Chapter 20 #2
“Yes. I was intrigued by what Mr. Hall had to say about his job, and he actually handed me a business card with his boss’s name and number.
It took a couple of weeks for me to reach out to that person, and I set up an interview with them on my day off.
The day of that interview happened to be why I was in the area to be able to examine Mr. Hall, and told him that he could resume his duties, like driving, and working, though he had already been working, but very carefully.
However, I told him that he had to continue to wear the brace Dr. Lassiter gave him for another three weeks.
I then told him to call my office if he was still in pain after those three weeks. ”
“Did you physically examine him that time?”
“Yes, we went over to Dr. Lassiter’s office and I saw that the initial bruise, that was black, was now a sickish yellow looking.”
“Sickish?”
“The color of yellow when a bruise is almost completely healed.” She rolled up her sleeve and pointed to the bruise on her forearm. “That color indicates that the body is successfully healing itself and doesn’t need any intervention from an outside source, meaning me.”
“Okay, now, how long has it been since you’ve started you own practice?”
“Two months.”
“Have you had any problems with any patients?”
“Yes,” she said on a sigh, and shook her head as she rubbed her forehead.
“When I first opened my doors, I had about five patients. They were patients I had over the years while working at the clinic. My new office is an hour or more away from the clinic. The new patients live in the area I moved to. Several of my former patients reached out to me once they learned that I had struck out on my own, and about fifteen of them came to see me. It was good, until it wasn’t. ”
“What happened?”
“All of a sudden, these previous patients started calling and cancelling their appointments. After the third one, I flat out asked them why.”
“What did they say?”
“That I had lied to them about their initial injuries, that I was incompetent, and that they didn’t want me as their doctor any longer.
When I pressed them, because I had a right to know who was spreading lies about me, all fifteen patients told me that Dr. Reuben Perkins, and Dr. Alexander Ervin had called them to tell them that I had lied to them when I treated them and that they had to go in and have the surgery I denied them.
These former patients also told me that Perkins and Ervin said because of my incompetence, they had fired me from the clinic. ”
“To the best of your knowledge, what happened to these patients that called and said they would stop seeing you?”
“I don’t know what happened to all fifteen, but I do know that four have died on the operating table, and one had lost a limb during surgery.”
“How did you know this?”
“The family members of those patients came to me for answers. They asked why they stopped seeing me, and then told me what Dr. Perkins and Dr. Ervin told them on the day of the botched surgeries.”
“What did they say to you?”
“That their loved one died during the surgery because I was so incompetent that if I had done my job correctly to begin with, then they wouldn’t have died.
” She wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye.
“These family members of my former patients threatened to sue me for negligence, but so far, nothing has come from it.”
“Thank you, has there been any other instances of defamation from Dr. Perkins or Dr. Ervin that you can recall?”
“Yes, Dr. Ervin reached out to me via e-mail stating that I owed the clinic money for my incompetence and making the clinic look bad for hiring me in the first place.”
“Was Dr. Ervin in on the hiring process when you came aboard?” He walked to the table, took the paper Ilsa handed him, and walked over to the other table, the judge, and jury, handing out a copy of the e-mail.
“Dr. Johnson, was Dr. Ervin on the hiring committee when you started at the clinic in question?”
“Oh, sorry, no. I had worked there for twelve years before he arrived.”
“To the best of your knowledge, what did Dr. Ervin do at the clinic?”
“Push papers.”
“OBJECTION!”
The judge gave Dr. Ervin a look, and he quickly sat down.
“Can you clarify your previous statement?”
“There’s nothing to clarify. He never saw patients, and if he did have someone on his schedule, he cancelled the appointment at the last minute, or asked me to see them.
Not once in the two years he worked there did I see him interact with a patient in a doctor/patient capacity.
Sure, he talked to them in the hallway, but he never stepped into a room with them, let alone treat them.
Before Dr. Perkins arrived, I was seeing twice as many patients I did before Dr. Ervin arrived. ”
“What happened after Dr. Perkins arrived?”
“Let’s just say that I was glad I was leaving.”
“Can you please clarify that statement.”
“It was bad at the clinic when Dr. Ervin arrived, because he pushed his patents off onto me. When Dr. Perkins arrived, I was told before he even started, that he was my replacement, and that because I was a woman playing at working in a man’s field, then I was to do whatever Dr. Perkins told me to, because he was more important than I was.
” She shook her head and sipped the water provided.
“Dr. Perkins arrived two weeks before I left the clinic to branch out on my own. His first day there, he started bringing in all his files, and personal stuff and stored them in my office. He told me that it was my duty to get out of my office and put all of his things away.”
“Did you?”
“No, it wasn’t my job to make his life easier. Then he and Dr. Ervin demanded that I bill their clients. I refused.”
“Why?”
“Because Dr. Ervin never saw any clients, so there wasn’t anything to bill.
Then Dr. Perkins gave me billing codes for non-existent patients.
I refused to bill anyone, because I didn’t physically see, with my own eyes, what they did with these patients, real or imaginary.
I went about my work and counted down the days. ”
“What was the atmosphere in the clinic before you left?”
“Tense, the only good thing was that both Dr. Perkins and Dr. Ervin wouldn’t arrive until eleven in the morning, and would be gone by three in the afternoon.
Oh, and Dr. Perkins never ever worked on a Monday and he was scheduled.
Another thing I tried to do, was I tried to brief both of them about my patients, and Dr. Perkins literally patted me on the head and said, “Stop playing at doctor, and acting like you know what you’re talking about.
I have a system, and I will implement it once you’re gone.
Trust me, your patients will never even know you existed when I take over here. ”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing. I was so incensed that my entire body shook with my anger. I clamped my jaw shut, and walked away. That was at the end of his first week. I worked my last week and totally ignored them. When they tried to demand I do their administrative work, like make their chart notes, I refused because as I just said, I had no clue what was said in their appointments, if they even had appointments. I wasn’t going to risk my own license making up lies.
It would be classified as insurance fraud, medical malpractice, let alone unsafe practices.
No one is worth that risk to my own livelihood. ”
“Thank you, no further questions.”
“No questions at this time.”
“You may step down.”
“I have no further witnesses, your Honor,” Raymond said.
“Counselor, do you have witnesses?”
“Not at this time.”
“Then I’ll call for recess today. If neither side has any questions, or witnesses, I’ll call for closing statements at nine tomorrow morning.”