Testimonials

Richard, I am sitting here today after coming back from a consult wearing the same scrubs that I was wearing Friday July 13, 2007. I know these are the fateful scrubs since I can still see the pen marks of hasty notes I made on the scrubs after the hospital chief of staff summarily suspended me on Friday the 13th.

At the time, I had no clue what the summary suspension meant. I did not understand what peer review meant and ultimately I had no clue what I was facing. My mother was a retired physician and as a woman minority she had only one piece of advice FIGHT. She was willing to lend me her retirement money to set things straight. In the days that followed I spoke with colleagues, risk managers, and proceeded to undergo a sham peer review which felt like I was in wonderland thru the looking glass. My friends at the hospital were worthless and now I know who my true friends are.

Everyone told me get an attorney, sue, claim discrimination etc… I still cant remember exactly how I found you but I believe it was after I Gogled some articles about hospital review and found the term “peer review”. That ultimately led me to a cross road. I had contacted 3 attorneys and you. I was surprised when you called me so quickly and your original supposition/observation that I might be stressed out was 1000% correct. When you meet someone on the internet it is hard to believe if what they are saying is true or complete fabrication so we talked and talked and talked.

I took your advice, testing it along the way. I was able to turn the heat/anger down by taking a conciliatory route while at the same time negotiating with the hospital with an attorney that was interested in solving the problem not dragging it out. After comparing notes with other physicians which spent 50,100, 200, 300 thousand dollars I realize how lucky I was.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with my mother (retired neurologist) since she was the only person whose advice I trusted and she wanted to fight to the last dollar. I am also glad that I took you advice on avoiding publicity, public discussion, reports to JCAPHO and the state. Ultimately those efforts would have painted the hospital and medial staff into a corner and they would have National Practitioner Databanked me as well as reporting me to the state board for certain.

Your advice reminds me a lot of the cognitive benefit of the internist. Sometimes doing nothing or advising to do nothing can avoid unproductive costly intervention and mistakes. That is a lot more difficult to quantify then performing a surgery but far more valuable to the patient. Unfortunately not all patients appreciate that when I give them advice to have no surgery or prescribe no medications during a consultation. The cognitive is truly very difficult to quantify.

The end result of my current summary suspension is that the summary suspension has been lifted, full privileges have been restored and the chief of staff has agree to expunge the summary suspension. I was able to settle with the hospital with an agreement which left my privileges intact and was a complete win for me. The hospital Medical Executive Committee has approved the agreement and last I heard from the attorney the board will endorse the MEC approval.

Just in time for my birthday today! That was a hell of a gift. I wish it had a receipt so I could return the damn thing but it was a tremendous learning experience.

Thank you for all your advice and I have referred a few colleagues who have been databanked or have a peer review sham pending.

Dear Dr. Willner,

Thank you for listening to me and trying to help me. You are a very good person, honest, sincere, trust worthy, over all a person who really cares and says and does what is practical/real/helping with open heart…no amount of money can do that….I am so much grateful I met you and you are helping me.

Thank you DOC…. You are one of a kind…

Oct 10- 2012 – (comments in English below)

A quien corresponda

Estamos en tiempos de cambio donde,cada Americano gasta un promedio 17 centavos por cada dollar en el systema de cuidado de salud en los Estado Unidos . Se espera que ne el ano 2019 el gasto va a subir a 19.3% del gasto total de la economia.

Los ganadores en este proceso son las grandes corporaciones como las aseguranzas y los hospitals y los perdedores son los pacientes y los medicos.

Con esta direccion es facil predecir el abuso sin escrupulos de los hospitals que se apoyan en las mismas leyes utilizadas para proteccion de los medicos por el govierno federal para fines de gananacia financieros.

Yo soy medico Internista ,he practicando medicina desde 1986, nunca envuelta en “law suits”. Cuando tuve mi primer experiencia de esta naturaleza a mis 49 anos me senti regresada al ano de 1986 a un nivel tercermundista, enfrentada un un monton de abuzones, montoneros sin escrupulos que se sentian y se sienten los duenos del hospital y querian destruir mi Carrera con quejas inexistentes y ambiguas.

Los hospitalistas y los medico de emergencias son un problema muy grave en los hospitals porque ellos son grupos asalariados que saltan a posiciones de “poder” escudados con la inmunidad legal que da la ley de HCQIA que esta escrita en la la constitucion de los Estados Unidos para monopolizar los hospitals y destruir competicion. En otras palabras en muchas ocasiones ellos violan las “Antitrust Law’.

En mi caso La tactica que se utiliza gneralmente es un “non spoken agreement”entre medicos asalalariados que gozan de( inmunidad federal legal HCQIA) para protegerse de cualquier actividad de ataque en contra de otro medico.

Por ejemplo la dinamica del hospital es el poder de “gate keeper” el medico de emergencia que “decide” a donde va el paciente, y el poder de “gate keeper” del medico hospitalista rechaza el paciente a el piso de medicina si no tiene aseguranza, o si esta en “grey line” o si representa una gran “liability”.

El paciente con grandes problemas medicos y un poco de depression y sin aseguranza llega a la unidad de psiquiatry ( que es el “sewage” del hospital) que no esta equipada para tratar problems medicos pero que sin embargo el hospital recive charities for la admission! medicos en solo practica recivimos la carga financiera, la “liability” y responasbilidad, asi como el abuso intimidacion y riesgo de reporte a la AMA por el mismo grupo que hace toda la distorcion de la dinamica.!!!!

Debido a esta dinamica La mortalidad de la unidad de psyquiatria estaba fracturada. Antes de que yo llegara a este hospital, yo habia visto pacientes psquiatricos por 12 anos antes de practicar en este Nuevo hospital y ellos probablemente no sabian que yo tenia zero mortalidad en mi record.

Esta gente empezo a levanter quejas y mas quejas en contra mia en menos de un ano a un numero de casi cuarenta de detalles inexistentes y como en mi cultura dicen “casi me tenian con la pata en el pescuezo.

One afternoon before I went to their peer review I had an impending fear and I called Richard B. Willner, CEO THE CENTER FOR PEER REVIEW JUSTICE and you want to know how he helped me, right Well it happen that he is also Executive VP from Americas Medical Society, as well as the CEO of the Gale News Network ( GNN) and people who abuse legal federal power also fear the shame of an scandal specially if there is evidence of abuse.

Richard B. Willner, was as a silent respectable shield that not only protected me but guided me. He assured me that I was entitled to enjoy the social benefits that the US market provide to its citizens, he asked me never to give up. Richard told me in his words “they do not own the hospital, you are a good Dr. you deserve to be where you are, and continue there Please………

Thank you

Richard—-
Thank you again for your help in successfully derailing a sham peer review at the Hospital. I request your help currently in my future participation with the hospital.

Over the past 5 years, I hardly ever admit patients to the Hospital nor do I perform elective surgery at their facilities. However, I have been MANDATED to perform on-call at the hospital 1 out of every 6 nights. 3 months ago a brand new specialist came to to the city and was hired by another Hospital and given full privileges at my Hospital but has never been on the call schedule. What I am looking for from your standpoint is options that I can pursue whereby I would be dismissed from on-call obligations with the condition that I can admit and treat my PRIVATE patients under emergency circumstances without harassment. I have submitted my renewal of privileges with WRITTEN omission of facial trauma, elective tracheostomy, transfer of patients from the operating room to the ICU (the subject of my sham peer review), conscious sedation, pediatric airway, and pediatric emergencies on unassigned patients. I also made it clear in writing that I do not participate in Medicaid. I have not heard any response—-they may make it easy by denial of renewal. If they harass me over it, yet they allow a brand new specialist physician to skate out of call unopposed, I may need you and your attorney to help me push them back.

November 1, 2012

Note: Names of Hospitals and specialties were deleted for privacy.

Dear Dr. Willner,

Thanks for your help again. You truly are a physician advocate for life. You successfully help me reverse a Hospital Summary Suspension in the past. I successfully got a physician job and hospital privileges in another Hospital. I was being a doctor caring for my patients and being an advocate for them. The Health insurance wanted to have meeting with me. I got nervous and “out of the blue” one week before the meeting, you called me to ask how I was doing and do I like my job. I told you about my meeting coming up with the insurance company and you gave me tips to help me with meeting. When I had the meeting with the insurance company, I “hit the ball out of the park” in defending myself. The insurance wanted me to save money them money, rather than be an advocate for my patients, I told them my commitment to saving them money and I am “safe” for now thanks to your advice. God Bless You!

I just want to personally thank you for all of your help and for being there when I needed you ! Your unbelievable personal attention to the enormous amounts of information in my case has definitely helped me to see the light of day regarding my licensing situation. Despite all of the time and waiting, it seems like forever, it is looking to be well worth it. Anyone would be lucky to have you help them. especially when it comes to the bullying physicians experience from the medical boards, peer review committees, and issues with the PDB. Thanks for being there !

3-2-16

“I am happy to tell you the Center for Peer Review Justice cleared me without any Databanking & I am at my first day back to work after a long 5 months!!

Thank you for all your help. I am thrilled.”
2-9-16

Dear Dr. Willner,

Thanks for your help again. You truly are a physician advocate for life. You successfully help me reverse a Hospital Summary Suspension in the past. I successfully got a physician job and hospital privileges in another Hospital. I was being a doctor caring for my patients and being an advocate for them. The Health insurance wanted to have meeting with me. I got nervous and “out of the blue” one week before the meeting, you called me to ask how I was doing and do I like my job. I told you about my meeting coming up with the insurance company and you gave me tips to help me with meeting. When I had the meeting with the insurance company, I” hit the ball out of the park” in defending myself. The insurance wanted me to save money them money, rather than be an advocate for my patients, I told them my commitment to saving them money and I am “safe” for now thanks to your advice. God Bless You!

Dr

Richard,

You have been so wonderful with all of the advice and support you have given me over these past few months, and honestly I cannot thank you enough.

I never realized how incredibly difficult it would be to get a program for a resident after they’ve been dismissed. We both know that this does not apply to my situation, but there is a similarity in that both require an unbelievable effort by everyone involved.

I have seen how much effort you have put into the cases involving these dismissed residents, and it blows me away to think that you are able to dedicate that much time and effort into such a task. The first time these young doctors landed a residency it was much easier, much simpler. But the second time must be infinitely more difficult, especially if the program dropped the young doctor for a moral infraction such as lying, cheating or stealing. I would think the biggest hurdle with that would be the lack of integrity with the dismissed resident, and I am lI:0t sure how you would go about correcting that.

Regardless, I am certain that you would do everything possible to help these young doctors get another program. I have complete trust in you and strongly believe that you will do everything possible to help with my situation, as I will do what I can to help myself since it is a combined effort that is required with mine or the dismissed residents’ cases in order to have a chance at success.

Thank you again, Richard, for everything.

My name is Doctor C and I contacted the Center for Peer Review Justice after viewing their website. The purpose of this note is to document how Dr. Willner helped me.

I was employed for many years as a physician at a state institution. . I was falsely accused in a sham peer review that not only put my position at stake, but also my license and my life. Due to his help, not only was position and license saved, but also my life. I was hysterical and depressed to the point that I was suicidal. As soon as Dr. Willner realized this, he personally got in his vehicle and drove hundreds of miles to come get me. To him, I owe my life and now consider him my closest friend.

To whomever it may concern: I am a physician specialist, currently retired. I spent my entire career employed at a state institution. . Dr. Richard Willner and the Center for Peer Review stood up for me and protected my career in 2 separate instances of alleged sexual harassment:

a) The first involved a female Vietnamese physician. She was standing at the main lobby counter with nearby snack machines. I purchased a rather large candy bar: not wanting to eat the whole thing, I offered her a piece. With multiple witnesses present, it was clearly evident to what I was referring. She immediately starting screaming about sexual harassment and ran to Human Resources to file a complaint against me. When the dust settled after they did their investigation, I was told that during the Vietnam War, American GI’s used to offer Vietnamese girls candy for sex. I adamantly didn’t know anything about that sordid piece of history … With the Center for Peer review Justice vigorously defending me, I was totally exonerated …..

b) The second involved my long term friendship, totally platonic, with a female employee of the medical records department. we both used to jokingly berate each other, often with outrageous sexual overtones. Neither one of us was serious and neither one of us took offense. Any one that knew us, even casually, would know that we both were pranksters and that we used to cut up with each other …. one day my friend’s supervisor’s supervisor walked by and instituted a sexual harassment suit WITHOUT MY FRIEND EVEN KNOWING ABOUT IT IN HER NAME …

Again with the vigorous (consulting) defense of Dr. Richard Willner and the CENTER FOR PEER REVIEW JUSTICE, my name was exonerated and my career saved …… My career owes a big debt of gratitude to Dr Willner!