Alivia was recently diagnosed with Cushing's - Alivia has passed

I don't think you'd be able to explain that one! :rolleyes:

Today I had a very stressful conversation with the office manager of the hospital that completely missed the pancreatitis dx, and instead said it was arthritic changes in Alivia's back. I paid almost $700 that day and they basically did nothing for Alivia. After her being there all day, they didn't do an u/s like they told me they were going to and when they released her she was in so much pain she could barely walk. The vet wouldn't even come out to the front to answer my questions! She was too busy and said she would call me the next day with the radiograph final report. I NEVER heard from her. Alivia's fever was 104.9 and her amylase that day was more than two times as high as it was one month before. They tried to tell me her lipase level was normal that day, but obviously she didn't know I had copies of everything and they did not even check the lipase level in a dog at risk for pancreatitis and having severe abdominal pain!!! I withheld payment on a $500+ bill for the following day until there is a resolution. They offered to reduce that bill by $50 "as a courtesy"! Their lack of treatment could have killed Alivia and probably resulted in her being hospitalized longer. It's all too long of a story to tell here but one of the two vets that day is lying - one says she consulted Ali's specialist, Ali's specialist says she was not asked to consult. I had to pay another $1000 the following day to her regular vet because of them and that doesn't include the 5 days in the hospital! I have paid thousands upon thousands of dollars for medical care for Alivia without a complaint and would gladly do so again. However, the suffering they put Ali through that day is inexcusable. :mad: And to charge $700 when they did absolutely nothing right?! After I went through my whole list of things that they did wrong or not at all that day, the woman said she will check into it further and get back to me. I then sent a 4-page letter documenting it all. It just never ends. Stay tuned...

Who owns the clinic? If the office manager comes back with nada, ask who owns the clinic and how to reach that person and then only deal with the owner, whether it be a vet or whomever. The office manager has to have a boss.

Go to the top, be calm, be polite, be persistent and don't give up. Document everything.

Love,
Addy

There is also the Better Business Bureau. ;) Document everything, including conversations about this with the vets, like yesterday. There is probably a veterinary governing board you could report to as well. Find out what actions are available to you and let them know you know what steps to take. ;)

Addy and Leslie,

Those are great suggestions!! I may have to use them because I am not backing down on this. Thanks. Yesterday, I told the woman that I work with attorneys (I am a Registered Paralegal) and that I was hoping we could resolve this without their involvement. She quickly changed her tune and said she was going to talk to the vets involved again. I truly hope it doesn't come down to that, but I just cannot justify paying them $700 when they were so blatantly negligent. I KNEW what she had and I basically told them, yet they did not even fully persue that possibility?! They didn't check her lipase or do an ultrasound when I specifically left Alivia there for that reason?? They could have killed Ali and I really want them to be more careful in the future. If I can do something that at least makes them think twice about this, I'm going to. I sent them a 4 page letter (with attachments), detailing all the errors that were made and what THREE other vets told me the next day. I will give them a chance to respond to that and then determine my next step. I'll keep you updated.

Just got a sweet as pie call from the Office Manager I fought with by phone yesterday. What an about face! She received my letter today and complimented me on putting everything so clearly in writing. She wanted to let me know that she will speak to both vets about the details outlined in my letter, but that one of them is on vacation this week. I thanked her for letting me know that and said I would wait to hear back from her. I think the point of her call was to keep me from suing them because their negligence cost me a lot of extra money. I am not settling for anything less than them refunding the entire amount.

Go Mary Beth, GO
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

You are absolutely right!!!!!!!!

Love ya,
Addy

Thanks, Addy -

She REALLY must have been worried because she called my cell phone and I talked to her from work. Then we I got home, she had left a similar sweet message earlier about how "helpful" my letter was on my answering machine. Funny how when they are calling with test results or returning my calls, they NEVER try more than one number - something that always annoys me. Her last sentence on the message was that she was going to discuss everything with the vets next week and she would get back to me ASAP and she hoped I'd "wait". I think she meant wait and not sue them yet, because I am pretty sure I would not have to pay that bill and I think they would probably end up paying some of my costs in addition to dropping the bill.

Nothing is ever easy, is it? It is bad enough worrying about Alivia's health, without this additional stress! It truly breaks my heart all the additional suffering they caused Ali that day and I am not paying them for doing it!

Off to relax with my babies (and maybe a bit of ChocoVine).

Love to you and Zoe,

Mary Beth, Alivia and the hunter (aka Maxwell)

Small victory!

I just received a call from the office manager at the hospital. She said she spoke to the director of the hospital and they are refunding the full amount of the emergency room charges for the day they blew it - nearly $700.

I am not happy about any of this; it doesn't fix what happened, but at least I am not paying anything for the day they misdiagnosed Alivia and put her through so much additional pain.

Hi Mary Beth,

I can understand how you feel. I'm glad that they at least are refunding your money for that day. I know it doesn't make up for the pain and suffering that Alivia and you went through. This definitely shows that they were totally in the wrong.

Good job, Mary Beth! We have had members who refused to question their vet about what appeared to be blatant ineptitude for fear they would offend him/her. Nothing, and especially not a vet's ego, is more important than our dogs' well being so I admire you a great deal for not only being an excellent advocate for Alivia but for caring enough to teach this facility a lesson in the hopes that they won't repeat such an awful mistake. Considering the gut wrenching experience you went through and worst yet, you almost lost Alivia, $700 may fall way short of being punitive for this clinic but the results of your actions could save lives. How do you put a price tag on that?

Glynda