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Has anyone had any success with reporting doctors to the CPSO? I just had a terrifying experience.
QuestionI have filed a complaint. Where do you check for past disciplinary action?
If you search his name in the cpso, any disciplinary actions against him will be listed. You can also look at Rate MDs to see if other people have had the same complaints.
He doesn’t have anything notable on his CPSO page, but he was forced to resign from two previous positions over “controversies.”
Having been forced to resign twice over controversy is notable. I’m glad you made the complaint and I’m sorry you went through this
And most importantly, don't let this complaint be swept under the rug by him resigning instead of facing the music.
User deleted comment
1mo
It wasn’t the CPSO, it was his other two jobs.
Thank you. ❤️
Keep us posted. Good on you for advocating for yourself. I work in healthcare policy and patient safety is near and dear to my heart. Pls keep posted on the result.
I have ambitions of working in healthcare policy one day, if I can ever be healthy enough to finish my degree. Keep up the good work!
Good for you
Being forced to resign from a volunteer position is insane, let alone from a hospital twice
Guy must be a total lunatic
That is usually a pretty high indicator that he is a problematic physician. CPSO complaints require patients to file them.
Many patients feel extremely defeated and discouraged after being treating so poorly by a healthcare provider that they give up and don't bother filing reports. Those never-filed reports could be the reason why he was forced to resign twice before.
It's also not uncommon for hospitals or other large healthcare facilities to implement an NDA once the complaint is settled (generally out-of-court)
I bet!
Lol I’d definitely call that notable! Doctors get away with a loooooooot of shit…. being forced to resign twice basically means that he was getting fired and was provided the courtesy of “quitting”.
He sounds like a real "winner," who perhaps should have chosen a different line of work.
There's a difference between complaints and discipline. Complaints are handled by CPSO's ICRC. Most complaints end there, and the decisions are not public. If there's simple remediation (take a course, refresh on these standards, etc.) ICRC has the statutory power to order those. ICRC is where Jordan Peterson's complaints were addressed. He was never subject to discipline.
Discipline matters are much more serious. They're professional misconduct, and can result in fines, suspensions or even license revocation. ICRC refers serious matters to discipline usually after legal advice that there's a good chance of a discipline panel making a finding of professional misconduct after a discipline hearing. Most discipline proceedings are settled without a hearing, but contested hearings do happen often. They're basically civil trials, in that the test is the preponderance of evidence, not reasonable doubt as criminal proceedings are. Discipline decisions are public.
OP should definitely file a complaint, and include the details of other staff who were in attendance at the time. The physician is obligated to cooperate in any investigation.
It’s a bit confusing to discuss Jordan Peterson in relation to the CPSO. He is not a medical doctor and isn’t regulated by them.
Just wanted to clarify that in case someone misinterpreted your example.
The regulatory scheme for health professionals is the same for all health professions—Psychologists are regulated under the same scheme as doctors in Ontario.
Log this complaint. I imagine this is something they would respond to/investigate. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
Thank you. ❤️ I really hope something is done. This guy works in the ICU and knowing someone like that is around the most vulnerable patients in my city worries me immeasurably.
This guy works in the ICU
👀
I'm sorry that happened to you! That sounds both terrifying and dehumanizing.
As for reporting, I'd report it. While 1 report to the CPSO won't likely lead to any disciplinary action, multiple reports will. If he treated you like this, it's highly likely you're not the only one who has suffered under his care.
If it's any consolation, I've seen 2 doctors have enough complaints logged against them that the CPSO had to act. One had her licence to practice suspended. The other just left the country before anything could be done.
I will caution you that this process is very lengthy and a lot of doctors really get away with a slap on the wrist for a long time.
I know that there’s a very real possibility there won’t be harsh consequences for him. Luckily, he’s running for office at the moment, billing himself as this hardworking, ICU physician, and I think a few news stories running about how he actually treats his patients might hamper those efforts.
Report this to the Patient Ombudsman as well.
If he’s running for office, a local journalist might be delighted to hear from you.
Tell whoever he's running against...
Report it. You will be able to follow on the cspo website.
The nurses probably also filed at least a complaint to their manager and also would have charged it if they disagreed. For their point of view it’s to protect themselves from withholding care due to doctors orders.
You’re likely right because the nurses were actually very upset by the whole thing. They spent over an hour trying to calm me down and convince me they still believed me and would continue to offer the appropriate care. They were really angry at him, honestly, because waltzing in and upsetting a postictal patient creates more work for them. They called him angrily a few times. I really hope someone documented his comments about ceasing care and squirting saline in my eyes, because my (absentee) attending doctor just recorded that I was upset because he thought I was faking, which is missing the worst of it IMO.
A doctor would have let my mom die, not believing she was in excruciating pain and advancing paralysis. The nurses went behind his back and sent her to a larger hospital, where they immediately put her in ICU. She was diagnosed with GBS, and almost died. Her recovery took six months just to walk again. My family went hard after the arrogant doctor who literally would have watched her die. Years later? He was promoted to head physician in the county. Good luck.
I’m sorry your family experienced that. This is not reassuring.
Sorry that happened to you, you can definitely complain to the CPSO but you could also file a complaint with the hospital directly which might have more impact.
As for the “known for faking” comment I wonder if somewhere there’s a note classifying one of your seizures as a psychogenic seizure. I work at a neurology clinic and one of our patients who went status had a hospital Doc essentially say he was faking it, even though they have LGS. And both can be true at the same time of having been diagnosed with epilepsy and also have PNES. So that could maybe be what prompted his comment, not saying he was right at all but it could be something to skim for in your medical notes.
I’ve been pouring through my online records but couldn’t find any comments insinuating that my seizures are/were psychogenic. I’m going to make a formal (on paper) request through the hospital at this point because I know there must be something. I just don’t know why it would take precedence over all the very recent information about my diagnosis and stay in the ICU.
Your post history shows you said a doctor accused you of fake seizures. I imagine that would be documented
My experience is that I’ve had ER docs and my old neuro insinuate they “could be” psychosomatic and use that as an excuse to do no tests or send me home without investigation. When I finally accessed the records it looks like none of them actually committed it to paper. They just left the diagnosis part blank. So I’m contacting the hospital to make sure it isn’t something I’m missing. That being said, those experiences were mostly 2+ years ago (save a few), so I don’t understand why an ER afterthought from 2021 would take precedence over all of the recent documentation about my long hospitalization.
I dealt with CPSO. Their system is to defend doctors and not you. I highly suggest you obtain your medical records prior to filing. I also urge you to communicate by email or record your phone calls with them. They will twist the story in their favour. Patient relations also only look after their own. I nearly died from sepsis. I was not believed and even sent away from the hospital. They labeled me a drug addict seeking drugs when I tested clean. I lost 90lbs and nearly died. I have the doctor in question recorded making fun of me and First Nations people always coming in for their fix.
The result the doctor was cited for her choice of language. They forced an ethics and an Indigenous course on the hospital staff. They cited the doctor for modifying(tampering) my records after I files and omitting(destroying an anesthesiologist report and the post anesthesiologist report). She stated i nearly died from anesthesia issues and that no other surgery should ever be performed for the rest of my life. The event never occurred. (She didn’t want them to see she badly burnt my uterus into the small bowel causing my uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and part of my small bowel to die.) I had to provide copies. She said she referred me and didn’t do so. She labelled the problem as psychological and even forced a psych hold. I’m still waiting on Human Rights. There is no accountability.
Be aware the doctor was provided a lawyer paid for by CPSO. I was financially destroyed in the 5.5 months I was ignored. Not one lawyer would pick this up on contingency and the reason they told me is that the process is too long, too complexe and most times there is no financial compensation. I did all the leg work by obtaining records and flagging the inconsistencies. I hired a professional transcriptionist to type the recording where the doctor in question verbally abused me for an hour and 23 minutes. She also stated her physicians assistant was in the room the whole time but you hear her tell her to leave so she can abuse me some more. It took CPSO 6 years to decide the outcome of my case. I’m looking at another 2 for human rights.
The system is broken. This same doctor perforated a woman’s uterus and hid it for 2 years while the woman suffered needlessly.
The result. I have medically induced PTSD. I cannot afford therapy to deal with it. I refuse to ever seek medical care in a hospital setting for any reason. Any cancer, dementia, heart disease, stroke, major illness, or injury, I’m to die via MAID. I no longer trust this broken system.
You are conflating the OMA and CPSO. The OMA/CMPA provides the doctors with lawyers. The CPSO is an independent regulator and doesn't provide lawyers to either party.
I'm sorry to hear about your outcome though.
CPSO provided her the lawyer. During mediation I was told this by CPSO. I asked where my paid lawyer was.
Someone was mistaken. Colleges simply do not provide lawyers to health professionals who are complained about. It's not in the College's powers to do so. The CMPA is an insurance fund that doctors (and taxpayers, through the province) pay into that funds legal defenses for doctors.
Doctors pay an annual fee to the CPSO. As their regulatory body, the CPSO is meant to protect patients not doctors
Doctors also pay CMPA fees with supplemental funding from the province. The CMPA is meant to protect doctors and provides the lawyers
I am so sorry you’ve had this experience. Did your doctor ever get any consequences at all? That’s hellish.
I’m also suffering from medical PTSD and unable to find adequate support for it. Luckily, I was able to download my records/discharge papers online before filing the complaint. It’s too late for them to change anything, but I still need to get my hands on my old ER discharge papers so that they can’t obfuscate any insinuations I was faking in the past.
Forced an ethics course and told to watch her language. That is all. No fine, no suspension. I lost my car and ended up homeless while chasing for a diagnosis. When I left my city to seek care at another ER, they the least did an ultrasound and found the problem. I was brought into a room and told to write a will and put someone down as a medical proxy because there was a big chance I wouldn’t survive the surgery to correct her mistake. She knew from her surgical notes that my uterus was too small to ablate and proceeded irregardless causing all that damage. I will shit in a bag for the rest of my life as a result. I will suffer from malnutrition and pain for the rest of my life.
I am so sorry. I really hope you get justice some day, in some form or another. It’s just not right. Stories like yours are the reason I wanted to go to lawsuit for medical malpractice/disability cases, but unfortunately I’m too unwell to attend classes right now. Have you considered going to the news?
The media would not pick up my case. This was around the time where Joyce Echaquan died from medical neglect in Quebec.
Joyce Echaquan’s story still haunts me in a way that is hard to describe. The way the medical establishment treats indigenous people is villainous.
My recording is 1 hour 23 minutes. She raises her voice, uses derogatory terms against First Nations, uses intimidation to not seek further care, and when I called her out on her nonsense she threatened to rip my work insurance forms leaving me with zero income. She then filled them that the problem was a severe mental health issue and that I was mentally incompetent at making decisions. The pain was so bad I couldn’t keep food. I could no longer function. I was passing blood at both ends. I lost 90lbs in 5.5 months and nearly died from sepsis. The surgeon that took my case in Ottawa had 2 other surgeons come in to repair the mess left. When I came to she was at my bedside and apologized for what I had endured.
Big hugs friend x
Did you escalate beyond the CPSO?
This is the real answer. Doctors in Ontario are protected by a very large and powerful group of Lawyers called the Canadian Medical Protective Association.
Hospital board members have their fingers in all sorts of pots, like riding the hospital board as well as the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.)
CBC is bought and paid for and any minimal interest you may get from a reporter will be short-lived and half-hearted because they are beholden to the CRTC and are funded by powerful groups who constantly misdirect the attention to keep the money flowing.
I'm so sorry you went through all of this. I believe you because I've seen it myself. They leave people to die horrible deaths for speaking up against medical practitioners in Ontario.
My records are still horribly tainted. I have chronic pain from what happened and the labels she added to my records carry on. I’m not looking for opioids but there are other modalities that could help. Nope I’m sent away told to meditate my problems away and the pain will magically disappear.
It's disgusting. I almost thought we had the same doctor because of what they did to your file, on top of the racial discrimination.
I guess these psychopathic doctors really are more common than most people will ever know. They get so many complaints and just let it slide for so long due to the shortage of physicians.
The patient records were never corrected. The doctor was eventually ousted but the patients were NEVER followed -up with to get to the truth and MANY are still living with the effects of being labeled as a narcotics seeker.
This medical system is truly broken, which is great for when private healthcare comes. People will be so desperate they will go bankrupt to get the chance at human-standard care.
You’ve got that right. I contacted the media including W5. I got nothing but silence.
I've reached out to W5, CBC, GoPublic, Toronto Star, Canadian Human Rights Commission, etc. So many reporters and advocacy groups have gotten the chance to help (too many to name or remember at this point,) and they won't take the story, so they can protect their own interests/careers.
The only ones who actually believed were Rebel news, which is unfortunately considered a fringe / extreme and unreliable newsgroup. They are the only ones who wanted the truth because they don't care who they upset. They are about to release a documentary that will likely highlight the negative aspects of MAID (forcing people to euthanize themselves instead of providing proper medical and mental health care.)
To be clear, I am not against euthanasia for people who are truly suffering. I'm just not okay with being pushed into it by lack of medical resources and the potential profit this will bring to certain medical groups.
They pushed me into it because I can no longer trust that I will be treated with dignity and respect. I cannot get the false information removed from my patient records. I was able to add notes through the information privacy commissioner. The problem is that doctors won’t read my notes and read only other medical professionals notes. I was denied services at 4 chronic pain clinics because they wrote that I was an addict seeking drugs but yet I tested clean after I told them if you don’t believe me test me. The minute they swipe my health card the nonsense starts again. The pain clinics declined my referral without even meeting with me due to my past medical records.
I'm so sorry they've pushed you to this point.
It's deplorable and inhumane. .
They claim that I’m an addict. Despite the severe unrelentless pain, I have not turned to the street supply. Pain hits a certain point I’ll be forced to choose the tainted street supply or MAID. My doctor already has my MAID forms. Things get bad, I will apply and will likely be granted. This is what CPSO wants. They want me to shut up and go away.
What's the name of this doctor and where is her place of business?
I’m not a doctor, but I’m friends with several, and one of them has front temporal lobe epilepsy.
CPSO complaints are taken seriously by doctors. There is almost always an investigation. Yes, the CMPA (note: not the same as the body who handles complaints) will provide them with a lawyer. That doesn’t mean complaints will be dismissed or ignored, though. Multiple valid complaints, or one serious complaint, could lead to the CPSO revoking a doctor’s license to practice.
Irresponsible and bad doctors should have complaints made against them. I would encourage you to file your complaint, and be ready with the best written account of what happened that you can. If there are nurses or other professionals who can corroborate your account, even better!
The doctor with epilepsy was initially told by her family doctor that it was just anxiety or mild panic attacks. And they were rude about it. They only changed their mind after her first generalized seizure. I’m sorry that you’ve experienced something similar. It’s already potentially a very difficult condition to manage, and you certainly don’t need an ignorant doctor making things worse.
Thank you, this is heartening to hear. ❤️
I think I know who you’re talking about. He lost his position during Covid
Name and shame
I might. I’m mulling it over, but don’t want to doxx myself if the local news picks up my story. 😅 If they don’t, I absolutely will name and shame.
Yes name the doc and where he or she or they practises
This
Also be sure to report it to the hospital.
As far as I know, once you file a formal complaint, it’s put forth to the doctor and to a group of board members who evaluate complaints. They are supposed to call you to get more information about the incident(s). That is absolutely horrible what you experienced and I’m so sorry.
I called the CPSO in April with just a few concerns about my dr and the lady was very helpful. She gave my dr a ‘courtesy call’ to express that his patient was unhappy, and could he please contact me. However, my situation is not like yours.
Please report this and I hope you will be taken seriously
Edited for all the auto correct errors
Yes, you are absolutley entitled to view your medical records, and can request edits and changes to be made if anything if found to be false in your records! I would start with that
On it. Thank you!
Absolutely report him to the college of physicians. Deplorable behaviour. I am sorry you had to experience that.
Thank you. ❤️
I had a complaint about my family doctor refusing to see me because I hadn't been sick often enough to be worth her time and CPSO was pretty great.
They called her asked her to explain herself and reminded her that she was in breach of guidelines (more because she didn't follow the correct procedure to terminate a patient but still) and called me back to let me know it had all gone down.
I'm so sorry. For my story and how we got results Firstly my mom who was injured was expected to be in hospital for 4 weeks and than a planned trip to physiotherapy in-patient center for another 4 weeks. She has a debilitating disease and can't walk During that 4 week stay, they left the IV in her arm for so long it caused a blood infection. A new doctor took over and said we're going to waste a spot at the physiotherapy center because she won't get better and should go home. They even went as far as to say her physical therapist said she was taking my mom on walks using her walker which she wasn't been able to do in years. On top of this, she cannot think for herself anymore and I think they thought they could get away with it but me, my dad and my brother did rounds so she wasn't ever alone because we are fearful of people taking advantage of her state and abusing her from a previous experience( she ended up with her whole side bruised because a nurse tried moving her alone which she was not allowed to and tried telling us shes lieing) anyway we wrote a letter to the hospital social worker/admin just listing the exact facts with dates and times and who we spoke with and exactly what took place. No emotions or thoughts on how they should run things, just straight facts. We received word directly from the social worker the next day saying she was extremely sorry and she is back on schedule for physiotherapy and that the doctor are being looked into. I did not see the doctor or therapist when visiting my mom for that whole week. I don't know if anything was actively done like a suspension, but clearly, they were not allowed to treat my mother after we reported it which is what we wanted most.
Please log it. My husband has epilepsy and it’s no joke, I’m sorry this happened to you
Since this is recent, you can also collect evidence to submit with your complaint. Can you get the nurses to say they were instructed to withhold care? Get a copy of your records or chart from ICU, to prove the doctor had plenty of evidence you were not faking anything. Regardless, withholding care without any evidence one way or the other would be negligent when someone is actively showing the physical manifestation of a seizure.
Additional statements or backup from the hospital doctor that oversaw your icu stay will be meaningful. Lots of patients submit baseless complaints, or the complaints lack evidence so the cpso can’t really do anything. Your complaint being validated by a different physician will be more likely to escalate it to a full investigation.
The hospital has very limited power to do anything (it can cost millions in legal fees to revoke hospital permissions, the bad doctor can just go to a different hospital, rinse and repeat.) cpso is really the only body that has power to deal with this effectively… help them out and get as much evidence as you can. (If you feel up to it of course, your recovery and health is the most important. If it was me though, I’d be mad enough I’d want to be taking action, but that’s easy to say when in good health).
Am a lawyer, not your lawyer. I recommend that you speak to a health lawyer, such as John McIntyre of McIntyre Szabo - he’s awesome. You were deprived of necessary treatment, and humiliated. I’m not suggesting you have a claim that is worth a ton of money; that’s not the point. The commencement of a claim against a doctor will have an impact on him, at least temporarily.
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1mo
Was the CPSO able to help you with the issues in your medical record, or did you have to go through someone else?
Omg I can’t believe this happened to you, I am so sorry. Where do trash doctors like this even come from? We put so much trust in our Heathcare system it’s a joke. Don’t be shy, out this mf
Please log the complaint. CPSO takes complaints very seriously and there will be repercussions for the physician.
I'm so sorry this was your experience
Thank you. ❤️
Please post in r/askdocs - ask them about wording and how to approach the complaint so it's taken seriously.
Fuuuck that.. do not give up on this claim, push it further and further.. I would start contacting medical malpractice lawyers... take it the absolute furthest that you can, that is absolutely despicable... I would also absolutely plaster this story everywhere I could.. Doctor review pages, Google business reviews, yelp business reviews, the freaking newspaper if you can..
I did contact several local news stations because in my efforts to find his full name in order to report him I found out that he’s been in the news dozens of times for unhinged behaviour and has been forced to resign from two positions. The only reason I’m not naming-and-shaming is because I might inadvertently doxx myself if a story got published. As for medical malpractice, I know it’s very hard to sue but I am at least going to look into it.
Oooh, I bet CBC’s Fifth Estate would very much be interested in your story.
Yes! Or CBC marketplace.
Maybe I should, honestly. He’s actually a controversial public figure.
This is a nightmare and I'm sorry you experienced that violation of your basic human rights. Just so you know, you have two years to sue for personal bodily injury and some law agencies work on contingency for it, so you pay them out of your winnings. I recommend considering this route as well, as it will mark him from future contracts and you deserve compensation for the vile abuse.
I just filed a complaint today with CPSO about a psychiatrist I saw in the winter who also completely violated his role with me. I'll follow this thread and update you when I hear anything. Hopefully it gets something improved and these things never happen to anyone again. What monsters.
Thank you. ❤️ Once I’ve done everything I can in terms of complaining to the hospital, CPSO and ombudsman, I’m going to start looking into legal options. I’m sorry to hear you’ve experienced something similar.
Pls consider getting your lawyer to review any documentation you submit moving forward. Fighting medical malpractice especially with a hospital is unfortunately an ugly battle. Expect the worst but hope for the best. If you have it in you, go forward with it.
I’d also suggest sharing your story more broadly and advocating for other patients with lived experience similar to yours. Be it through media, articles, anonymous forums, etc. etc.
First and foremost, take care of yourself!!
I hope you do dear 🌹 and thank you
Horrific story, but seems par for the course for medicine in Ontario. I hope you find the closure you're looking for. I hope you sue the doctor and the hospital and win a large settlement. I hope my tax dollars end up in your pocket because they seem to be doing nothing otherwise.
Thank you. ❤️ Yeah, I’m definitely open to a lawsuit at this point. I’ve had too many bad experiences at this particular hospital and I’ve developed medical PTSD. Something has to change.
Can you share the hospital? I’m disabled and I’ve gone through similar things before. It’s really upsetting and the after effects are forever with us. Sending you positive energies and hoping you can get some justice. 🙏
The OP won’t find closure. CPSO look after doctors and not the patient.
Indeed, but the courts don't. My mother testified as a victim in a criminal case against a doctor (along with a few other women) who ended up having his medical licenses revoked and went to prison for half a decade.
Was it handled by CPSO or the police. 2 different entities.
Can the police even get involved with these sorts of complaints?
I think it depends on the nature of the complaint. If it's criminal then they absolutely can. I'm not sure if your experience rises to the level of criminal, and I don't mean that to suggest that it doesn't, I genuinely don't know. A lawyer would know.
If there are criminal proceedings, a regulator usually won't do anything until after the criminal matter is completed.
Regulators exercise their powers under the RHPA and are separate from criminal or other civil proceedings. They deal solely with the members professional conduct, or misconduct.
I wish I had the details to share but I don't. If I could remember his name I'd share the news articles about it, but I can't recall, and I don't want to ask her cause it'll just remind her of the assault.
That doctor already had some of his medical licenses revoked at the time of the assaults (by CPSO), and continued to "practise" despite having no license to practise that kind of medicine so he could continue to abuse women.
There were 2 in my community. Dr Paul Malette. He raped my sister in a hospital setting and dr Knut(?) committed suicide in his office. Dr Malette raped at least 12 women. He finally retired.
If you don’t mind me asking, how did the victims go about bringing the case to court? Through a lawyer or some sort of tribunal?
I wish I could share more details but it was some years ago. I can't even remember the doctor's name, and I don't really want to call up my mom and ask her to tell me the story again...
He was practising as a psychologist in London Ontario at the time of the assaults. His license to practise as a GP had already been revoked, so he switched to psychology and continued the same behaviour.
I think the name was Greek, or Polish or something like that.
Edit: Ah, here he is! Psychiatrist, not psychologist*
Oh my god, that’s revolting.
Hence why I didn't want to call her and ask... The less she has to think about it the better.
Dr Malette went on to treat the LBGTQ community and raped them too.
Disgusting, I'm so sorry.
And yet some people say that it's good when doctors are psychopaths.
It makes for good TV though. House is one of my favourite shows!
Could you get a lawyer to draft a complaint? I’d suggest lawyering up just in case.
Is going to the newspapers (or their modern equivalent, I suppose) a possible option in addition to what people here are mentioning? This could very well be a headline and disgrace the individual in question out of further practice.
Yeah, I already have. On top of my experience, he’s done some very questionable things. He’s lost his last two positions due to “controversies” about COVID-19 and some even weirder shit. I don’t think my local hospital wants the residents to realize they hired this pariah.
For 2-3 months my mum was denied an MRI after courses of radiation and chemotherapy on the specious grounds that there was a global shortage of contrast dye. Mum had stage 4 cancer. I looked up the average wait times for the period in question for an MRI both in Ontario and in this particular hospital, and even the tier of lowest (fourth) priority was much faster (under 30 days, I believe). The tier of second-highest priority (which is where I think Mum would have been) was about a day. So much for the contrast dye excuse. After I started asking questions the explanation changed.
I didn't pursue a complaint, partly because Mum's husband wrote an email (from Mum's account, pretending that the words were hers) to me and my brother insisting that no questions be asked "about what may or may not have gone wrong with the treatment"—very lawyerly, very P.R.. "May or may not"? It was like he was trying to make it obvious that he was bending over backwards to resist any accountability on behalf of the hospital. My brother went with the flow, probably partly for financial consideration. This asshole who would fly off the handle (especially at Mum) for the slightest of perceived grievances was suddenly so meek. With her husband in the opposing corner, one of her sons bystanding, and Mum's health declining by the week, a complaint wasn't my top priority. She didn't live many more months. In her last minutes, instead of being by her bedside, her husband waited at the door with the paperwork for the DNR order to make sure that the paramedics wouldn't try to revive her in the event that she died. That was his foremost concern. He didn't exactly make it easy for me to get her medical records. I hope the people closest to you are in your corner. If they are, try to derive some enthusiasm from that, and maybe some hope.
I am a physician in Ontario. I would agree with escalating to CPSO based off your experience... your nursing team will also have documented the clinical event on their end as well.
I have not received a CPSO complaint before but from my understanding they do generally investigate further. I have heard about other colleagues receiving calls from CPSO for much less.
I cannot comment on the difficulty nor timeline of filing a complaint as i do not know the process. Though CPSO complaints can be dismissed such as the example above, I haven't heard of them dismissing serious cases without reason but im open to the idea that it happens and we're just not in the know. They are an imperfect group, as any regulatory body is, but they and the CMPA do not work in the best interests of the physician. Simply put, we are not unionized and do not truly have a group that has our best interests in mind (including CMA and OMA).
So yes, it is worthwhile to file a CPSO complaint and to stick with it if you've had an experience that brought upon significant medical harm to yourself. I can't say it would be a success story but hopefully one you feel was worth writing.
Thank you for the insight!
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1mo
Thank you. ❤️
Not me, they have a shortage, so any gp is a good gp. It took 6 months fir them to even contact me. And then they accused me of making accusations...
He’s not a GP. He’s a on-call ICU doc who only comes in 2 days a week.
, and,? M
your last name starts with L, doesnt it
Where in Ontario is this doctor? How do we find the name of this doctor ? Thanks.
Log the complaint. You never know what else the CPSO is aware of. This might be a pattern of behaviour known to them and they're just wating for more information to pounce
What would lead him to believe that and do you have any mental disorders that would change the context of reality when retelling a story?
Nothing. He had never seen me before and had full access to my medical file which showed my diagnosis of epilepsy and recent stay in the ICU that his superior wrote. All of the records I accessed were very clear that I have epilepsy and almost died and am to come straight back to the hospital if anything weird happens. My previous doc even described me as “pleasant” multiple times in his discharge papers. I’ve never gone to the hospital for anything mental health related, so nothing would be on file. And it doesn’t matter either way. Even if a patient has a mental illness, you can’t ignore a diagnosis of a known deadly medical condition because - believe it or not - you can have a mental health and a physical health condition. We don’t get to just not treat people because we think they might be mentally ill.
I had success reporting a dermatologist probably 10-+ years ago. They took me seriously and notified that doctor of the situation. I didn't get to remain anonymous and that doctor, under the conditions I had, had to go through a sort of training program on what's acceptable and how to deal with people. I wonder if yours would be similar.
Good luck!
You were in the middle of a seizure and you were able to hear and comprehend what the doctor was saying and also the reaction of the nurses? And you relearned how to walk and talk over the course of two weeks? Ok buddy.
Hey, look, it's somebody who doesn't know Jack shit about epilepsy judging other people.
I work in healthcare, this guy is making up shit.
I worked in epilepsy research for 5 years, and a neuroscientist. And you're full of shit.
Not everybody with epilepsy loses consciousness during their seizures.
Thank you. 😭
When they say they "work in health care" they probably stock shelves at SDM...
Yeah that's about what I figured. If they worked Ina. Relevant area they'd say so :)
Maybe not but this person's story is full of shit. Read this persons history, it's full of people accusing them of lying about multiple things. Autism, asthma, seizures, neurology diagnosing it but not documenting it. They definitely have an Instagram influencer page telling everyone doctors are bad and only you know your body.
Why are you cyberstalking me? Are you that triggered? I use Reddit as a vent space for these specific issues. I have PTSD from them. I don’t have an Instagram about it, I don’t wish to share it publicly. I’ve also never claimed I was “diagnosed but not documented” by a neurologist (I don’t know what that would mean) and I was never accused of lying about my autism either, just had it ignored, which is common. Just how far back did you have to go to even dig up some of this stuff? Please stop harassing me and go back to illnessfakers where you belong. I’m going to be contacting the mods.
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1mo
Rule #3: You Must Remain Civil While Participating / Vous devez rester courtois dans votre participation
Your content has been removed since it is targeting other users. Please do not attack or attempt to create drama with other users.
As per Rule 3
- Follow proper reddiquette.
- No personal attacks or insults
- No trolling
Votre contenu a été supprimé car il cible d'autres utilisateurs. Veuillez ne pas attaquer ou tenter de créer un drame avec d'autres utilisateurs.
Tel qu’expliqué dans la règle #3
- Vous devez suivre la netiquette
- Pas d’attaques personnelles ni d’insultes
- Pas de provocation
My original comment went overboard and got deleted and that's fair.
You don't know a thing about epilepsy. The fact that this person may or may not be full of it is irrelevant. You shouldn't be commenting other people's medical conditions, or medical conditions in general, in which you have no actual knowledge or awareness. Because people other than Miss supposed to read it, and they see the same kind of crap they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, but other people misjudging their medical issues, telling them their own medical issues and how they should be reacting or what's actually happening, telling them it's not real, accusing them of faking, and all that kind of related BS.
So please refrain on saying that's not how epilepsy works when you have no idea how epilepsy works, and not, think of the people's medical challenges and problems that you have no knowledge about, and are in fact completely ignorant about. Seizures don't work the way you apparently think that they work. So maybe you're not qualified to pass judgment on others.
Whether or not this person is full of it is irrelevant, people who have these conditions read comments like yours and it makes them not want to speak out, it teaches them That other people are just going to judge them for things they don't understand.
I not only worked in epilepsy for years, I also had a girlfriend with epilepsy for quite a while, and I can tell you that people with attitudes like yours make their lives significantly harder.
So with respect, please stop commenting on things you have No knowledge of.
Your comment also added nothing to any reasonable discussion, simply telling people they're full of it and are lying hardly advances an interesting discussion. Frankly the world would have been a slightly better place if you had just for frame from commenting at all.
If you actually work in healthcare you should really read up on the difference between tonic-clonics, generalized absences, focal impaired awareness, focal aware, tonics, myoclonics and atonic seizures. You should care about learning instead of going around insulting people.
What kind of seizures do you have?
I used to have TCs before getting medicated. Now it’s mostly focal impaired awareness seizures. But sometimes I have absence seizures or tonic seizures. It seems like whenever I change my meds I start getting a type that impacts an even smaller region of my brain, so overall I guess that’s progress.
There are different kinds of seizures and there are some where people still have awareness during their seizures.
I also work in health care and once had a patient with this type of seizures. We didn't believe it at first but the tests eventually proved it.
A) I explained that I was having a complex focal. Simple focals, where there is no cognitive impact, also exist. This was also after being medicated, so the seizure was winding down into a postictal state. Google exists for a reason. The point of this post wasn’t to give myself the opportunity educate rude, ignorant people like you that different types of seizures exist.
B) I wasn’t recovering from a TBI or stroke. I was recovering from status epilepticus and intubation. Completely different recovery process than major brain damage. The mixture of heavy drugs and prolonged postictal state made it incredibly hard for me to tell my body what to do for a few days, and I forgot how to type. I walked with an unusual gait for 2 weeks, however, and was very weak as well. During those 2 weeks, I worked briefly with a physiotherapist, but, yes, most of my recovery occurred within the first few days.
Again, it’s really not my job to educate you when I put the info out there for you to research yourself. But thank you for proving my point that there will always be some cynic questioning me because they can’t bother to do any research besides watching House MD.
A few things … I’m very sorry this happened to you. Sounds terrifying & very traumatic.
Im a RN in the ER & my BIL & husband are neurologists.
No medical professional would feel comfortable to NOT treat a true seizure (especially someone with a documented history of SE like you say you have) as the morbidity & mortality risk is far too high. Especially with someone who was JUST admitted with SE.
The only way that doctor would feel SO comfortable to not treat you is because someone has documented something from your last stay in hospital. Doctors would not just willy-nilly risk their licenses like this unless they’re positive it’s not a true seizure. All ER docs look through patients’ histories prior (or directly after if there’s no time) to their initial assessments.
My guess is during your previous stays there’s never been an EEG confirming your dx (which isn’t unusual) & your sp02 never changed during your seizures prior to intubation (meaning you were never deprived of 02 / weren’t in true SE).
To your credit, with real SE (seizing for over 5 minutes) it would definitely be considered a brain injury as between 5-6 minutes of oxygen deprivation = tissue necrosis. Sounds likely given you had another unprovoked seizure so closely after discharge while obviously being medicated.
If all this is true then if I were you, I’d get my neurologist to write a confirmed detailed dx & have a picture of it on my phone & copies on my person at all times. This would also be uploaded into your medical file leaving no doubt. If you had true SE prior to this admission there should already be a detailed neurologist note on your brain activity & dx.
It makes me curious what the doctors concluded during your last hospital stay & why that ER doctor was SO sure he wasn’t even worried/thinking about the consequences of being wrong.
Get those medical records asap. Good luck.
Yeah, I really don’t appreciate this comment. “No medical professional would feel comfortable to NOT treat a true seizure” well, this guy clearly felt it was not a true seizure but that was not the case. Medical professionals can be wrong. I don’t “say I have” a history of SE; I’ve received both my medical records and discharge papers from the ICU and acute care ward and the ICU director/chief of internal medicine and on-call neurologist confirmed it was SE on paper. My records from the last stay at the hospital clearly state that I have a confirmed epilepsy diagnosis both from the ICU neuro and my neuro, and pseudoseizures are not mentioned anywhere. Everything is very, very well documented from everyone involved, and I’ve downloaded and printed it. There was not a doubt in anyone’s mind during my first admission. I’m on a new treatment plan, and my attending told me to return immediately if my rescue meds stopped working. So I did. During several seizures during my first stay, my blood pressure dropped to 80/60 and my sp02 dropped to 80 and I was given oxygen. I’m sorry but if the ICU director, ICU neuro, my neuro and my attending all believed they witnessed SE and true epileptic seizures and put that to paper, I’m not going to be told by someone on Reddit that it probably didn’t occur and my oxygen must have been fine/not true SE/etc. “If all this is true” - it is! You weren’t there. And playing damage control for this guy after a traumatic event because you don’t want to admit that some people who work in healthcare are bad at their jobs or just plain bad people is unhelpful. The doctor in question is not an ER doctor, he’s an on-call ICU doctor who comes in max. twice a week on contract. My nursing team called him randomly because they couldn’t access my attending and he may have not read anything at all. He wasn’t my doctor. He was just called in to assess the situation and order necessary medication. He’s well known for being anti-mask, anti-vaxx, and stating that “he’d rather give his children COVID-19 than a Happy Meal.” He’s also sponsoring a petition for Canada to leave the UN and the WHO, he was disowned by Queen’s and booed out of his last job as a local medical officer. The dude is nuts. You’re just going to have to accept that some people actually do behave like this, and questioning the victim’s version of events in this manner is callous, condescending and invalidating. I will be digging into my old ER records to see if someone made that accusation, but so far no one seems to know what he was talking about and I can’t find anything.
I have epilepsy and I'm also a nurse. I didn't read the previous comment as an accusation, rather that there may be something documented in your chart that informed this doctor's decision making, even though it was wrong. Get a hold of your medical records department and request a copy. That way you can read everything and see if there is something in there that you think shouldn't be. If you have complex health issues it's not a bad idea to get all your records together anyway. It's the only way to be sure about what previous doctors wrote but will also provide you nursing documentation, which it sounds like should back you up. This isn't about invalidation, it's about trying to help you navigate a complex system and achieve the goal you ultimately want...proper care. Unfortunately, epileptics can face scrutiny because many people do fake seizures for various reasons (I'm not talking about people with PNES, those are still seizures just a different cause, though they do not respond to AEDs).
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1mo
I did talk to my attending doctor, and my entire treatment team before leaving and then patient relations after leaving. I’ve made this obvious. I also went to the CPSO before going to Reddit. I’m here for advice. And I’m not exaggerating. I think you’re just making up a narrative at this point to feel better about being a turd to me without understanding the full story. Memory loss and confusion are common, which is why I confirmed everything with my nursing staff and had a 2 hour conversation with them about the incident before discharge. Everyone involved is now on board with my complaint. You’re propensity to hang around seizure fakers and your hyperfixation with Munchausen’s really isn’t my problem and has nothing to do with me. Believe it or not, faking respiratory arrest and allowing yourself to be intubated raw in an ambulance is a bit hard to pull off. I don’t think I’ve managed to con an entire ICU unit and multiple neurologists into believing I was dying while factually unconcious. If I do have Munchausen’s, I guess I’m a genius? I have nothing to say to you at this point, as I’m pretty sure you’re just trying to get a reaction, honestly.
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1mo
I think it’s really sad that you went through my Reddit history and are now trying to argue somehow I’m doing something wrong because as a child my abusive alcoholic mother accused me of faking asthma. She also didn’t want to bring me to the ER when I broke my ankle and I had to beg for glasses for 2 years. She was a monster. What’s your point? Multiple people have accused me of faking seizures in the ER because I’m a young “alternative” woman in a city with a drug problem (people think piercings, tattoos, goth makeup, etc. = insane apparently) and an ER that people are constantly complaining about. I’m not the only one - I know lots of people who refuse to go to that hospital now and drive to the next city. Young women being accused of malingering is a very common experience, and there’s tons of info out there about it, but I’m sure you don’t care to look. I’m also a disgnosed autistic and people find it suspicious that I seem “flat” and share way too much information in these settings (just like how you think I’m suspicious because my responses are long). I just learned the difference between these different types of doctors during my recent hospitalization because it was explained to me multiple times so that I could understand what was going on, and I read my medical records and can learn words because I’m not a chimpanzee. I don’t think that’s suspicious and patients shouldn’t have to play dumb to prove they don’t have Munchausen’s. I think maybe you need therapy, because instead of letting go of this conversation and admitting you need to learn about different types of seizures, you’re digging into my post history to find more ways to insult me when I’ve stated I’m traumatized because your ego can’t take it. This is a very “Well, what were you wearing?” argument and I think you’re sick and shouldn’t be working in healthcare. You’re exactly the kind of low-empathy egomaniac who hurts people. If you’re so interested in my post history, go read the thread about medical gaslighting in epilepsy.
Found the doctor!
Who??
Shaking my fist reading some of these terrible experiences people have had with doctors. Makes me want to go to law school, become a lawyer and win a bunch of medical malpractice cases and have the licenses of these mofos revoked. Nothing worse than a doctor with a God complex.
Malpractice suits are incredibly difficult to win without a finding of professional misconduct from the regulator happening first.
If you want to make a difference, apply to the Public Appointments Secretariat and work to get appointed to the council of one of the RHPA colleges. There's a shortage of Public Appointees in Ontario.
Thanks, but no thanks. Had a taste of boards and committees from my last job. Doesn’t surprise me why there’s a shortage.
Dudes probably burned out from people faking seizures for benzos find a new doc.
He’s not my doctor. He works at the ICU in the hospital. I don’t have any say I who I see while hospitalized.
With the doctor shortage in Canada I’m so mad that jerk doctors like this exist. If we have so few they better be the damn best doctors
I've tried in the past and I was treated like a bad guy, they called me and asked me the same questions over and over, in a way that was evident they were trying to prove it was a false allegation. They protected the doctor.
Did you go to a Catholic high school?
Government covering their asses with taxpayers own money. They r defending their abuses or negligence against the people , with the people on the hook for all costs & losses! Need the RICO ACT like the US to take out the government & their shenanigans !
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Do you see how many covid deniers and anti-vaxxers are getting discipline against them removed?
Good one.
We are on our own.
I’m sorry this happened to you. Sincerely.
I’ve had two experiences with CPSO.
One with my old family dr, in 2020 I put in a complaint for him not providing adequate care and they found him guilty for not providing proper medical care as he wasn’t comfortable was treating someone who identifies as non-binary, yet wouldn’t refer me to anyone.
The last one was filed at the beginning of 2023, and it was to my old nephrologist for again, not providing adequate care as I now am less 2 organs both which are vital as I am immunocompromised, and now I am followed by a very complex medical team and he wasn’t found guilty at all. They said he did everything he should have. Yet I was teaching him about my medical condition.
I am very sorry you had to go through any of what you did. No matter what it was, your feelings are valid and you should feel empowered to stand up for yourself. With that, good luck and don’t feel guilty for sticking up for yourself because you never know who will/might go through it next with your doctor.
Edit: from start to finish both complaints the process took about 9 months. I filed the complaint, they got back to me in 2-4 weeks and then I checked in a few times and they got back to me 9 months later w/ each verdict respectively.
Re: your nephrologist, a negative medical outcome is not the responsibility of a doctor if they've done their due diligence and followed treatment protocol.
When you have a meet-and-greet appointment with a new doctor, please inform them that you previously submitted two complaints to CPSO about physicians treating you. It is very important.
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I mean the only way to find out is to log a complaint. CPSO posts everything disciplinary so there’s no reason to guess if he’s had previous complaints he either has or has not.