients and helping them transition. Talk to them yourself. Don't let hearing it second hand before you were notified be your only judging point.

There's a point where a job is just a job. Even professionals sometimes have to take care of themselves. A major health issue, a mental health issue, domestic violence, a seriously ill family member, the list could go on. It could even be more about her - bankruptcy, being sued for mal-practice, just plain fed up, etc. None of them would be something they would want publicized, and any one of them could involve some leave time while making the decision before the whole client list would be notified of an irreversible decision.

 

[Abbie]

arminnie: The OP already apologized, what else would you like her to do about it? Words can't be sucked back in- at this point you're making her feel worse just for the sake of doing so.

This. And arminnie this kind of response from you is very out of character.

OP, I understood what you meant, of course you don't wish her ill. You are understandably frustrated. I worked for a pair of doctors years ago and one of them died after falling while rock climbing. The office was so shocked and it took a long time to recover....I don't even remember if we sent letters or what we did to notify the patients, I only remember the chaotic aftermath. Then a few years later, the remaining doctor sold the practice. For reasons known only to him (cost?) he chose not to send out letters, although he did take out an ad in the paper. We worked diligently to contact patients but with a couple thousand active patients and many inactive ones it was a losing battle. I was always apologetic when the patients who didn't have a clue called, but I had no control over the dr's choice not to notify. As much respect as I had/have for him, I think he was wrong.

Hope you get what you need and the surgery is a great success!

 

[ZachnElli]

My dad's best friend had to abruptly retire, he had a brain tumor and he very quickly regressed to the state of a toddler. He died only a few months later. He wasn't a doctor, but it does happen to some people. It was incredibly sad.

 

[indimom]

I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, OP. I can definitely understand why you'd be stressed about this situation. I hope everything works out well for your child.

No. I had it coming. I was out of line. Some people manage to behave properly even under stress, I guess I'm just not blessed to be one of them. I took it out on the doctor when I'm really just mad at myself. There was no excuse for it.

Yes, this...obviously OP was just really upset and if I were in the same position i'd be upset as well. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the practice to send out a letter - maybe that is the plan but it just hasn't been done yet? I think it's especially hard on the OP since she obviously had a close relationship with the Doctor. Please update if you find out anything.

Maybe. According to the hosptial person, it was about three months ago, but who knows, we may hear from them yet.

Aren't you a lovely example of kindness and humanity. And yes I read your responses. A dear friend of mine was diagnosed with a gioblastoma brain tumor. He was dead a few weeks later. He was the CEO of a major, major international corporation. The last thing on his mind was his business partners. He spent the time with his wife and children.

Are you a grown "snowflake" who thinks it's all about you?

I don't normally think so, but I don't deny that this definitely was one of those moments. I'll try to keep it in check. I'm sorry about your friend. I never meant to hurt so many people with my thoughtless comments.

COLOR="red"]That's the only thing I could think of that made sense. She was always fantastic and really professional. That's why this just floored me[COL

Don't worry about it. I am sure everything will work out.

I hope so. We delayed too long this time, and I'll have to live with that also. There are no guarrantees or even educated guesses of what the future holds for her. She could go her entire life and never have another flare-up and do just fine with one eye and some peripheral vision in the other; or she could spend the rest of her days fighting to keep her vision in her 'good' eye. Or she could go legally blind. That really hurts to write when she's only 13. We're hoping for the best. Nothing else we can do now.

Wow, way to cut off what the OP said in a manner to make it sound as bad as possible.

OP - I hope your daughter's surgery goes well. I was taken aback by your original post (as were many), but I really commend you for your responses.

Again, sorry. I have no excuse for my behavior.

Yes - I do think it was about as bad as possible. I'm older so I've seen so many of my friends go through terrible tragedies. I've had doctors die, retire because of health problems, have children with terminal illnesses, etc. They are people too. And don't deserve death wishes from snowflake patients.

I could repeat that that is not what I meant all day, but I know how it read. I've earned the tongue-lashings and I will try to learn from it. Honestly, I've earned more than this.

arminnie: The OP already apologized, what else would you like her to do about it? Words can't be sucked back in- at this point you're making her feel worse just for the sake of doing so.

I earned it.

I would relax.

Could she be close to death, tragically lost a family member, taking care of a dying family member?

Wishing anyone "ill" is evil.

Again, not what I meant, but definitely how it came out, so thanks for the wake up call.

Wow that's terrible. I had a similar situation. I started seeing a ped I absolutely loved...she was one doctor from a 2 doctor practice. I took my son in for a regular checkup that was supposed to be with my doctor and they told me she took a small leave. I didn't care for the other doctor in the practice at all. I stayed with them about 9 months in hope that my doctor would return. She never did and of course the office had no comment. I heard thru the grapevine that the doctors had a falling out and my ped just kind of fell off the face of the earth. She wasn't that old, I don't know what happened to her, maybe she moved.

Thanks.

Thank you for your apology. My blood was boiling at your post. I'm glad to see you've calmed down.
Sorry.
My doctor left suddenly due to health issues a few years ago. We were not notified. At first it was hoped that he could just take a brief leave, then they hoped it would be a longer leave. Eventually, they realized that he would not be able to return. That was when they finally let patients know. Prior to that, his plans were private and really not our business. In both cases it was a little inconvenient for me, but really tragic for them.
Your right. I have no idea what happened. I just let my own situation and self-interest turn me into an overgrown child for a moment.As a person with some chronic health issues myself, I know how important it is to keep them private. It is very easy for people to start doubting your abilities if they think you are going to be "unreliable."

Something happened that was very similar with my children's orthodontist. Both times it was months before we knew anything other than they were on leave and how to access care and our records. Even at that,we only found out when we called them, because it really wasn't our business. However, we never had problems accessing care when we did call.

Call the number and find out who to talk to. I'm sure they have someone in charge of taking care of patients and helping them transition. Talk to them yourself. Don't let hearing it second hand before you were notified be your only judging point.
They didn't leave a number, just a PO Box, but I did send a letter requesting the records. Second hand was the only way to get any information, but I get what your saying, I have no info on what happened.There's a point where a job is just a job. Even professionals sometimes have to take care of themselves. A major health issue, a mental health issue, domestic violence, a seriously ill family member, the list could go on. It could even be more about her - bankruptcy, being sued for mal-practice, just plain fed up, etc. None of them would be something they would want publicized, and any one of them could involve some leave time while making the decision before the whole client list would be notified of an irreversible decision.

You're right. I was just letting my stress boil over in the moment.

This. And arminnie this kind of response from you is very out of character.

OP, I understood what you meant, of course you don't wish her ill. You are understandably frustrated. I worked for a pair of doctors years ago and one of them died after falling while rock climbing. The office was so shocked and it took a long time to recover....I don't even remember if we sent letters or what we did to notify the patients, I only remember the chaotic aftermath. Then a few years later, the remaining doctor sold the practice. For reasons known only to him (cost?) he chose not to send out letters, although he did take out an ad in the paper. We worked diligently to contact patients but with a couple thousand active patients and many inactive ones it was a losing battle. I was always apologetic when the patients who didn't have a clue called, but I had no control over the dr's choice not to notify. As much respect as I had/have for him, I think he was wrong.

Hope you get what you need and the surgery is a great success!

Thanks.

My dad's best friend had to abruptly retire, he had a brain tumor and he very quickly regressed to the state of a toddler. He died only a few months later. He wasn't a doctor, but it does happen to some people. It was incredibly sad.

Again, I'm sorry for bringing up a lot of bad memories. I admit I was being childish and having a tantrum. Just because I was upset over her diagnosis and angry at myself for allowing the delays is no excuse for my behavior. So, again, I'll take this the only way I can: as a learning experience.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

indimom, You're a good egg. Very humble -- a rare quality in today's times! I hope your new doctor works out for you and she takes great care of your daughter.

Our family physician left without warning (well, to us, anyway!), and I was (and am) pretty bummed when I found out. She was a fantastic doc and practiced a blend of western/eastern medicine that was perfect for us. The others in her practice (which still carries her name, for some weird reason) just do not compare at all...so we had to go doc shopping again. Blech.

 

[Ceila]

I have to say that I think it's very irresponsible for someone in a position such as a doctor to not have a plan in place to deal with this type of scenario. They should have someone lined up to notify patients in case they must take an unexpected leave of absence, and family members should have that person's contact information so they can notify them in the event that something does happen. To have a position of that much importance and to not have back-up plans in place is terribly unprofessional.

 

[DawnCt1]

I have to say that I think it's very irresponsible for someone in a position such as a doctor to not have a plan in place to deal with this type of scenario. They should have someone lined up to notify patients in case they must take an unexpected leave of absence, and family members should have that person's contact information so they can notify them in the event that something does happen. To have a position of that much importance and to not have back-up plans in place is terribly unprofessional.

Not everyone anticipates being yanked out of their lives. This child's surgery won't hinge on whether or not her medical record is complete. People in the third world get very serious and corrective surgeries with no medical files whatsoever. This is a bump in the road, not an obstacle.

 

[arminnie]

don't normally think so, but I don't deny that this definitely was one of those moments. I'll try to keep it in check. I'm sorry about your friend. I never meant to hurt so many people with my thoughtless comments..

Thank you for your very heartful and sincere apologies (I mean that - not being snarky).

I am overly sensitive because at my age (64) I've lost so many friends. Three to brain cancer and one who is fighting it right now. Plus pancreatic cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, leukemia at fairly young ages. So please accept my apologies for being rude to you. It is just so hard to see a seemingly healthy person be dead in just a few months. I'm usually not that mean (or I try not to be).

 

[barkley]

op-just a suggestion.

if you are unable to get the records regarding tests on your children, consider contacting your insurance company. generaly doctors send tests out to be done, so your insurance may have been billed by the labs who ran the tests and likely still have the results. if you can find out who ran the tests you can try contacting them to get the results.

when i had an hmo this was'nt apparant to me because i never got copies of the detailed billings from the insurance company. once i changed over to a ppo and started getting detailed bills i found that some of the tests we had done in the doctor's office was being done by contracted staff from a completly separate company who did their own billing to my insurance company.

good luck-it's a pain. i had a doctor "retire" without notice as well. in his case i showed up for an appointment and he was'nt there-turned out he decided to pull a no show after their he got ticked off at someone in the office. sad thing for the patients and the practice he belonged to was when he walked he took some of the records with him.

 

[arminnie]

I had a terrible, terrible reaction to an antibiotic in my 20s. I almost never went to the doctor back then, so by the next time I needed to go the doctor had died. No one knew where his records were.

It took me 20 years (and another bad reaction) to find out what that antibiotic was. I know - it was stupid of me not to write it down when it first happened, but I was young and stupid.