~ Foreword ~
My Sunday morning has been busy putting the following together. It has also been a superb follow up to my broadcast from this past Wednesday night. Didn’t hear it? Here you go! (Primum Non-Nocere – First, Do No Harm, April 20, 2022)
And the story will continue… ~ Ed.
April 25, 2022
Heart & Vascular Center of Arizona
1331 N. 7th St. ~ Suite 375
Phoenix, AZ 85006-2707
Reference Account #: 120600
Having had the “services” of Dr. Edward Evans, M.D. on the night of September 2 or early September 3, 2021 due to what I would refer to as a minor heart attack – and then two subsequent scheduled appointments at his office – the attached bill is an insult – for several reasons.
To the best of my knowledge, Dr. Evans could not be bothered to do a follow up in my hospital room during the next several days – and yet Banner Estrella Medical Center recommends that I make contact and make an appointment within the following seven days or so?
Before the heart surgery (where two stints were put in me) Dr. Evans also had a catheter installed in me – for alleged reasons that I had urinary issues.
I realize that as we get older, things in our body slow up – but I had never had a problem releaving myself. I understand that during surgery, a doctor and his/her staff may not wish to take a chance of being “peed” on – so I have no problem with the catheter having been installed at that time – but it should have been REMOVED prior to me being checked out of the hospital several days later. Because of Dr. Evans short-term nearsightedness I have suffered extensively ever since. If you people understand a damned thing about Catheters – the longer that they remain embedded – your body will suffer immensely to the point that one can expect serious breakdowns of your bodily functions – INCLUDING the possibility of ones BLADDER.
Putting it in simple terms, for the balance of the month of September after my release from the hospital – I was required to use the services of the Emergency Room at Banner three additional times – due to continued issues with the catheter. And those problems continued through the rest of 2021 and still continue through the present time of the writing of this letter.
During one of my follow-up E.R. visits to Banner in September – where my catheter needed to be flushed, a nurse approached me in the room and informed me that she needed to test me for Covid – and promptly stuck 3 swabs up my nose, and promptly informed me that I “showed Covid symptoms” where I was promptly hauled off for a CT scan and then checked me into the hospital once more – where I shared a room with a gentleman from Gila Bend – and NEITHER of us had Covid. OH – and I had just had a CT scan by Banner Imaging the day before – and there was NO signs of Covid then. You money grubbers sure have raked in the money on this Fausti illness – haven’t you?
Then there was one more issue – and unfortunately – I cannot locate the date – but your records will indicate it – I had scheduled an appointment with Dr. Evans at the Thomas Road office shortly after the above incident for a Monday. This would have been my first follow-up visit – to finally “Meet” the Dr. It never took place. Late on Friday afternoon, I received a phone call from the Doctor’s alleged “head nurse” informing be that “due to the fact that you have been diagnosed with Covid, the Dr. will not be able to see you until such time that you are tested again.”
As if the first test was legitimate…
Well after awhile, when I still had not contracted Covid, I ventured to call to make an appointment at Dr. Evan’s Thomas facility again and it was set for November 15, 2021 – or was it September 29th, or October 22nd? I can’t really tell by the invoices that your office has continued to mail me (either way – several months past the original surgery) – and I was assured that I would be meeting directly with the Dr. I showed up that day and paid my co-pay ($20.00) upon signing in, and was informed that he was there – except that he never could bother to see me.
Probably one Physician Assitant and two other nurses came into the room and ran blood test, heart rates and temperatures, etc (the usual) and stated that I was doing quite well and “thank you for coming in”.
In simple terms, Not only have I NEVER “seen” Dr. Evans, I have never spoken to him. Have you people ever heard the term, Primum Non-Nocere? Look it up – for it has been forsaken by the Medical community.
Now – let’s get down to business – as relates to the attached invoice(s).
1. My records indicate that I DID pay my Co-Pay when I appeared for the Doctah’s “no show” appointment, but that sometime later – I also received a bill from your office indicating that I still owed the co-pay (of $20.00 more) and subsequently paid it. That being the case – at minimum – your firm OWES ME – $10.00.
2. Interesting – LOOK at the THREE invoices from your office dated, 01/24/2022, 02/28/2022 and 04/04/2022 – EACH of which shows two separate lines (dated 11/15/2021 AND 12/22/2021) showing “PAYMENT from Bennett, Jeffrey – but no entry on the December 22 date? INTERESTING given that that date coincides with my records as having been PAID!
3. Finally – and this is the funny one… I made two phone calls to your 7th Street office to discuss the “Balance owed” issue – and somehow never got through to a live person – but on several occasions – I would receive phone calls from that office – after hours between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m – when I was not available – just convenient enough for “them” to leave a message informing me to “pay up.”
It all sounds to me that neither the Doctah nor his staff wants to meet with nor talk to anyone. In my opinion – it might be just as well.
…and if you people think (that’s questionable) that this letter is about a lousy $10.00 – then you really DON’T get it!
OH – and the term, Primum Non-Nocere? It is from Hippocrates – the Father of Modern Medicine – and it translates to “First, Do No Harm”!
