Tampa Pain Clinic A physcians assistant leads the Dr. Tampa Florida

I was let go in 05\2010 from Tampa Pain Clinic, aka David VanDercar, Ashley VanDercar and Candy VanDercar (Judge in Paco County).   I was told after 6 year's of working there that I was not working out!    I handled ALL compliance with HIPAA, DEA, LARA AND THE FLORIDA MEDICAL BOARD!   They are a FAMILY company and chose to dismiss me for "knowing too much information".  I was given 1 day to find a lawyer or take a payoff!   I am a single mother, my son's father is now passed and served his country in Airforce Intelligence for over 7 years.   These people made millions!     I am not disgruntled.   I had 1100$ in unemployment for 6 month's and they gave me 1 month's worth of pay!    So yes I am a little bit raw, but when I moved to Michigan I found a great doctor and he is Prescribing his patients about a quarter of what I seen at Dr. David VanDercars.....or Ashley VanDercars practice!

BEWARE!

I was a patient for over 6yrs. & can say that none of what you said is at all true! The reason he did not offer other treatment options, is because he was a doctor of last resort. He took patients that had already tried the surgeries, epidurals, P.T., etc.. w/o success & had no other option besides long term medications. Yes, he did take some out of state patients because many people live in Fl during the cold months & up north during the warm ones & he worked w/ their other doc so they would be able to continue getting their meds while down here. He did not have any kind of pharmacy nor anything to do with one, he did have a list of local pharms. who would fill for pain patients that he gave to all his patients as it is very difficult to find one that will fill & not price gouge pain patients; but he did not get anything for sending patients there. He was very kind & compationate & tried to help his patients to get as much quality as possible to their lives! He was also a chronic pain patient advocate & inspired me to become one also, & fight nonstop for every patients rights to quality medical care & life! If he was just a pill pusher, then why would he help write the laws & support getting the PMD? Simple he was not one. Sadly his cancer came back & he had to retire & sell his clinic & I have yet to find a doc that can measure up to him! If all docs had his compassion & empathy for their patients, it would be a much better world!!

    Thsi Dr. Vandercar is a well known pill pusher who offers no other form of services,save a massage and pain meds.He has his own personal pharmacy and never tested me for pot once when I went there.He had people from Kentucky all over the place,until law changes.He is a drug dealer and nothing more

I am a patient at Tampa Pain Clinic, and have been for some time now. The person who wrote this report is lying because they were caught in a scam. Tampa Pain Clinic asks their new patients for referrals, X-rays, medical records, ect..  All with good reason.
Dr. Vandercar, and his staff are truly a Professional Service Provider. Their purpose is to treat those who need pain medications, however people abuse the system, and try to get prescriptions all the time. Dr. Vandercar is very thorough with his patients, because he has to be. This is never a problem for someone who truly needs medications, and takes them responsibly. So through all your ranting and raving, or should I say whining ?
All I read was You complaining how you could not just walk in, and tell the Doctor what you wanted, and how much of it you wanted. And when they caught you, you choose to bad mouth them on the internet.
Brenda R

You obviously have the wrong clinic here or are totally out for revenge and making all of this up. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you just have the wrong clinic, there are several pain clinics with similar names to the Tampa Pain Clinic, so I can see where you could easily get that confused. But, if that is the case, you need to file an update with the correct clinic and doctor because you are accusing an innocent man of some horrible deeds. It is obvious that you have the wrong clinic here because THIS clinic does not accept insurance except tricare and I doubt you are a military member, and does not offer any services except pain control medications and massage therapy. That is it. So, you are obviously referring to a different clinic. Question: WHY in your post do you not use the name of the doctor that gave you problems? That is very strange to me. It seems to me that if I were you, and had legitimate complaints, I would be plastering the doctors name all over that post! This clinic belongs to Dr. David VanDercar, M.D., Ph.D., P.A. So, what is the name of the doctor that you are referring to??

Also, to be quite honest, you (first poster) sound like you are a shady person. Pill junkies will put themselves through surgery after surgery just to get the pain meds. (26 surgeries?? Come on, now. You sound like you probably have issues.) There are many people who do this, it is not uncommon at all but personally, I cant imagine putting myself through so many surgeries just for an addiction. In your own words, you are making yourself sound like a junkie. You also sound like a person who gets by in life by suing people/companies and taking advantage of any poor soul who has the misfortune of crossing your path. This is called lawsuit abuse and having worked in the court system myself, I find lawsuit abuse disgusting and wrong; in the end we all end up paying more for services because of lawsuits.

You have the wrong clinic or are making this up. Either way you should correct your mistake. We are all human and we make errors not a big deal. However, not correcting this IS a big deal because, like I previously said, you are accusing an innocent man. Dr. VanDercar is the most ethical doctor I have personally met and it is unfair of you to not correct your post.

My guess is that whatever doctor you did go see (Not Dr. VanDercar, obviously) gave you a drug test in which you tested positive. That caused you embarrassment and humiliation and you were probably highly upset that you couldnt get your drugs because of your addiction. So, this whole post of yours is most likely just an attempt at revenge to some doctor out there. YOU are the one who tested positive for marijuana and what you do is your business as far as Im concerned, but still...

Dr. VanDercar has not gone to jail nor been the subject of a DEA sting, or the clinic would have been shut down which it is not. Also, Dr. VanDercars assistant is NOT missing she has worked there many years and continues to do so. Her name is Emily and she would never consider recommending an RX dosage nor ever consider signing a prescription. You are wrong, wrong, wrong. I just hope that YOU have the ethics to correct your mistake immediately. I am personally offended that you are degrading my doctor; the man who has given me my life back. Im not sure what doctor or clinic you really went to or what you are trying to do here, but Dr. VanDercar has no reason to cover his butt because he follows the law stringently.

He is extremely strict with all of his patients and he will dismiss a patient who is not adhering to the pain management contract that we all sign on our first visit or if he has a big reason to believe that they are doing something shady. For example, look at the person who responded to her own post talking about how she was discharged, but this was only after she said all those wonderful things about the clinic in the first place. And BTW, if she was discharged, there must be more to the story than what shes said so far and it sounds like she wasnt actually discharged, but rather that based on a phone call of some sort, which maybe though unverified just pushed them over the edge after hearing and observing some other facts about her and on top of her coming all the way out of state, they told her that they wouldnt prescribe drug a, (as it probably sells for a lot of money on the street).

Anyway, among other things, the contract includes that patients are not allowed to doctor-shop or participate in any unethical behaviors whatsoever. Dr. VanDercar follows the letter of the law and he truly cares about his patients and sees the importance of managing pain. He certainly has the ability and accreditation to go into other career fields and make more money in a less stressful environment. However, I believe that he works in pain management out of kindness and philanthropy. Anyone who knows him knows that he is not in it for the money. In fact, his office visits are about $50 - $75 cheaper than the other clinics I considered before choosing Tampa Pain Clinic. Chronic pain sufferers who do not get help take their own lives regularly, do you understand that? Dr. VanDercar understands it and has chosen to spend his life preventing this and helping as many people as he can.

There does happen to be a pharmacy on a different floor in the professional offices building, but there is no business association between the clinic and the pharmacy as I have heard of in other pain clinics. Dr. VanDercars patients are encouraged to use whatever pharmacy they choose why would they care where you fill your prescription? That has nothing to do with the clinic at all and makes no sense. I personally choose to go to the pharmacy in the building because it is convenient being that I am already there and they are very efficient and I always have my several prescriptions filled within 10 minutes. From my personal experience, other pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to fill multiple prescriptions, depending on how busy they are. Also, the pharmacy staff at Kays pharmacy (in the building) are all very nice and sociable, just like Dr. VanDercar and his staff.

It seems like you are trying to go on a vendetta here. But that is just wrong. I mean such stories can affect ones reputation To the public reading this persons posts, please understand that none of this information applies to the Tampa Pain Clinic and it is very easy to verify this. Feel free to contact the clinic yourself and do your own research and never, ever take the word of a fruitcake like this person. Especially since TPC is known as being an extremely reputable pain clinic, and it provides great services to legitimate pain patients.

 This clinic asked me to write a rebuttal defending them om these issues. I have been a legitimate patient since this clinic opened, so I did and have stood up and protected them in other cases. Anyway, two days after I wrote my rebuttal, I also recieved a letter from the Tampa Pain Clinic stating that I was dismissed. Under False Allegations against me. I was in complete shock. I have never and would have never done anything to jeaprodize this clinic in anyway. I thought Dr. V. after all this time, would at least asked me questions about these allegations. I was accused of selling one of my pills. All this was based on a prank phone call and it was believed. After that, my lawyer was told that the clinic said the person had admitted to stealing my med. First of all, I don't leave anything laying around for anyone to find or see. Even most of my family doesn't even know I take this medication. Beat it all, under the privacy act they told me the so called perons name that made the allegation and I have never even heard such a name. Then they told me they would keep me as a patient if I changed my med to one that I had tried way in past and didn't agree with me. If  any of this was even true why would they consider keeping me at all If I was guilty, why wasn't a police report filed and why wasn't this so called person not arrested for admitting they had stolen my meds??? I feel all this was made up to get rid of me because I lived out of state. I lived in FL for the first two years of going to the clinic and was told it was not a problem in keeping on as a patient. I would have possibly not have moved out of state in the first place, because I was getting the best pain care i ever had or at least they should have mentioned months ago that they were going to stop taking out of state patients, then I would have dealt with that and started looking for another DR or would have made other plans to have been prepared. Instead, I now have 30 days to find a DR. to take over my care. Everyone knows that 30 days is impossible to find another DR. I will be left to either withdraw and be in severe pain or maybe have to move somewhere else to find a DR. SO, Patients Beware.. You are not stable in your care know matter who you are or how long he has been treating you. Never feel secure. I have never given the clinic any reason to do this to me. I am one of the very few real legitimate patients out there. I live in an extremely rural area, on a mountain with no homes for miles. I don't know a soul where I live to have ever done anything. I have been slandered and better not have any red flags on any of my records. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone that is truelly innocent, like myself. If it does, make sure you have a lawyer, you may need it. There has got to be protection for innocent patients. 30 days would be a miricle to find a good DR. Please pray for me, I'll need it. Oh, one more thing.. He tells everyone he doesn't take Insurance, Not true. He has been taking my insurance since day one, five years ago.. Also, never agree to changing your meds that work for you, that will be admitting your guilt. We legitimate pain patients have to stick together on issues pertaining to pain management.. Sorry, if I disappointed all of you, but beware.. He was a good DR for me until he takes accusations from the telephone, without proper proof to back it up. I know an enemy of mine could have been the liar and done this, but that has nothing to do with if I am breaking the law or not.. Only proper documentation from the authorities and hard proof evidence should jeaprodize anyones medical ; They nothing on me, only a phone call.. Nothing else.

The poster is either talking about another clinic or mad at Dr. Vandercar and trying to get back at him by making up lies. Dr. Vandercar is AMAZING - he is my life saver. His clinic, the Tampa Pain Clinic, is very stringent and he has NOT been arrested, or "busted" or anything. Also, unlike what the first post says, Dr. Vandercar doesn't do procedures, because the people he sees have already tried everything and not had relief.

Also, unlike what the first post says, Dr. Vandercar does not tell you that you have to go to the pharmacy downstairs. He tells you that you have to use only one pharmacy for all your pain medications, but that you can go to any particular pharmacy you want. He recommends the pharmacy downstiars because they are nice to pain patients, unlike most others, and have very cheap prices.

Additionally, unlike what the first post says, he isn't a general practitioner, but an anesthesiologist who happens to have a Ph.D. in psychology. He happens to be an amazing doctor. Since becoming a patient of Dr. Vandercar in 2007 I have been, for the most part, almost pain free. The pain was unbearable before. Now, I can deal with everyday life! My husband is so happy that I found Dr. Vandercar. HE IS MY LIFE SAVER and if it wasn't for him I would have taken my own life by now.

Living with all that pain, I felt like I was already DEAD!! I did not want to go on living any more. Even though I have a grandaughter, beforehand, I would have given up my life in a heartbeat. That is how bad the pain was. But no longer!! Before, with just the thought of getting out of bed, and the pain I would suffer, I honestly did not want to go on any longer.

My Grandaughter just turned two on OCT 23, 2009. I love her to death. Thanks to Doctor Vandercar, I can pick her up, even at 21 lbs. I love all my kids dearly, with all my heart and soul. Just to think that I would not have been here if it weren't for the Doctor... I Am SO GLAD I am still here - and it is all because of him. I cannot thank him enough for every thing he has ever done for me. I pray every night for him!! He is a wonderful person and helps alot of people who honestly were ready to give up on life before they met Dr. Vandercar, just like me. I now have a full life ahead of me, and can watch my grandkids grow up thanks to Dr. Vandercar.

It is evident that this first poster is not accurate which pain clinic they so called visited. Tampa Pain Clinic is the most professional and legitimate pain clinic in the Tampa Bay Area, probably in the whole state of Florida. I know this because I have been a patient of the clinic for aproximately five years and none of this is even remotely close to being true. First of all this clinic does not offer any of the treatment procedures this poster is stating. This clinic only prescribes meds and massage therapy. A patient has to prove extensively with proper documentation and medical records; tests, that they have a legitimate pain condition before the Dr. will even consider you as a patient. The doctor is the only person that signs any prescriptions there, in fact he signs them in red felt ink. The assistant does not sign anything, only takes your statements of how you are feeling. None of the original report even sounds like what this clinic is or is about. I even had to have a referal from my primary doctor to see this pain management doctor before my first visit. My mother and I both have the same inhereited diseases that cause us even see a pain dr. The doctor at The Tampa Pain Clinic has been a lifesaver for us. I am not a candidate for any surgeries for my health issues, but I have a degenerative disease that is progressive and pain medication is the only option that has given me my functionality back. This totally sounds like a drug seeker that is very upset and trying to make my pain clinic sound terrible. Also, the clinic does not accept insurance, so thats not true either. There is so many inconsistancies, it's very clear that they have the wrong place. Must be another pain clinic. There are several in that area, having USF and the Moffit Cancer Center near by. Tampa Pain Clinic is very good at finding out who is a Real pain patient and who isn't. I'm sure either this poster has the wrong place or is angry at being put out. Sorry, but after seeing and going to the clinic for 5 years, all this is false accusations. D-RAT-AL-FL

There are numerous statements in the above post which are incorrect. While we cannot prove the falsity of some statements without releasing protected information about the individual who posted the message, we can provide proof contradicting a few key points. This poster was either lying or referring to another clinic; there are several in the area that have similar names i.e.: Tampa Pain Relief Center.
FIRST
Post states- The post states [Tampa Pain Clinic] seemed to have everything, therapy, trigger points, cortisone shots
However-  Tampa Pain Clinic does not offer, nor have we ever offered, epidural steroid injections, cortisone injections, or physical therapy. We provide medication management for chronic pain patients with documented pathology who have already attempted all such forms of therapy without success.
 
SECOND
Post states The poster states that he had his lawyer call and told what we were asking for in court.
However- The Tampa Pain Clinic has never been sued nor received a demand letter from an attorney regarding our services.
 
THIRD
Post states I told friend in DEA about this and they set up a sting with records that were miscoded and looked fake. He said he had cancer and was given without checking 4-80mg Oxycontin a day, 120 800Mcg Actiq a month, Dilaudid 8mg-1 every 4 hours. Was told to go to pharmacy by office also. All this without any confirmation. A urine test was given and obviously showed nothing, See ya Doc in 8-10 years.
However We have never been investigated by the DEA nor had any warnings or reprimands from them or the Board of Medicine. If such a sting had occurred, given that this post was put up back in 2008, we would have been shut down and informed about the so-called sting. Furthermore, as an aside, before a new patient even gets in to see Dr. VanDercar they must have an MRI/CT Scan report, 2 months of pharmacy records, and progress notes from their previous doctor. Our front office calls the MRI Center, the pharmacy, and the previous doctors office to verify that the reports are legit.
 
FOURTH
Post states Arrested and assistant quit and cannot find.
However Doctor VanDercar has not been arrested, and has had the same assistant for several years both are still working at the clinic. You can confirm the fact that Dr. VanDercar was not arrested nor has had his license removed by going to the following websites:
DEA list of physicians who have been arrested/investigated Dr. VanDercar is not on list: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/crim_admin_actions/crim_actions.htm
Florida Department of Health Licensing Verification Dr. VanDercars license is valid and there are no disciplinary actions against him: http://ww2.doh.state.fl.us/IRM00PRAES/PRASLIST.ASP
Hillsborough County Sherrifs Office Arrest Database Dr. VanDercar is not on list: http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/pub/default.asp?/Online/sname01
 
CONCLUSION
Unfortunately, despite our ability to prove the falsity of the aforementioned post, there is no way to get it removed; Rip Off Report does not remove reports - even if they are proven false or retracted. As a pain clinic, we have a difficult job in determining who is a legitimate patient and who is an addict/diverter. In order to distinguish between the bona fide pain patient and someone who is just drug-seeking we require a lot of documentation in order to be seen for an initial consult then we require that patient follow a pain contract in order to remain a patient at the clinic.
In the past five years we have discharged over 385 patients for abuse or diversion (i.e.: medications not in patient's urine even when sent off for confirmatory testing; patient had illegal substances or unprescribed medications in urine; patient was receiving meds from two doctors; etc.) . Those 385 ex-patients are quite upset not only did we release them from the program, but furthermore they now have something in their medical record indicating that they are abusing/diverting their medication.
On our website, tampapainclinic.com, we have a message board where we allow patients to post testimonials and complaints. Here a few unedited testimonials (there are over one hundred more on our message board):
(1) I had my first visit with Dr VanDercar and he answered all my questions patiently and without judgment... I [now] have my life back. I am a better partner, employee, daughter, friend and most of all I am a much better Mommy. For the first time since my accident I can function... You have saved my life ... you are all in my heart and prayers, always. Amy -
(2) Today was my only my second visit to Tampa Pain Clinic (TPC) however I was greeted with warm concerned smiles and a VERY caring doctor who TRULY believes in me! He not only worked with me in adjusting my medications he also really listened to what I had to say without judging me... After only just two visits and some slight medication adjustments I am feeling like I did before... My family and I cannot thank you enough for all of the kind help and compassion you have given us. -? Joseph - I am a long term Crohn's disease patient ... and for the first time in 8 years I feel I can function on an almost normal basis. [After just six months] Dr. VanDercar has? given me my life back! I can't say enough about how caring and nonjudgmental Dr. VanDercar is and would recommend him to ANYONE in chronic pain... - M.M.
(3) I have been a patient of Dr. VanDercar's since October of 2005.? He is the only one in the last ten years that has been able to help me with my Hereditary Spastic Paraparesis,? interstitial cystitis, ulcerative colitis ,and? gastroparesis.? My pain is tolerable now. If you need a good pain doctor- he's the one to go to!! - Lisa

Arrested and assistant quit and cannot find.

I told friend in DEA about this and they set up a sting with records thatwere miscoded and looked fake. He said he had cancer and was given without checking 4-80mg Oxycontin a day, 120 800Mcg Actiq a month, Dilaudid 8mg-1 every 4 hours. Was told to go to pharmacy by office also. All this without any confirmation. A urine test was given and obviously showed nothing, See ya Doc in 8-10 years.

I also have had many surgeries and have been a pain pt for over 10 years. I have never abused my meds, or doctor shopped.

I am wondering if they did a Urine Drug test, if they confirmed the results with a second test? Just becasue the patch did not show up in your system could just mean they had a cheap test and it did not dectect the medication.

I find it odd that the assistant recommened the meds, and also wrote out and signed the script. I have to wonder if he is the real doctor.

Besides for being a pain pt, i have worked part time at a pain center in South Florida and it is unreal how many doctors start a clinic with good intentions to help people in pain, and as time goes by the MONEY becomes more importent then the pt.

As long as you had all your Medication bottles and they had your name and they were in the correct pharmacy bottle, I am not sure the police had a right to take the meds from you.

During the past 10 years I have only went to 3 centers, and i changed becasue the Dr i was seeing was closed down by the dea.

It sounds to me like this Dr was out to cover his butt for something or maybe he thought you were a agent. I have to wonder why the office did not call your prior pain Dr and get the pharmacy records sent over.

I know from our office when we did a drug test on someone and it came up either positive or the medication was Not in there systems, we re-did the test and if the same results the doctor would of given them a month's worth of medication, and dis-missed them from the office.

It seems really odd that they would call the police because they were not gonna give you any medications and they felt you were not being honest.

You can report the doctor to the dea and they will look into the situation. Something is not right about all of this.