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Report: #855591

Complaint Review: Med Coach - Clearwater Florida

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  • Reported By: Rebecca — St. Petersburg Florida United States of America
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  • Med Coach 4707 140th Avenue Suite 204 Clearwater, Florida United States of America

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This company transports non-emergent patients state to state.  Many patients do not have any family members to travel with them and rely on this company to keep them safe while in the motor homes.  Before you read this, you need to know the owner of this company is a doctor who holds a license in Emergency Medicine. 

I worked for this company for 9 months and have first hand at what they are doing. There were NO drivers license, background or nursing license checks done.  There were also NO drug screens.  One nurse who worked for this company from July 2010 to December 2010.  Prior to her hire, she been arrested as a fugitive from Kentucky for abuse and neglect of the elderly.  REALLY???  They couldn't have looked that up??  She was later fired for stealing from the hotels they stayed in and sending these items to her sister in New York.  Had they done a nursing license check, they would have at least been suspicious of her address of 0000 ABC Street in Indian Rocks Beach, FL.

While on one trip, one of the drivers fell asleep at the wheel.  By the grace of God, the other driver knew there was something going on with this person and sat in the front passanger seat.  This driver went off the left side of the road, down a slight embankment and was headed across the median into 4 lanes of oncoming traffic before the other driver could awaken him and grab the wheel to get control.  When I made a report to this doctor/owner, his business partner/office manager and his mechanic/driver supervisor, nothing was done.   This driver was allowed to go out with a mechanic/driver and myself, only to come inches from running into the back of a car hauler with a 42' motor home with a car carrier attached to the back and two unknowing riders.  Not lack of sleep, just drugs and alcohol.  At this time, there's a driver with a background of lewd and lacivious behavior to a child under 16 and spent time in prison.  Another one has a criminal background of domestic violance and many other violent charges.  One long time driver has refused to take a drug test but continues to work.

While the pictures look great on the website, there is only one coach with an actual hospital bed.  All others have been rigged and are made from the original table and bench that was in the unit.  They are made with thick plywood, a piece of foam and an air mattress on top.  There is an inflatable "wedge" that blows up to raise the head of the bed, which is not sufficient for a patient with COPD or peg tube feedings or anyone with aspiration precautions. 

They advertise suctioning for trach patients.  There are suctioning machines but are only usable if the crew is able to rig the incorrect tubing that has been ordered by someone who doesn't have a clue what is needed.   My last trip, prior to leaving this "business" involved 3 hours at an ER.  I was not being able to keep the patient properly suctioned because they are too cheap to put pressurized hydration machines on the coach, required  to keep the patients secretions from getting thick.  This patient was unable to breath and almost suffocated before we could get him the the hospital.   Although the coach does have glucometers, the correct test strips don't accompany the machine, leaving blood sugars unchecked. 

They also advertise to have OTC meds, however, these meds include promethazine and ativan, which are prescription drugs that are kept in unlocked cabinets and MUST have an order to be given. 

The "private bathrooms" aren't really private.  There is usually no water to flush the toilets or wash one's hands, as the tanks don't get filled with fresh water.  If we're lucky, the driver will stop to get some gallons of water to do this with.  In one coach, there isn't even a door to close between the room where the drivers sleep and the bathroom.  There is no curtain between the front windshield and the patient.  No curtain in the small coach between the bed above the seats and the patient.  The doctor/owner now has plans to install cameras with sound.  Not a very private travel for vulnerable patients.

There has always been an issue with drivers parking a coach and not filling propane and fuel.  There also is an issue with the propane being filled with passangers.  It is ILLEGAL to fill a vehicle with propane while someone is on board.  This is a common practice.  The reason there should be noone is explosions CAN occur.  I have had to stay on one with a patient on almost every trip I have taken, closing all the shades and hanging blankets so the person filling the tank can't see in.

There are other companies out there who do the same kind of travel.  Please do your homework prior to using this company.  I'm not a disgruntled employee.  The only hire people as contractors because he's too cheap to pay anything.  Trips cost $15,000 to $25,000 and, in reality, the pay isn't very good for what they put us through.  This is a "christian" company but they are the worst liars I have ever known.  The 9th commandment means nothing to them.  Again, do your homework first.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 03/18/2012 09:33 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/med-coach/clearwater-florida-33760/med-coach-md-air-usa-med-coach-air-med-air-md-silverthorn-holdings-llc-med-coach-ll-855591. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
4Author
3Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#7 Author of original report

Do your research

AUTHOR: Rebecca - (United States)

POSTED: Sunday, June 10, 2018

 I almost have to wonder if these comments are really made by consumers who have used this company or by the contractors who put their lives in danger. I findit very strange that I made my comments in 2012 and people have magically found ripoff report. Sounds like someone is giving the information of my report, which is absolutely fine with me. I have nothing to hide. I have a very good record as a nurse and a human being. Every statement I have made is the absolute truth. This doctor hides behind a bible but his true God is the almighty dollar. I began questioning his ethics when we went to Louisiana to pick up a patient from a nursing facility. The morning the driver and I arrived to take her to Texas, this frail little lady was in cheyne-stokes and moving her, let alone taking her on a long trip would have been traumatic and she would have passed within a few hours. I was told by the nurse there that they had called Med coach and were told she would be fine to travel.

This is totally unacceptable when a patient is end of life! I called and spoke to this so-called doctor. There was no compassion whatsoever. The only thing he told me is that I would have to call the nephew and tell him he wouldn't be getting a refund!! Unbelievable! As for beds with plywood, blow up matresses and foam wedges...YES! That's what we had to contend with. If they've actually spent some of that $15,000 to $25,000 per trip money to get some decent equipment, great for the comfort of the patient. Kreye has no compassion. One of the nurses who worked for him as a flight nurse was critically injured, as was the pilot, copilot and the patient's husband, when the plane crashed in Kentucky. Unfortunately, the patient died immediately a result. I know this wonderful nurse and what she went through, not just her injuries and recovery, but the unthinkable acts Kreye did to keep from having to pay damages. I was told he was a dangerous person to work for and his choice of drivers showed it. Drug addicts and alcoholics with too many near accidents and wreckless driving. One driver was a paramedic/fire fighter in Orlando who went across 3 lanes, into the median and headed for oncoming traffic. Was he fired? No.

In reality, he had lost his paramedic and firefighter certification already. That's how well background checks were done. Another driver was a convicted child molester and one was a felon dealing in stolen goods. Several nurses had their license sanctioned for abuse and one stole from hotels and items off the coaches. Hard to say what was stolen from the patients. If Kreye has cleaned up his act, good for those using the service. But, when they advertise a nurse traveling with the patient, ask that nurse for credentials. He's had a friend of his pose as a nurse and the office staff has also done the same. Not good! I have NO problem taking polygraph. Again, it was 2012. Things change, but I hardly doubt too much has.

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#6 General Comment

My Experience with Med Transport Center (Florida)

AUTHOR: Bill - (United States)

POSTED: Saturday, June 09, 2018

Last week Med Transport Center, which is clearly the subject of this Ripoff Report, transported my 99 year-old mother from Duarte, California to Yreka, CA.

The claims they make about their vehicles are absolutely true.  Specifically, regarding the bed being a hospital bed.  I thought the nurse was perfect for her job and my mother received wonderful care during the trip.  The story about the plywood and the air mattress is baloney.  The drivers appeared to be highly professional.   I paid over $7,000 for this trip, twice what some others charge (they use ambulance-style gurneys) but it was absolutely worth it.  My mother got here healthy and happy.  This is a great service.  I hereby give permission for the company to forward any specific inquiries to me.   This Ripoff Report had me worried but it is totally untrue.

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#5 General Comment

Not Disgruntled? Really?

AUTHOR: Really?? - ()

POSTED: Monday, February 03, 2014

I do not work for this company, nor am I a customer, but I have had the opportunity to speak to a few of the people who work for them and with them.  I've met the owner.  I cannot address all the allegations that this woman has brought against the company, but here is what I did find out:

The owner of this company is a devout Christian.  He believes in giving people second chances, including the woman who made this report.  Because of this, some of the people who work for the company do not have spotless background checks.

This woman, Rebecca, falls into that category. She did not have a spotless background, but the owner gave her a second chance and this is how she repaid him - by vilifying his company in a report that will NEVER go away.  I hope she is proud of herself.  

Med Coach has been in business for over 30 years.  The testimonials from their customers are overwhelmingly positive.  Have they made some mistakes?  Of course, what company doesn't make mistakes? But, they strive to learn from them so that they can improve their service.  Overall, the people who work for Med Coach are good people who care about their patients and their patients' families.

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#4 Author of original report

Very unsafe company to use or work for

AUTHOR: Rebecca Schweer - (United States of America)

POSTED: Wednesday, November 14, 2012

It would be impossible to be a disgruntled employee since the person that owns this mess only uses "contractors" and doesn't take out taxes so he isn't responsible for taxes or the welfare of those paying thousands of dollars to have their loved ones transported to be closer to them. 

This person is a doctor of emergency medicine, having graduated in 1981.  His license verification on the Florida DOH website still has organizations he belonged to at one time but hasn't for enough years that he is no longer in their database, but, it does look good if someone checks it out.  Also, if he has owned this business for 30 years, he obviously has never practiced medicine of any kind, other than putting prescription drugs on these motor homes.

Besides hiring convicted felons, drug users and nurses who have charges against their license or those that are non-verifiable, his moral character took a dive when one of the Care Flight ambulances he owned fell apart during at Blue Grass airport in Kentucky on August 30, 2002, killing the patient and severly injuring everyone onboard, including the nurse.  Not only did she have to endure horiffic injuries and unbelievable rehabilitation, she was forced to go through a 4 year lawsuit with this immoral "doctor" to get compensated for the suffering and pain.  This can all be verified by searching "Care Flight Air Ambulance Crash at Blue Grass Airport".  When you read the article, the nurses name will be on there and she has a website everyoneshould read.  She's a gracious, beautiful woman.  I had an opportunity to talk with her and she had alot to say about this company.  Verify everything, please.  Nobody deserves to go though what she did.

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#3 Author of original report

Not disgruntled, feared for safety of my patients and myself

AUTHOR: Rebecca Schweer - (United States of America)

POSTED: Wednesday, November 14, 2012

I can provide a list of this company's contractors who had extensive felony records.  Three are nurses, one with a charge of patient neglect for inaccurate medication administration, one who had been arrested prior to hire for abuse of the elderly and another whose license can't be verified.  The drivers of the motorhomes also had extreme violation, one with numerous lewd and lacivious acts on a child under 12, one with stalking and aggrevated battery, another with dealing in stolen property,  one with drug charges and, prior to a trip, two drivers who fought over who would drive first because they were both so hung over that neither wanted to drive. 

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#2 General Comment

Disgruntled

AUTHOR: Disgruntled - (United States of America)

POSTED: Tuesday, November 13, 2012

This is clearly the ranting of a disgruntled ex-employee.  She should state the reasons why she is an EX employee to put it in perspective, AND, the employer's historical reputation should be displayed to put this in a fair light of examination.  The company has been in business for almost 30 years and could not have survived if this person's opinions were the least bit valid.  Not worthy of further comment.

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#1 Author of original report

License not applicable out of Florida

AUTHOR: Rebecca Schweer - (United States of America)

POSTED: Tuesday, March 20, 2012

I was just informed today by the Florida Department of Health that my nursing license is NOT valid once I cross state lines.  Every nurse with Med Coach only has a Florida license.  This was questioned by myself many times with the office manager/business partner of this "doctor".  I'm morified my license was compromised by this type of person.  Everyone who works for this person is beneath him and he makes sure they are made to feel this way. 

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