I was Dr. Borodulin's patient for over 16 years, when she suddenly 'discharged' me from her practice, when I questioned a diagnosis on the Visit Summary from my annual physical. The Visit Summary had already had an error which I'd had to ask to have corrected, listing Obesity as one of my diagnoses, when my Body Mass Index as noted on the same page clearly did not fit into the definition of Obesity, also noted on the page!
This action has caused me great emotional distress and a lot of time and energy - filing a grievance and following up on it with both my health insurance company and SCCIPA (Santa Clara County Independent Providers Association), as well as having to find a new doctor at the age of 65, when I thought Dr. Borodulin would be my primary care doctor for the rest of my life.
Reflecting on this event, I regret not having filed a lawsuit against her for medical malpractice when in late 2011 I fell from a height onto my back, suffered a burst fracture of the lowest thoracic vertebra, but was told, when I called her office after the weekend following my Friday night visit to the ER, that neither she or the two doctors then part of her practice had any openings for the next two weeks, after which she was taking two weeks off for Christmas. But I was told I didn't really need an appt. because 'there's nothing that can be done for a fractured vertebra".
A week or two later someone reminded me that a vertebroplasty can repair a fractured vertebra, but after being turned away by Dr. Borodulin when I initially requested an appt., and it being 'the holidays', it was not until the end of January that I'd had an MRI & was able to meet with the doctor who ordered it, to discuss the findings. I was told that I'd had a 'burst fracture', more severe than the usual compression fracture, and that the treatment was to be in a brace for the first 90 days following the injury. It had already been 60 days.
I am permanently stooped, with a big lump on my spine, cannot stand up straight, lost several inches of height, and now have balance problems that are probably due to kyphosis of the spine (extreme 'dowagers hump').
I did not leave Dr. Borodulin's practice after this incident because I was too overwhelmed by the sequelae of my injury, and I did not want to have to find a new doctor. I had tried to like her, and thought she liked me. I found her a bit cold, but being from a different cultural background, I made allowances for this. I overlooked the uncaring response I'd gotten when I tried to get an appt. after the biggest injury of my life.
Perhaps fearing I would sue her, she was very nice to me for a long time, suggested I apply for SSDI (Social Security Disability) and signed off on the necessary documents. Once eligible for Disability, I thereafter became eligible for MediCare.
After being dumped by Dr. Borodulin, I received a certified letter from her practice. It was a form letter with a list of reasons why a patient might be kicked out of her practice, with boxes next to each reason. For me, "philosophical differences" had been checked.
If we really had 'philosophical differences', wouldn't they have become apparent earlier, rather than after 16 years?
However, another box, not checked for me, was 'we are not accepting any more MediCare patients'. To me, this implies that no matter how long you have been her patient, when you get to the age, or condition, that you are on MediCare, she may give you the boot, kick you to the curb. Is this even legal? Isn't this discrimination against older people and the disabled?
I realized that Dr. Borodulin had an incentive to get me out of her practice, since MediCare reimbursement rates are lower than, at least, my health insurance plan was; plus now that I was on MediCare, two entities, instead of one, had to be billed, and it might take longer to get paid.
I wondered if I had frustrated her because some of her recent diagnoses and treatments of minor problems (thumb joint injury, for example) had proved to be wrong; or because I'd found my own surgeon for a foot problem rather than going thru her; or whether I'd aroused her disgust response because of some of my health issues.
I am disillusioned and disgusted with Dr. Borodulin, and after the way she has treated me, I cannot recommend her as a physician. I think she works as a doctor to earn a good living, not because she really cares about her patients. She struck me as particularly high-falutin' at my last appt. with her; a fancy watch that was also a phone; a fancy manicure; & I Iearned that living in a single-family home in an old Campbell neighborhood had not been good enough for her, and she had moved.
She had been impatient and talked down to me in the last appt.
She seemed conscientious but in the end, she kicked me to the curb because she & her staff made errors and I asked that they be corrected!
About half of her staff do not seem very competent. read more