Ethics Committee

Has anyone here actually dealt with filing a formal complaint against a medical ethics board before? I’m trying to track down their direct contact number, and honestly, I’m curious if there are any other effective ways to hold doctors accountable when they're running some kind of medical scam or malpractice nonsense.

http://www.cdc.gov/about

🙂 😉 😎

Henry Wilson48 said:Does anyone have experience filing complaints with a medical ethics board? I'm looking for their contact number and wondering if there are other ways to hold doctors accountable for malpractice.

I recently had a complete breakdown when it turned out a doctor at a prominent hospital in Chicago managed to misrepresent an old report from a year ago, keeping my father under the wrong diagnosis for twelve months straight.

To be clear, after his first prostate biopsy back in August 2003, he was told over the phone that everything looked fine and he should continue hormone therapy.
A year later, a new biopsy was performed. This time, I went to pick up the results in person, only to find a report stating "adenocarcinoma"—dated August 2003!!!

I lost it. There is no excuse for this. Pure incompetence. They were only lucky that it was an early-stage tumor that grows slowly; otherwise, it would have been too late for surgery for both my father and them. Absolute disgrace. 😠

Gary Jones10 said:Goddammit! 😠

Good grief! Where are your manners!?

Seriously, who raised you like that?

Gary Jones10 said:I recently had a complete mental breakdown when it turned out a doctor at some prestigious hospital in Chicago managed to overlook an old lab result from a year ago, leaving my father under a completely wrong diagnosis for twelve whole months.

Basically, after his first prostate biopsy back in August 2003, they called him on the phone and told him everything was fine and he should just stick with the hormone therapy.
Fast forward a year to his next biopsy—this time I went to pick up the results in person—and I’m staring at a report that clearly says "adenocarcinoma," dated... August 2003!!!

I absolutely lost it! There is zero excuse for this, none whatsoever! What a total joke! They only got lucky because it’s a slow-growing tumor in its early stages, so thankfully, it isn't too late for surgery for my dad—or for them to face the consequences if it were. Honestly, what a disgrace! 😠

Complete idiots. Did you look into filing a formal complaint or taking legal action against them?

I’m not sure how things work back home, but here in the States, trying to prove a doctor made a wrong diagnosis or was actually negligent is just such an uphill battle...

My mother-in-law ended up needing a total hip replacement because of a botched diagnosis and the wrong treatment plan, and honestly, we've gotten absolutely nowhere with it 😠

She even went to see some lawyers just to get some advice—it wasn't even about the money, she just wanted to hold them accountable and make sure there was a formal record of the negligence, you know, so it stays on their permanent disciplinary file for the public to see... but still, nothing happened

😠

so what do you think babe, how's life in the States? honestly, nowhere could be better than where you are, except maybe somewhere even worse
Henry Wilson48 honey, as gross as it sounds, we're all pretty much screwed
it's all just buddies looking out for their own
and if there’s actually someone honest in the mix, they'll shut them down real quick
just so they don't accidentally speak up when it matters...

Henry Wilson48 said:Has anyone here actually dealt with filing a complaint against a medical ethics board before? I'm trying to track down their contact number, and honestly, I'm wondering if there are any other ways to hold doctors accountable when they start acting shady.

Honestly, not really. In the US, doctors are pretty much untouchable when it comes to actual accountability. It’s almost unheard of for someone to lose their job over a mistake, bribery, being straight-up rude, negligence, or even a death... and don't even get me started on jail time, because they are lightyears away from ever seeing a courtroom. The medical lobby here is just way too powerful for anything to actually change.
So, as far as things stand in America today, you aren't going to find much help. Most of those oversight boards and committees are basically just window dressing to make everything look legit.
👎

Henry Wilson48 said:Complete idiots. Did you even consider filing a formal complaint through the regulatory commission?

And what about you? Would you have taken action?

Henry Wilson48 said:Idiots. Did you even consider the legal and medical commission procedures?

I’ve run through every scenario. But in America, doctors stick together tighter than the Italian Mafia. They cover for their own. You try finding someone willing to testify that an elderly man's life was endangered simply because he wasn't given his exact diagnosis. It would just be his word against theirs. And to me, his life and health come first.

I know it’s tragic that they get away with it, but look at that case involving the mother who died at the Holy Spirit hospital. I don't even know if any charges were filed. Honestly, I doubt there would have been an investigation if the story hadn't hit the news. So, do I gamble on this and put him in a position where every urologist in the country turns against him? No way.

Even here in America, doctors stick together tighter than the Italian mob...

Maybe things will finally start moving once they start handling business the mafia way.

Gary Jones10 said:I recently had a complete meltdown when we found out a doctor at a prestigious hospital in Chicago had overlooked an old lab result from a year ago, leaving him under the wrong diagnosis for twelve months.

Basically, after his first prostate biopsy back in August 2003, he was told over the phone that everything looked fine and he should stick to hormone therapy.
A year later, we did a new biopsy. This time I went to pick up the results myself, only to find a report clearly stating "adenocarcinoma"—dated August 2003!!!

I lost it. There's no making excuses for this kind of incompetence. What a joke. They just got lucky because it’s a slow-growing tumor, so it’s not too late for surgery for my dad—which saves them from a massive lawsuit. Absolute incompetence. 😠

I agree, this isn't right.
It shouldn't happen this way.

Sure, doctors have to stick together—that's just professional solidarity. But there has to be a limit to that loyalty if people's lives are actually on the line.

And what exactly are you expecting to find on a forum like this?
If you're looking for empathy, fine. That's one thing.
But don't expect justice here. Get your evidence together and file a lawsuit.

Life sucks. I get it. Hang in there.
🙂

Honestly, I’d love to report someone to an ethics committee right about now, if not something even more serious.

An 85-year-old man collapses on the street and ends up in neurology, only to be stuck there for five days undergoing endless tests—yet they didn't even bother running a head CT until the fifth day! And that was just via a remote link, which is ridiculous considering he fell on his head and showed stroke symptoms (thankfully, it turned out he didn't actually have one). On top of that, nobody walked him once, there was zero physical therapy, and the nurses wouldn't give him a straight answer about anything. He couldn't even open a little bottle of tea by himself, so the poor guy was likely parched... plus, his bed wasn't properly locked, so it slipped away from him when he tried to get to the bathroom. To top it all off, I found out later that they kept him heavily sedated for those five days for absolutely no reason at all.

So, just a heads-up: if you ever end up in the neurology ward at a hospital like Mayo Clinic, watch out. You might find yourself being pumped full of sedatives just so you'll stay "quiet" and sleep through the whole ordeal. I guess it's easier for them to sit there and drink their coffee in peace than to actually do the work of checking on patients or asking if they need anything.

It’s a miracle I knew what Prazine was, because apparently, he was supposed to be taking four pills a day (I don't even know the dosage, and frankly, I don't care since the man isn't psychotic, restless, or dealing with any psychiatric issues whatsoever). The Prazine is obviously going straight into the trash now, and I am just absolutely fuming...

At least now I know that if anyone in my family ends up hospitalized, I can drop everything and show up during visiting hours just to make sure they don't kill my loved ones while they're under their care.

And that was just one instance... My god, I can't even imagine what they do to everyone else...

Honestly, this story isn't some freak occurrence; it's just the harsh reality of how things work. When someone close to you ends up in the hospital, there are basically two ways to play it.

First off, if you've got connections, don't even hesitate—use them to the max. Use those ties to speed up diagnostics, get on the good side of the nursing staff, and ultimately ensure the treatment is actually tailored to the patient's specific needs, rather than just being shoved into some cookie-cutter protocol like what happened here with Prazina. If that doesn't cut it, you move on to the second strategy I'm about to lay out.

Second, if you don't have any inside tracks, the moment you see a sign of incompetence or neglect, you need to make enough noise to wake the dead. Demand to see the head nurse immediately, threaten to take it up with the hospital administrator, and if you really have to, go straight to the department chief or even the board of directors. When you're visiting, you've got to be relentless. This method is a proven way to grab the staff's attention; they usually come down to earth pretty fast once they realize you aren't playing games and aren't intimidated by their "authority" or that untouchable attitude they try to pull. It’s because Americans have taught medical professionals that most people will just stay quiet and suffer, forgetting that we aren't there for the doctors and nurses—they are there for us.

Just one more thing: don't bother bringing gifts like coffee, booze, food, or cash. In most cases, your loved one won't get anything extra just because you brought a little something. Once everything settles down, if you feel like it, maybe bring a tiny token of appreciation to your contact or a staff member who truly went above and beyond for your family.

So, my old man is out of surgery and back home, thank God. But of course, it wasn’t exactly a smooth ride thanks to some hospital incompetence.

I honestly couldn't wrap my head around it. You have a patient sitting in the urology ward with a persistent low-grade fever right after surgery, and it never occurs to anyone to run a urine culture? To see if he picked up an infection?

They finally bothered to take a culture on day five. When the results actually came back, it turned out he had a bacterial strain that was completely resistant to the exact antibiotic they’d been pumping him full of for five days straight. Not to mention, a family friend of his—who happens to be a doctor at that same hospital, just in a different department—was baffled as to why they were using such "outdated" antibiotics in the first place. For the medication he actually needed, the nurse had to borrow it from another unit because they didn't even stock it. All this nonsense cost him four extra days in the hospital.🙄

Scott Allen10 said:Unfortunately, this story isn't some freak occurrence; it’s just the brutal reality of how things work. When someone close to you ends up in the hospital, there are really only two ways to handle it.

First off, if you happen to have connections, don't even hesitate—use them to the absolute limit. Use them to fast-track diagnostics, to make sure the nursing staff actually pays attention, and to ensure the treatment is tailored specifically to the patient's needs, rather than having them shoved into some generic medical protocol where they end up suffering like what happened here with Prazina. If those connections don't pan out, then you pivot to the second method I’m about to describe.

Second, if you don't have any "ins," the moment you see any sign of incompetence or negligence, you need to make such a massive scene that everyone hears you. Find the head nurse, threaten to take it up with the hospital administrator, complain directly to the department chief if necessary, or even threaten to go straight to the board of directors. During visits, you basically have to act like an unrelenting enforcer. It’s a proven way to force the staff to pay attention; they get humbled incredibly quickly when they realize you aren't playing games and that you aren't intimidated by their perceived authority or their untouchable status. See, Americans have taught healthcare workers that they can just stay quiet and endure, but people forget that they aren't there for the doctors and nurses—it's the other way around.

One more thing: don't bother bringing gifts—whether it's coffee, booze, food, or cash. In most cases, your loved one won't receive anything extra just because you brought stuff. Once everything is settled, if you truly feel the urge, maybe bring a tiny little something to your contact or a specific staff member who actually went above and beyond for your loved one, but keep it strictly minimal.

I actually found myself laughing a bit at the sheer desperation caused by hospitals and the system, mostly because you laid out the steps so perfectly. This should honestly be required reading for everyone! 👍