Advice needed for exposing healthcare negligence and mistreatment

W

Whistleblower

Member
Registered Member
I realize that theres is not a particular forum where this post would be most fitting. If a moderator could place this where it belongs, I would greatly appreciate it.

Here's my issue... I am currently undergoing some extensive medical treatment for an ongoing injury. I have been seen at my TMC (troop medical clinic) for several different things relating to this injury, and have been taking a proactive approach in my own medical care (as per the patient bill of rights). I am no longer being taken seriously by either of the 2 doctors at this location, and have switched from both as PCMs as they continually display negligence, and continue to insist that my issue is not bad. I have outside documentation that clearly spells out how bad my injury is, from 2 different sources (Army doc and Civilian providers respectfully).

I have been told that the Army is not a welfare system when I have made it very clear my intent is to try and recover from this. It has also been insinuated very clearly that I am trying to get out of PT when I was seen for a profile update and asked to change my profile to exercises that will benefit my treatment. I have asked for referrals that are preventative in nature to procedures I am currently scheduled to have performed, to ensure that I will not have any complications, and I am met with much resistance and was only granted the referral to "prove me wrong".

I have had enough of the negligence at my unit TMC, and it is grossly disgusting to know that if I am being treated this way, the junior soldiers are as well.

What options do I have in exposing some of this to those who can do something about it, and what protections do I have as a whistleblower? I would prefer to get this addressed properly and not file a congressional, I would also like to pursue this in a manner consistant with the Army values and formalities so that it is taken seriously and addressed accordingly.

Thank you in advance.
 
I would consider talking with Patient Advocate and or the IG for the hospital. I am not sure if you are looking to address both your issues or the issues with the doctors not meeting professional responsibility standards. I would be clear with whoever you speak with about what you want (i.e., new doctor, additional tests/exams/procedures, or that you want to complain about the treatment the doctors gave you- or some combination of these).

I hope you get this fixed and can recover.
 
There should be a patient relations for the hospital or clinic you are located at, or go to a main branch or hospital, such as Tripler or Balboa. I had issues similiar to this and I went to Navy Med IG, who sent me to the hospital's patient relations.

In my own experience, the deck was still stacked against me when I used this route. They didn't seem to want to address the underlying problem, they were more focused on getting me to shut up and stop complaining. So what I'm saying is that the patient relations job at the hospital I went to is not to help the patient but to take cover fire for the negligence of the doctors.

What worked for me is demanding to go up the medical chain of command with the issue. You will need hard evidence that something fishy is going on and you can't make it sound like you are complaining.

Good luck.
 
I was experiencing similar problems and finally contacted the US Senator for my state. The command has backed off. I am requesting that I be referred to a civilian neurologist; don't know if the senator will be able to swing that, but I figure it's worth a shot.
 
My main concern is that I would in fact like my chain of command to be aware, and hopefully supportive, of the issues. I have started to tape record all of my meetings with the docs due to some of the unprofessional comments Ive had directed towards me. I no longer trust my PCM, as it has been made very clear that my concerns are not taken with any seriousness. The degrading comments I am receiving are out of line, and I have been on active duty long enough to know the difference between what is appropriate and what is not.

I was leaning towards the IG route, perhaps through MedCom, just to see what I can and cannot do, and how to best approach the problems without sacrificing my integrity and professionalism.

Patient advocacy where I am at is a joke (unfortunately). I have been there already, and left with the impression they serve the interests of the command instead of the servicemember.

I have considered the "ICE" system, may look into that a bit further.

The senator/congressional route would really get things done, however, throwing someone into the fire does little to garner the support that I will be needing throughout the medical treatment process. If I absolutely need to go this route, I will pursue it.

Thanks everyone,

If anyone else has any comments, please feel free to leave them. Im hoping I am not overlooking an obvious route that would satisfy all parties involved and bring about some form of resolution.
 
If you are getting comments from doctors that go outside the realm of professionalism we expect in the service, I think this would be a time to do grievance procedure. From what you are saying it goes way beyond simple incompetence and negligence. Running a grievance through your chain of command could help but as I said before, corruption is not as easily rooted out as I once thought.
 
Mackwiz said:
If you are getting comments from doctors that go outside the realm of professionalism we expect in the service, I think this would be a time to do grievance procedure. From what you are saying it goes way beyond simple incompetence and negligence. Running a grievance through your chain of command could help but as I said before, corruption is not as easily rooted out as I once thought.
Click to expand...

Your last sentence is very true, and it is unfortunate to realize how far some of these issues go. I dont really think that its a matter of corruption, more than it is a matter of negligence and disregard for the patient's involvement in responsible decisions concerning their own healthcare. I understand it is near impossible to see everyone at the same time for their entire scope of issues, but it is ethically wrong to deny their involvement in the decision making process. Lace that issue with unprofessional remarks when a viable concern by the patient is expressed and you essentially create a situation in which the doctor and patient scope of trust is corrupted in and of itself. It is wrong.
 
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