A family member was transferred from another hospital's ER to Unity Point Health - Meriter, Madison, WI, after we confirmed with their team that we would have opportunities to share pertinent information, communicate with the treating team, and address other ongoing physical medical needs that another physician overseas. Unfortunately, upon their arrival, these assurances were not honored, which negatively impacted care.
Specifically:
Information Sharing: We were not allowed to share critical medical information upon arrival despite its relevance to treatment and being told to do so by other medical professionals. Communication with the Treating Physician: Despite repeated requests over several days, we were consistently denied access to the treating physician.
On Day 1, we requested to speak with the physician and were told they were too busy but might contact us later. This did not happen.
On Days 2 and 3, similar requests were met with excuses, delays, and vague assurances.
Eventually, we were told that the treating physician would not have contact with us because this was a HIPPA violation. This claim is incorrect, as HIPAA explicitly permits family members to share information with healthcare providers.
It was not until late on the third day, after pleading, working with the patient advocate for over 24 hours, and expressing the possibility of the patient checking themselves out, that we were granted a brief meeting at the close of business. The meeting was very limited and still did not address basic questions that we had.
The lack of communication and transparency severely compromised patient care. As their family/care team, we coordinate and support their aftercare, and the lack of collaboration from the treating physician undermined this process. With a release of information (ROI) in place, the refusal to engage with us appears not only unprofessional but unethical, immoral and possibly illegal.
Medical Needs: We were informed that their ongoing medication needs could not be addressed, with the implication that they could "just get by" without them.
These are only the 'highlights' of the failures. The list, unfortunately, is much more exhaustive.
This experience was deeply troubling, and we remain appalled by the lack of accountability and transparency from UnityPoint Meriter in Madison, WI. To date, we have not received any explanation for this behavior, which raises concerns about whether such practices are routine in their inpatient unit. read more
