Letter to Dr. Redwine & Staff

It's going in the mail today.

Dear Dr. Redwine & Staff,
First off, please write off my remaining bill for $87, I feel that I have given your office enough  money, and feel completely lied to and cheated out of my surgery fee, and I don't feel that I need to pay your office another dime of my money. You want to fight me over $87, than you are only proving everything I have read about your office and experienced this year.

Second, I have been told by several people and my family, that I should come meet with Dr. Redwine personally, and tell him all this, but in all honesty I don't want to spend another minute in that office, nor do I have the strength to meet with Dr. Redwine in person.  I tried filing an appeal with our insurance company, but they don't want to take accountability for anyone, and your office is completely blowing the accountability as well. My only other recourse would be small claims court or talking to the State of Oregon Medical Board, for I don't feel as though my best interests where at heart with Dr. Redwine, and he has completely lost track of helping patients, and just sees the dollar signs. I am not sure mentally I want to pursue any of those options, because it brings up wounds of a surgery which cured nothing, $6,800 I might of well burned and also scars in my body which I will forever have a reminder of a painful ordeal, which resulted in NOTHING being solved.

I would of NEVER agreed to this surgery had I known that NONE of it would be reimbursed. I could NEVER afford it. I was told my Lifewise that on August 30th, someone (I believe Dina) called to verify with my insurance the surgery, and the procedure code. To which my insurance company told your office, that 1) no pre-authorization was needed and 2) that $1,450 would be the ALLOWABLE fee for this surgery, and that it would only be applied towards my deductible, and nothing would be reimbursed to me. I was than called by your office who I in-trusted (shame on me) that you had chatted with my insurance company and that no pre-authorization was needed. NO ONE mentioned that other part of the conversation, as apparently it slipped your mind that I would be out $6,800 for the surgery. Granted shame on me for not calling my insurance, to which i was relaying on the ethics and trust in your office, and believing that you always had my best interests at heart. Which clearly you and your office doesn't. I was always up front and honest with you & your office, that I could not afforded this fee, and if you remember correctly I had to round up the money, and when I came in 3 years ago, and in April of 2010 I walked out of the office because I couldn't afford your fee. Not only that, I had always been quit clear that I did not want to go through laproscopy again, as it was painful anda long healing process. When I came into your office in August, I was in pain & hurting, and looking for help. I also had hit my 100% paid deductible for the year, and was under the impression part of this would be reimbursed. I TRUSTED in you, because you were always one of the good guys, who wanted to help patients. Now it’s quite clear you only see dollar signs. After reading around Endo blogs and other posts I subscribe to, it is quite clear I am not the only one who thinks this way. Had your office been honest and ethical, and TOLD ME THE TRUTH about my out of pocket, I could of avoided the surgery, and seeked other treatments. It’s bad enough mentally to deal with a surgery which HEALED NOTHING, but to deal with scars for nothing and also $6,800 fee which might be the straw that broke the camel’s back for our finances, but knowing that a doctor’s office whom I have trusted ALL MY LIFE, completely lied to me shatters all I believed in doctors. You were suppose to be one the good ones.

Not only that, but your sense of dismissal and vagueness with not only my family, but me on this whole surgery is completely baffling. You lead me to believe that I was going to lose part of my bowels, and that I should prepare myself for the worst, so myself and my family did. Mentally it ripped me apart.  Come to find out on the pre-operative reports stated “minimal Endo with no bowel endo”. WHAT?!?!? So you knew going into the surgery?!? That’s complete crap. If you would of given me those words, I would of NEVER agreed to be cut open. I would of NEVER agreed to this surgery. You lead me to believe I had severe bowel Endo, and all along you knew that you thought if would be minimal with no bowel involvement, which completely goes against everything you had told me, and been telling. What happened to having the patients best interest?!?!

When I came into your office asking about the surgery, I was completely floored by your dismissal of my pain, and how your suggestion involved AGAIN another surgery. This time you wanted to remove my uterus, at 31 years old with no children. What happened to thinking what is best for the patient?!? I asked about having children, and you said that “Biology was determining this for me”. Ummmm last I checked I am 31, not 41 and your comment was completely rude and insensitive. You completely dismissed my requests on where to go from here, and in fact suggested I go see your occupant in your office for pelvic therapy. This thought didn't cross your mind PRIOR to operating on me?!? Again what happened to helping the patient? Another quite clear red flag that you were purely seeking financial rewards and not even concerned with your patent's needs or wants. You didn't even think of mentioning this to me PRIOR to cutting me open?!? And now you are suggesting that I let you cut me open again, this time with an even vaguer diagnosis? Have you read up on this disease? There is tons of alternative means to try and treat this disease, and other tests which can be ran to aid in diagnose. How can you even think as a licensed doctor that ripping out my uterus would be the best means for helping my pain?! Oh that’s right, you would get MORE $$ from me, and yet have zero accountability for your lack of caring for the patient.

Since recovery, both mentally & physically, I have since seeked a second opinion about my symptoms, and had an IUD put in (which I asked you for several times, and on numerous occasions you refused to even acknowledge it as a possibility), started acupuncture & yoga. Also a request you completely blew off, about cutting out red meat, I had done since the surgery. And you know what?!?!? So far, its been relieving my symptoms. Maybe you should spend some time researching the alternative therapies for your patients, and stop being so damn surgery happy. I have seeked those “holistic things” which you completely dismissed in the last 3+ years, and at our last meeting. You need to recognize that Endo is something which patients can also seek treatment other means, not just your all mighty surgery. It’s really sad, I believed in you 100% and I was one of your biggest supporters. You healed me when i was 19, and I have always thought the world of you. Based on your recent action with me, as well as in the paper, it is quite clear somewhere along the way, you lost track of what really matters, the patient, and not your checkbook.  Since my IUD was put in 2 weeks ago, I have started running again for the first time in over 7 months, and resumed slowly my day-to-day life. Since acupuncture my bleeding has been cut down by half, and pain is slowly fading away. I have seeked some therapy appointments to deal with the complete let down of a surgery which did NOTHING, and also dealing with being lied to by a doctor I have trusted for most of my life.  I don't have any way  to seek recourse for this, but I feel it’s principle, and it’s your profession which you have worked so hard for. So if anything, maybe this will make you think twice while you practice, and realize someday Karma will come around and bite you in the ass.