Mayo Clinic Jacksonville Florida Mayo Clinic Florida, Mayo Clinic, Mayo Jacksonville Cancer Patient Denied Care after 3 years of Misdiagnosis at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville Florida

I was grossly misdiagnosed and ABANDONED at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Florida after three (3) plus years as a patient there. I was DENIED TREATMENT & FOLLOW-UP CARE FOR TWO TYPES OF CANCER after I was finally, correctly diagnosed.

This complaint is to share my story of my experience with Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and to spread public awareness about Mayo Jacksonville’s pervasive culture of defensiveness, lack of compassion for their patients and their blatant, harassing collections protocol and denial of care to patients. There is an obvious, prevalent, pompous attitude felt within this organization from the administration to the financial services department right down to some of the physicians whose attempts to provide patients care and treatment is ruled with an iron fist by Mayo’s administration and financial services department. My oncologist was forced to abandon me by the administration at Mayo Clinic.

I was diagnosed with GIST Sarcoma (gastrointestinal stromal tumor), a rare, orphan cancer that does not respond to traditional chemotherapy nor radiation. I also have a rare, aggressive cell form of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with the rare, aggressive Columnar Cell Variant. I was repeatedly dismissed and denied tests & care for the thyroid lumps that I asked Mayo to ultrasound and provide an endocrinologist for. I had an ulcerated, bleeding, cancerous tumor that hemorrhaged for five (5) years and nearly killed me a few times. I was under the very nose of a Mayo hematologist and oncologist for more than 3 years and had two undiagnosed serious cancers and he misdiagnosed me. He sent me to the gynecology department because he believed I did not have gastrointestinal hemorrhages but gynecological issues. Then he abandoned me and did not see me anymore. I would be seen by a different doctor or a Physician’s Asst. each time I went to Mayo. I never knew who I would see and these people were prescribing my IV iron infusions in chemotherapy and not even knowing why I could not keep my blood counts up or even why they were administering infusions or why I was bIeeding internally. I would be hospitalized in Mayo with active GI bleeding proven by tests in the ER and in hospital and Mayo missed my bleeding tumor every time. The region of bleeding could be seen on a test but Mayo’s hospital doctors missed it. I went through countless endoscopies, colonoscopies, camera pill studies, nuclear medicine scans, angiogram with catheter, and many other procedures when a simple CT Scan revealed the tumor in my small intestine. It was right there the whole time. This entire experience was extremely stressful, frightening, humiliating and racked up needless debt by their greedy financial services department. I was in absolute fear that I would one day die from hemorrhaging. I was in fact advised by my gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic that “we have to find out where you are bleeding from. You might not make it the next time you hemorrhage. We could lose you”. NOTE: this gastroenterologist is an excellent, caring, good doctor. He was my only true advocate at Mayo Clinic and he wanted to help me. He stated “I don’t think the way you are being treated here is right; I am going to discuss your case with the board at our next meeting”. If this isn’t telling, I don’t know what is.

DAMAGE CONTROL – TERMINATING PATIENTS’ CARE & TREATMENT:

MY CARE AT MAYO CLINIC JACKSONVILLE, FL WAS COMPLETELY TERMINATED after I was diagnosed with the two cancers. I believe Mayo Clinic’s administration went into damage control and got rid of me to avoid potential legal repercussions. They know mistakes were made and they worked to get rid of me. My own oncologist, a sarcoma specialist, who was newly assigned to me in my last months at Mayo Clinic phoned me himself to “warn me that he had been approached by the administration that they were going to terminate my care due to a lack of mistrust and my $4,000 bill”. He stated “I want to be your doctor. I think it is wrong what they are doing. There is not a sarcoma specialist in this region but I will help monitor your CT scans for you if you like and I know a couple of oncologists in the area that I will call and talk with for you. I will ask the administration to reconsider.” I never heard from my doctor again. I was heartbroken, terrified and crushed that a healthcare organization would treat a patient like this. I had expected that Mayo Clinic would own their mistakes and ensure I received better care which my new sarcoma doctor wanted to do. Both my sarcoma oncologist and my gastroenterologist  expressed that they thought I had not and was not being treated right at Mayo Clinic. My sarcoma oncologist stated he was sorry for what I had gone through and he would be sure I had better care, that he wished he had met me three years prior as he would have suspected and looked for GIST Sarcoma, that I had every symptom of GIST Sarcoma.   

Facts to know:

• I was misdiagnosed for 3 plus years at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
• I was correctly diagnosed December 13, 2012 with GIST Sarcoma
• I am well-insured by a major medical insurer.
• My insurance company paid Mayo Clinic approximately $150,000+ while I was patient there
• Mayo Clinic billed me to death even though they collected a ton of money from my insurer—
• Mayo Clinic never once advised of available financial assistance until after 3 years as a patient
• I had my account audited as I was billed for an incomplete procedure. This was reported to my insurer and a fraud investigator launched an investigation.
• When I called Mayo Financial Services to request approval to be seen and treated for my second cancer diagnosis the financial services supervisor I spoke with named “MF” haughtily, rudely, coldly stated to me “You are not going to get any appointment here for anything until you pay your $4,000 bill!”
• Mayo Clinic’s Financial Services Dept. (in-house collection’s agents) required (forced) me to appear in person prior to medical appointments, lab work, procedures, etc…so they could squeeze payments from me in person or I was told I could not see my doctor, have my tests, procedures, etc…
• I was constantly threatened with loss of medical care by Mayo Clinic’s Financial Services representatives. This is common protocol at Mayo Clinic.
• I was denied care by Mayo Clinic’s Financial Services on several occasions. I would arrive at Mayo for an appointment to see my gastroenterologist, oncologist or whichever doctor reason and I would report to the check-in desk at the doctor’s office and was advised by the nurse that I had to go to Financial Services to settle my account before I could be seen. This is common protocol at Mayo Clinic and they do it to other patients, not just me. They are supposed to notify patients on their printed out patient appointment itinerary that a patient may have a financial appointment required prior to a medical appointment but “they forgot to call me to advise me” or “they had a financial committee meeting and the committee decided that I could not see my doctor or have my medical care and they forgot to notify me”.  This happened to me several times at Mayo Jacksonville. This was a blatant lack of disrespect for me as a patient.
• Mayo Clinic’s Financial Services department required me to appear in person prior to receiving medical care in order to collect money from me. When I asked why do I have to pay in person? Why can’t I pay over the phone? Is it a way to punish patients who owe money? The representative replied, “Yes, it is a form of punishment to get patients to pay if they want to see their doctor or get their medical care.” I believe this practice to be in direct violation of the Federal Trade Commission’s Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. A collector can no more come to my door at my home in person and threaten me with the loss of property than they can force me to appear in person at their office and make me pay in person and THREATEN TO TAKE AWAY MY MEDICAL CARE FOR CANCER! This is what Mayo Clinic Jacksonville did to me on a regular basis. They bullied me and harassed me to collect money even though I had been misdiagnosed for 3 plus years, had countless, needless, INCORRECT procedures that I was billed for that would not have found my cancerous, hemorrhaging tumor nor my thyroid cancer.

THE MAYO MAFIA It is common knowledge amongst patients and even employees at Mayo that the financial services department is very aggressive and bullies even their own employees for payment and that they are denied care/treatment as well. An employee at the main desk in the registration department where payments may be collected told me that Mayo has patients who owe huge bills in excess of $100,000 and she “does not know why they are picking on me” for my small bill. I learned from fellow patients in the waiting room in the oncology department that financial services at Mayo Jacksonville have been dubbed the “Mayo Mafia” for their collection tactics and denial of patient care. This was shared with me after I had been turned away from the check-in desk in ear shot of other waiting patients and audibly advised to report to financial services or I cannot see my doctor or have my treatment or whatever the order of that day was.

IF YOU ARE A MAYO PATIENT and experienced similar circumstances know that you have rights as a patient. SPEAK UP! Do not allow Mayo Clinic to bully you. You deserve respect and proper medical diagnosis and care. If you cannot pay your bill, you have the right to apply for financial assistance. These are things Mayo Clinic did not provide to me.

Mayo Clinic’s Patient Liaisons – I phoned patient liaisons several times while a patient at Mayo Jacksonville. I expressed my fears and concerns that I was not getting better. I shared my humiliating experience with a very rude, abrasive, pompous doctor in their gynecology department who misdiagnosed me and recommended a needless procedure and/or surgery. I also complained about the harassment I experienced with financial services. I also asked to speak with the President William Rupp at Mayo Jacksonville who ignored me. Patient Liaisons did nothing to help me and did not advocate for me in any way that I am aware of. I believe that the Patient Liaisons served only to accumulate information and complaints from me that launch Mayo into defense mode and damage control then terminated my care.

DESIRED OUTCOME

• I would like for Mayo Clinic to fund and provide AWARENESS about GIST Sarcoma to all doctors at Mayo Clinic. A public awareness campaign about GIST Sarcoma is desperately needed to help other patients with this rare, serious cancer.
• I wish to be absolved of my debt balance. Mayo did not earn it after what I’ve been through.
• I want my Mayo sarcoma oncologist and my gastroenterologist back. My Mayo sarcoma oncologist is the only GIST expert in this region and I value my gastroenterologist. I miss them both.
• I would like to see Financial Services change their collection’s protocol and assist patients with more compassion and make available financial assistance instead of hiding it.
• I would like an apology from Dr. John Noseworthy, President & CEO and Dr. William Rupp of Mayo Jacksonville along with an apology from Dr. R in hematology/oncology and Dr. R in Gynecology.

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL…

1. 1.       if you were seriously ill for 5 years and nearly bled to death several times and doctors misdiagnosed you?
2. 2.       if you were harassed by in-house collections agents and threatened with loss of medical care every time you needed medical care or treatment?
3. 3.       if you learned you had not one but two cancers and your medical care was terminated?