DEAR DR. GOTT: Have you ever heard of a doctor that invented symptoms in a patient so that he could justify further testing? I was recently hospitalized for severe cellulitis and a broken foot. The day after I was admitted, a pulmonary doctor came into my room and told me that I had sleep apnea based on a staff member saying that they had heard me snoring. I was pretty surprised by this since I knew I had not slept much the night before because of being connected to wires with my foot up, etc. I also cannot sleep on my back. My family says that I do not snore, so I just brushed him off.
I requested copies of my medical record after discharge and was shocked at what I read in his consultation. He had written that I had all these symptoms indicative of sleep apnea – none of which were true! He even commented on physical characteristics of my mouth and airway even though he did no exam. It was unbelievable. I don’t know if he thought I was an idiot or naïve or what. I believe he was trying to get business for the sleep apnea clinic that he works at because I then started getting phone calls from the place wanting to set up an appointment. After several calls, I finally told them to stop calling me because I had no intention of coming in. The next day a letter went out from the main clinic threatening to kick me out unless I made an appointment with my primary physician within 30 days.
I have since changed clinic locations but it is still a part of this bigger group. I didn’t know a medical clinic could do that either, though I do think it is connected with my refusal to follow through the sleep apnea nonsense. I just wanted to hear your opinion of this.
DEAR READER: My advice? Get away from that clinic and do it fast.
Any physician or group that makes a diagnosis before even seeing the patient, makes up symptoms to then support that diagnosis, claims to have done an exam, harasses the patient to make an appointment to follow up on false symptoms/diagnosis, and then threatens to “kick out” a patient unless an immediate appointment is made is not fit to practice medicine. It is utterly unethical and some of his actions may be illegal. Even if other physicians and management in the clinic didn’t act as this single pulmonologist did, they are surely still aware of his behavior and are allowing him to continue. In my opinion, that makes them as much to fault as the physician.
Contact your local medical society to report this physician’s behavior as well as that of the medical clinic with which he is affiliated. To me, this seems to be a bold-faced attempt to drum up more money through unnecessary medical testing. He, his staff, and the medical clinic are also likely submitting charges to your insurance company for these consultations and exams that were never done. Given the seemingly bold-faced nature of the act it’s likely that you are not the first person this has happened to; however, if you take steps to bring this to light, you may be the first to help put an end to it. And that is important, not only for you, but for the others that this has likely happened to.
