To reach a wide audience and to warn others of the secret compliance drug Versed, why don't you try your hand at writing a letter to the editor? Mine was entitled "Hospitals' Dirty Little Secret." I will send you a copy to fiddle with if you want it! Just type it out and send it to your local newspaper as is! It is my intellectual property and I can give it out as I see fit. It gave me a small satisfaction to see a copy of it taped into the front jacket of my chart at the surgeon's office. It must have upset them. Why else would it be there?
Do you think I care if the surgeon won't work on me again? Hell to the NO! I wouldn't send my dog to that careless liar. My particular case went far beyond just the anesthesia, but there should be no surprise there! However the abuse started with VERSED! Any hospital that withholds pertinent information about Versed, can be counted on to do other bad things as well. My feeling is that without Versed, they would never have had the chance to injure me in other ways. The surgeon would have paid a little more attention to his job if I had been awake.
I wonder how many people who have had a bad colonoscopy with Versed and subsequently had a perforated bowel even thought about how vicious the exam was and how carelessly it was performed? If you have had this problem, ever think that Versed may have been the root cause? Colonoscopy is a pretty violent exam as done under Versed. You could have been vigorously trying to get away and forcibly restrained. Sounds like a good way to get a perforation to me!
So write a letter to the editor about being given a zombie and amnesia drug at the hospital. You can find your local paper on-line, usually with an area to write these "letters to the editor." You will have to identify yourself and where you live, but they will honor your request to remain anonymous. At least mine said they would. I didn't mind being identified.
The response to my letter was mixed. Real patients were surprised and dismayed, medical people were in a snit, but at least they know we are on to them. I wonder how many people tried to stop them from using Versed after reading my letter? More importantly, I wonder how many people got Versed even after they tried to stop them. The old "small dose" trick...
Most Versed is given in very small doses anyway. Apparently the average dose to create amnesia and total obedience is only 2 mgs. Versed has a very fine line between "therapeutic doses" ( a misnomer if i ever heard one) and stopping your breathing and heart. There IS NO THERAPEUTIC DOSE OF VERSED. This is poison, it shuts down large portions of your brain, leaving the other parts in terror! In my opinion, after having been assaulted with this drug, there are no safe doses.
Write a letter to the editor and warn others. (or contact me and use mine) I wish somebody had warned me! Versed should not be a secret.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
What "Elected Officials?"
Everybody in the US has Senators and Congressmen at the state and federal level. Start with you local elected officials that serve in your state capital. Usually you will have a state Senator and a couple of state congressmen. These people will probably live somewhere near you. They may even have townhall meetings. Get involved! Contact them first and outline the abuse of the drug Versed. Then show up at their meetings.
There are several issues with the use of Versed, the first and foremost being "informed consent." Here is some background on "informed consent" and the reasons that we have such laws.Informed Consent: Encyclopedia of Everyday Law Notice in particular the statement "Importantly this means that the patient does not have a duty to inquire about risks or options; the duty rests with the treating Doctor." Are we CLEAR on that?
It is NOT YOUR FAULT that you didn't think to ask if their "something to relax you" causes amnesia and/or obedience against your will! This is a failure of communication at best and subterfuge and typical blame the victim at worst. DO NOT let these people intimidate you, tell you you shouldn't have signed the document without information etc. The information on Versed is deliberately withheld, and commonly the patient is blamed for "apathy," not asking questions and all the rest of their lame excuses why this drug wasn't explained. Who the hell would think to ask "does this drug cause amnesia?"
This means that "informed consent" is a coerced signing of a document designed to "hold harmless" your medical team. They are so used to this, that informed consent means nothing. This needs to change. The only way to change it is to start complaining to your legislators that "informed consent" laws need to be changed and strengthened. These people need to have their feet held to the fire for this breach of communication.
The excuse "I didn't have enough time to explain every little drug" is subterfuge. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for not telling the helpless patient about this drug! None. It is required by law, but as we all know medical professionals are some of the worst lawbreakers around, especially where it comes to informed consent!
Why should they follow the law? There is no penalty for NOT following the law! Informed consent is a mere formality for these people, not really necessary at all because they "know what's best." If you are lucky they will at least tell you before they inject you, and you stupid patient are to go along with whatever they want, no dissension allowed! Worse are the ones who leave the patient completely in the dark because "they know what's best" and proceed to do exactly what you told them not to, breaching the spirit of informed consent.
In a perfect world, the care providers would tell you about what they would like to do, outlining the effects of the drugs and the drawbacks. This would include the amnesia. They should also warn you that if you try to stop the procedure AFTER injection, that you will be unable to do so because you "lack capacity" while under Versed. You should have warning that if the amnesia doesn't work, they have no way of knowing this and will continue after being told to stop. This is REALLY IMPORTANT folks! Nobody wants to know that they can be screaming and writhing in pain and will be sat on, tied down or tied up despite your protestations! Even WITH amnesia is this how you want to be treated?
Our elected officials need to know this. Versed is such a big secret for a reason! Medical people stand to lose a lot of money if their control drug is taken away. They don't want to have to talk to you or explain anything. They want complete and immediate obedience without demur. They want you to be unable to remember being abused. But most of all, they want the MONEY for giving you Versed! They want to be overpaid and under worked. Versed is the perfect drug for this!
Your officials may be resistant to the idea that the people we trust with our very lives are offenders of the worst ilk. They won't like the idea that our medical workers are assaulting patients and denying them the most basic of human rights. You need to be prepared to give instances, web sites, and paperwork documenting the abuse. This is why I say to file complaints with your local "boards" first. Then you can point out that you have been abused and the law flouted.
Ask your elected officials what laws are on the books to prevent this kind of abuse. Ask how they are implemented. Ask about fines and sanctions for breaching the law. I think you will be horrified to learn that although "informed consent" laws are in there, there are no penalties at all for not following the law. Some officials may claim that if they were to follow the law, that it would force medical practitioners out of the state. Hogwash. Strong "informed consent" laws will help everybody. It will cut down on litigation, it will cut down on unnecessary treatments resulting in savings for all and a renewed trust in our medical providers. Informed consent laws are good for everybody, they shouldn't just be to protect the medical people.
Look up you state Senate "Committee on Health Care." Your state has one and if you are lucky you representative will be on it. Contact them armed with your paperwork. Request an audience with them or to appear at a meeting. Hitchhike there if you have to! This is important. Once again monetary savings are paramount, they are looking for ways to save money on health care costs which are in crisis right now. This is an easy way to trim millions of dollars off the cost of basic medical procedures. It is also a way to save some money on major surgery. If they cut out this one little step in medical care, the frivolous sedation the savings will be ASTRONOMICAL!
Remind them that in the few cases of true medical phobia, this "sedation" can be used, but only in extreme cases. The side effects such as long term hyper anxiety and PTSD like symptoms should be brought up as well. Not only is Versed unnecessary, but it is very HARMFUL to a lot of patients, especially if it is given without warning and without a true informed consent.
If you need help with figuring out who these elected officials are in your area feel free to contact me and I will find them for you! All I need is the city and state you are in. I will help in any way I can, just e-mail me at nomidazolam@aol.com
There are several issues with the use of Versed, the first and foremost being "informed consent." Here is some background on "informed consent" and the reasons that we have such laws.Informed Consent: Encyclopedia of Everyday Law Notice in particular the statement "Importantly this means that the patient does not have a duty to inquire about risks or options; the duty rests with the treating Doctor." Are we CLEAR on that?
It is NOT YOUR FAULT that you didn't think to ask if their "something to relax you" causes amnesia and/or obedience against your will! This is a failure of communication at best and subterfuge and typical blame the victim at worst. DO NOT let these people intimidate you, tell you you shouldn't have signed the document without information etc. The information on Versed is deliberately withheld, and commonly the patient is blamed for "apathy," not asking questions and all the rest of their lame excuses why this drug wasn't explained. Who the hell would think to ask "does this drug cause amnesia?"
This means that "informed consent" is a coerced signing of a document designed to "hold harmless" your medical team. They are so used to this, that informed consent means nothing. This needs to change. The only way to change it is to start complaining to your legislators that "informed consent" laws need to be changed and strengthened. These people need to have their feet held to the fire for this breach of communication.
The excuse "I didn't have enough time to explain every little drug" is subterfuge. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for not telling the helpless patient about this drug! None. It is required by law, but as we all know medical professionals are some of the worst lawbreakers around, especially where it comes to informed consent!
Why should they follow the law? There is no penalty for NOT following the law! Informed consent is a mere formality for these people, not really necessary at all because they "know what's best." If you are lucky they will at least tell you before they inject you, and you stupid patient are to go along with whatever they want, no dissension allowed! Worse are the ones who leave the patient completely in the dark because "they know what's best" and proceed to do exactly what you told them not to, breaching the spirit of informed consent.
In a perfect world, the care providers would tell you about what they would like to do, outlining the effects of the drugs and the drawbacks. This would include the amnesia. They should also warn you that if you try to stop the procedure AFTER injection, that you will be unable to do so because you "lack capacity" while under Versed. You should have warning that if the amnesia doesn't work, they have no way of knowing this and will continue after being told to stop. This is REALLY IMPORTANT folks! Nobody wants to know that they can be screaming and writhing in pain and will be sat on, tied down or tied up despite your protestations! Even WITH amnesia is this how you want to be treated?
Our elected officials need to know this. Versed is such a big secret for a reason! Medical people stand to lose a lot of money if their control drug is taken away. They don't want to have to talk to you or explain anything. They want complete and immediate obedience without demur. They want you to be unable to remember being abused. But most of all, they want the MONEY for giving you Versed! They want to be overpaid and under worked. Versed is the perfect drug for this!
Your officials may be resistant to the idea that the people we trust with our very lives are offenders of the worst ilk. They won't like the idea that our medical workers are assaulting patients and denying them the most basic of human rights. You need to be prepared to give instances, web sites, and paperwork documenting the abuse. This is why I say to file complaints with your local "boards" first. Then you can point out that you have been abused and the law flouted.
Ask your elected officials what laws are on the books to prevent this kind of abuse. Ask how they are implemented. Ask about fines and sanctions for breaching the law. I think you will be horrified to learn that although "informed consent" laws are in there, there are no penalties at all for not following the law. Some officials may claim that if they were to follow the law, that it would force medical practitioners out of the state. Hogwash. Strong "informed consent" laws will help everybody. It will cut down on litigation, it will cut down on unnecessary treatments resulting in savings for all and a renewed trust in our medical providers. Informed consent laws are good for everybody, they shouldn't just be to protect the medical people.
Look up you state Senate "Committee on Health Care." Your state has one and if you are lucky you representative will be on it. Contact them armed with your paperwork. Request an audience with them or to appear at a meeting. Hitchhike there if you have to! This is important. Once again monetary savings are paramount, they are looking for ways to save money on health care costs which are in crisis right now. This is an easy way to trim millions of dollars off the cost of basic medical procedures. It is also a way to save some money on major surgery. If they cut out this one little step in medical care, the frivolous sedation the savings will be ASTRONOMICAL!
Remind them that in the few cases of true medical phobia, this "sedation" can be used, but only in extreme cases. The side effects such as long term hyper anxiety and PTSD like symptoms should be brought up as well. Not only is Versed unnecessary, but it is very HARMFUL to a lot of patients, especially if it is given without warning and without a true informed consent.
If you need help with figuring out who these elected officials are in your area feel free to contact me and I will find them for you! All I need is the city and state you are in. I will help in any way I can, just e-mail me at nomidazolam@aol.com
Mental Health of our Caregivers
If you have read some of my other posts, you have seen that medical professionals are quick to allege that WE PATIENTS have mental problems, that it CANNOT BE THEIR PRECIOUS VERSED! They say that we are control freaks. They say that we had pre-existing mental issues before we got the drug. When they say this keep in mind that they are PROVING OUR CASE! If Versed causes this reaction in previously traumatized patients, then it should be banned, shouldn't it? Decompensation is an ugly thing to cause in a patient just because the CONTROL FREAK anesthesia provider wants total control of you!
This is The tired old trick of blaming others of the exact thing that you yourself are guilty of. To use their own words against them, we don't have time to give them a rundown on every single thing in our past that MAY OR MAY NOT cause Versed to give us PTSD! They don't have time to explain what Versed is, then they don't have time to listen to us drone on and on about our life experiences.
In reading through the responses of an unnatural number of anesthesia people, it occurs to me that these people get into anesthesia, not for some altruistic hocum like relieving pain, but for a far more sinister reason. I believe that they are getting into the business of conking people in the head because they have some unresolved violence issues themselves. This is a perfect job for people with sadistic tendencies isn't it?
Where else can you get a job where you can abuse patients, have them screaming and writhing in pain and get to laugh at their suffering? This comes through loud and clear. They are AMUSED at our pain. They think it's FUNNY that we have long term anxiety disorders from their poison! They could care less! Not exactly the response one would expect from our Florence Nightingale types is it?
I think that there should be some kind of mental health screening done on ALL medical care providers. ALL of them. There has to be some protection for patients from psychopaths going in to the medical field so that they can have free rein for their violent tendencies. Most other professions that have to do with public safety have to show that they are normal. That goes for police, social workers, teachers etc. Yet social misfits are allowed into the medical field. This needs to stop.
I also feel that medical providers, Doctors, nurses, anesthetists should be routinely drug tested. A random drug test is particularly important when the person involved has UNFETTERED ACCESS to drugs. Anesthesia providers have a really high incidence of drug abuse! Didn't know that did you? Here's the link to one study. Substance Abuse Among Physicians: A Survey of Academic Anesthesiology Programs -- Booth et al. 95 (4): 1024 -- Anesthesia & A...Let's get these rogue actors out of the hospital. It is just as important to know that our health care providers are not on drugs as it is for our truck drivers and air traffic controllers. Medical people are just too trusted in my opinion.
Stories abound from the Katrina fiasco, FindLaw: Louisiana Files Second-Degree Murder Charges Against Doctor, Nurses in Hurricane Katrina Hospital Patient Deathsto Dentists raping their Versed patients, to the nurse in England who raped and murdered people after giving them Versed. BBC News UK Nurse guilty of date rape killingThere is a Doctor from Canada who was just convicted of raping his patients after incapacitating them with Versed. Sask. doctor sentenced for rapeYou can Google these and MORE! This drug has way too much potential for abuse, even if you completely discount the long term psychological problems associated with it and the physical torture brought on by too much reliance on amnesia and not enough consideration for the patients' pain.
When you call, write, e-mail and fax your representatives these are some things that need to be done to keep us safe. Mental health screening and drug testing for everybody involved with patients.
This is The tired old trick of blaming others of the exact thing that you yourself are guilty of. To use their own words against them, we don't have time to give them a rundown on every single thing in our past that MAY OR MAY NOT cause Versed to give us PTSD! They don't have time to explain what Versed is, then they don't have time to listen to us drone on and on about our life experiences.
In reading through the responses of an unnatural number of anesthesia people, it occurs to me that these people get into anesthesia, not for some altruistic hocum like relieving pain, but for a far more sinister reason. I believe that they are getting into the business of conking people in the head because they have some unresolved violence issues themselves. This is a perfect job for people with sadistic tendencies isn't it?
Where else can you get a job where you can abuse patients, have them screaming and writhing in pain and get to laugh at their suffering? This comes through loud and clear. They are AMUSED at our pain. They think it's FUNNY that we have long term anxiety disorders from their poison! They could care less! Not exactly the response one would expect from our Florence Nightingale types is it?
I think that there should be some kind of mental health screening done on ALL medical care providers. ALL of them. There has to be some protection for patients from psychopaths going in to the medical field so that they can have free rein for their violent tendencies. Most other professions that have to do with public safety have to show that they are normal. That goes for police, social workers, teachers etc. Yet social misfits are allowed into the medical field. This needs to stop.
I also feel that medical providers, Doctors, nurses, anesthetists should be routinely drug tested. A random drug test is particularly important when the person involved has UNFETTERED ACCESS to drugs. Anesthesia providers have a really high incidence of drug abuse! Didn't know that did you? Here's the link to one study. Substance Abuse Among Physicians: A Survey of Academic Anesthesiology Programs -- Booth et al. 95 (4): 1024 -- Anesthesia & A...Let's get these rogue actors out of the hospital. It is just as important to know that our health care providers are not on drugs as it is for our truck drivers and air traffic controllers. Medical people are just too trusted in my opinion.
Stories abound from the Katrina fiasco, FindLaw: Louisiana Files Second-Degree Murder Charges Against Doctor, Nurses in Hurricane Katrina Hospital Patient Deathsto Dentists raping their Versed patients, to the nurse in England who raped and murdered people after giving them Versed. BBC News UK Nurse guilty of date rape killingThere is a Doctor from Canada who was just convicted of raping his patients after incapacitating them with Versed. Sask. doctor sentenced for rapeYou can Google these and MORE! This drug has way too much potential for abuse, even if you completely discount the long term psychological problems associated with it and the physical torture brought on by too much reliance on amnesia and not enough consideration for the patients' pain.
When you call, write, e-mail and fax your representatives these are some things that need to be done to keep us safe. Mental health screening and drug testing for everybody involved with patients.
You are NOT ALONE
You need to know that you are not alone. http://www.versedbusters.blogspot.com/ is THE premier place for you to tell all about your experience. The people there are kind and very supportive and protective. I encourage everybody to go over there and blog your experience. http://www.askapatient.com/ is also a very good place to go and set down your displeasure with your treatment at the hands of the sadists who are masquerading as healers.
If you are feeling brave, go take a look at http://www.nurse-anesthesia.org/. Look at how many of them feel that we patients are stupid jerks and that it doesn't matter how YOU THE PATIENT feel about this horrid drug Versed. They like it and one CRNA brags that he gets "heavy handed" with Versed. WARNING; IF YOU ARE STILL FEELING SENSITIVE DO NOT GO OVER TO THIS SITE!!!! Several of these people appear to have a personality disorder along the lines of "Narcissistic Personality Disorder" and are very nasty. A lot of Versed sufferers can't handle this kind of aggressive hatefulness, as we have already dealt with this attitude "up close and personal." This site is not for the faint of heart.
Another one, again if you are not too fragile, is http://www.allnurses.com/. Here again you will see the sneering disregard of the patient. The attitude is one of "if you don't like it then there is something WRONG WITH YOU! There are some really great nurses who "GET" the problem, but most think you are too stupid, ignorant and uneducated to take seriously. It is an excellent educational tool however. If you are wondering "How could they DO this to me?" This will enlighten you. It's good to know and will also help when we get to our legislators.
It may help you to see how some Versed sufferers have taken on these nasty health care people. It makes you feel like maybe we can do something about this attitude! Keep that in mind if you feel homicidal (a side effect of Versed) or suicidally depressed (a very common side effect of Versed) after reading through the posts.
Versed is an extremely bad drug and is responsible for a lot of anguish. The reason it is still used is for MONEY, OBEDIENCE and AMNESIA. You are easy to handle, will obey their every command, don't remember the abuse AND there's that extra MONEY! This is going to be a hard fight to get this poison shelved except in few cases so get ready.
Your mental health is subjective, health care providers LOVE this drug and they are denying that it could cause the symptoms we describe. As you read the posts on http://www.versedbusters.blogspot.com/ and http://www.askapatient.com/ you will see a commonality in our experiences that goes beyond the boundaries of "chance." It isn't coincidence that we all have the same symptoms. This is an idiosyncratic reaction to a very bad drug. You are not alone.
If you are feeling brave, go take a look at http://www.nurse-anesthesia.org/. Look at how many of them feel that we patients are stupid jerks and that it doesn't matter how YOU THE PATIENT feel about this horrid drug Versed. They like it and one CRNA brags that he gets "heavy handed" with Versed. WARNING; IF YOU ARE STILL FEELING SENSITIVE DO NOT GO OVER TO THIS SITE!!!! Several of these people appear to have a personality disorder along the lines of "Narcissistic Personality Disorder" and are very nasty. A lot of Versed sufferers can't handle this kind of aggressive hatefulness, as we have already dealt with this attitude "up close and personal." This site is not for the faint of heart.
Another one, again if you are not too fragile, is http://www.allnurses.com/. Here again you will see the sneering disregard of the patient. The attitude is one of "if you don't like it then there is something WRONG WITH YOU! There are some really great nurses who "GET" the problem, but most think you are too stupid, ignorant and uneducated to take seriously. It is an excellent educational tool however. If you are wondering "How could they DO this to me?" This will enlighten you. It's good to know and will also help when we get to our legislators.
It may help you to see how some Versed sufferers have taken on these nasty health care people. It makes you feel like maybe we can do something about this attitude! Keep that in mind if you feel homicidal (a side effect of Versed) or suicidally depressed (a very common side effect of Versed) after reading through the posts.
Versed is an extremely bad drug and is responsible for a lot of anguish. The reason it is still used is for MONEY, OBEDIENCE and AMNESIA. You are easy to handle, will obey their every command, don't remember the abuse AND there's that extra MONEY! This is going to be a hard fight to get this poison shelved except in few cases so get ready.
Your mental health is subjective, health care providers LOVE this drug and they are denying that it could cause the symptoms we describe. As you read the posts on http://www.versedbusters.blogspot.com/ and http://www.askapatient.com/ you will see a commonality in our experiences that goes beyond the boundaries of "chance." It isn't coincidence that we all have the same symptoms. This is an idiosyncratic reaction to a very bad drug. You are not alone.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Call your Insurance Carrier
If you are insured, here is what you can do. Call your insurance carrier and tell them that you want to report FRAUD! Insurance companies are not on your side either, but they do have lawyers on retainer. They are very interested in containing costs and here is where you get to tell them all about how the hospital gave you treatment that was unauthorized, unnecessary and against your will.
See if they can get the "conscious sedation" which was not explained to you removed from the bill. If the hospitals suddenly find that they are not going to get the MONEY for their drug of choice, they may think twice about injecting it. I am not sure how this will work, but we need to start complaining to people who actually have some power over the hospital and it isn't the poor patient. We are just the cash cows.
You can also go on-line and find your insurance group there. Write them an e-mail and send it to their FRAUD DEPARTMENT. It is usually listed on-line as "Report Fraud" or something similar. Outline your displeasure. Make sure they know, if applicable, that you must now have counseling, anti depression drugs etc, due to the laxness of the hospital's policies regarding "informed consent" and patient autonomy. Demand that they not pay for these anesthesia services which were fraudulently given and billed.
See if you will have to pay out of pocket if they decline payment. I don't think so, but I am not a lawyer.
If you are not insured, write to the fraud department anyway. Tell them that they are paying for frivolous things like "conscious sedation" and it is driving insurance rates up by paying for this unnecessary "drug therapy." Name the hospital that is using deceptive practices to line their pockets.
This is FRAUD by the way. Charging for services that are not necessary is FRAUD! Charging for services declined by the patient is FRAUD! No wonder our insurance premiums are beyond reach for a lot of working people! Desperately poor people have some kind of state run health care, people who are lucky enough to have a good job have employer provided health care, but other working people have nothing.
Maybe if the insurance companies quit paying for the extremely expensive "conscious sedation" we would be able to get some insurance for everybody.
See if they can get the "conscious sedation" which was not explained to you removed from the bill. If the hospitals suddenly find that they are not going to get the MONEY for their drug of choice, they may think twice about injecting it. I am not sure how this will work, but we need to start complaining to people who actually have some power over the hospital and it isn't the poor patient. We are just the cash cows.
You can also go on-line and find your insurance group there. Write them an e-mail and send it to their FRAUD DEPARTMENT. It is usually listed on-line as "Report Fraud" or something similar. Outline your displeasure. Make sure they know, if applicable, that you must now have counseling, anti depression drugs etc, due to the laxness of the hospital's policies regarding "informed consent" and patient autonomy. Demand that they not pay for these anesthesia services which were fraudulently given and billed.
See if you will have to pay out of pocket if they decline payment. I don't think so, but I am not a lawyer.
If you are not insured, write to the fraud department anyway. Tell them that they are paying for frivolous things like "conscious sedation" and it is driving insurance rates up by paying for this unnecessary "drug therapy." Name the hospital that is using deceptive practices to line their pockets.
This is FRAUD by the way. Charging for services that are not necessary is FRAUD! Charging for services declined by the patient is FRAUD! No wonder our insurance premiums are beyond reach for a lot of working people! Desperately poor people have some kind of state run health care, people who are lucky enough to have a good job have employer provided health care, but other working people have nothing.
Maybe if the insurance companies quit paying for the extremely expensive "conscious sedation" we would be able to get some insurance for everybody.
Complaining to the "Boards"
Since you are already on-line, this next part should be easy. Look up your state's "Health and Welfare" board. There should be instructions on how to file a complaint. The talking point that worked best for me, is the expense associated with "conscious sedation." If you are one of the unfortunate ones who was denied even the "informed" consent this is something that the Board will look at. They will conduct an investigation into it.
At my hospital 10 out of 11 patient charts had incomplete surgical consent forms. That means that in nearly every case the hospital broke the law. The hospital was cited for this, but the money generated by Versed more than makes up for a silly little citation!
Informed consent is very important for patients, but for the hospital not so much, at least in practice. The hospital knows full well that they can violate the laws with impunity, but getting all of this on record is still important for when you talk to your elected officials. Remember this is about MONEY! This has nothing to do with you as a person. The Board of health and Welfare needs to know how the health care dollars for welfare and government employees are being squandered on things like Versed, which is only used to generate cash, number one, and it doesn't hurt that they can abuse patients physically as well, counting on the amnesia to prevent lawsuits. You know those lawsuits that they claim are driving up health care cost?
The next "board" you need to contact is your state nursing board. Chances are the cretin who jacked you with Versed is a nurse. You can find this nursing board on-line. In my state I had to call them, they sent me a form, I filled it out, they investigated.
Now you need to contact your "State Board of Medicine." Now you can go after the Doctor who failed to tell you about the risks associated with your surgery. Such as; did you know that a simple cataract surgery can destroy your eye? If your anesthesia provider is incompetent and you get nauseous on the operating table, you eye can be destroyed. Since nausea is a common side effect of pain medication, shouldn't this little tidbit be revealed?
If your eye is damaged, all your Doctor has to say is "patient moved." Of course "patient moved," patient was trying to vomit while strapped in place face up. Can you say aspiration of vomitus? So you lose your eye and maybe get vomit in your lungs. Did anybody tell you about that? If you got Versed you will wake up with a damaged or destroyed eye with only your doctor's word about what happened. Basically, you moved you jerk and this was unavoidable. Really?
Naturally the "Nursing Board" found that my CRNA was without fault in all of this. Are you seeing a pattern of abuse yet? My CRNA claimed that once in the OR I "didn't object" to general anesthesia. Well my goodness the fact that I was heavily sedated also in defiance of my wishes didn't matter. The fact that there was no informed consent didn't matter. I gave my permission by being unable to move or object once I was in the operating room. How's that for compassionate care?
I said no very loud and clear, but I was unaware they had a zombie drug like Versed! However I now have it officially on record that my CRNA did an end run around me by forcibly injecting me with a brain disabling drug in order to gain compliance. This looks good when you show it to your legislators.
The "Board of Medicine" will also probably side with the medical practitioner. This is how we got into this mess in the first place. No matter how egregious, no matter how many laws were broken, no matter how incompetent the people are who are involved in your care, nothing will happen. Legislators who are supposed to represent US, THE PEOPLE, are our last hope to rein in the medical profession. Get all the ammunition you can to show how callous the "Boards" are and how little they care about patient complaints.
Remember that right now our legislators are looking at the runaway cost associated with health care. It is my belief that Versed, in conjunction with the tort reform and all the rest of the protections for the poor little Doctors who are so afraid of malpractice has caused the pendulum to swing way too far in the Doctors' favor. We need to be able to say NO and have our wishes respected. If you don't contact these legislators and tell them what is going on with their constituents how would they know?
There is an excellent post on http://www.versedbusters.com/ by somebody who states that lawyers don't get Versed! I'll bet that legislators get to say NO as well, so it's up to us to let them know what is happening. Money is the main reason Versed is used and MONEY is the main way that we convince legislators to help us get this drug off the "standard of care" list and put in the "optional" list, just like sedation in dentistry!
At my hospital 10 out of 11 patient charts had incomplete surgical consent forms. That means that in nearly every case the hospital broke the law. The hospital was cited for this, but the money generated by Versed more than makes up for a silly little citation!
Informed consent is very important for patients, but for the hospital not so much, at least in practice. The hospital knows full well that they can violate the laws with impunity, but getting all of this on record is still important for when you talk to your elected officials. Remember this is about MONEY! This has nothing to do with you as a person. The Board of health and Welfare needs to know how the health care dollars for welfare and government employees are being squandered on things like Versed, which is only used to generate cash, number one, and it doesn't hurt that they can abuse patients physically as well, counting on the amnesia to prevent lawsuits. You know those lawsuits that they claim are driving up health care cost?
The next "board" you need to contact is your state nursing board. Chances are the cretin who jacked you with Versed is a nurse. You can find this nursing board on-line. In my state I had to call them, they sent me a form, I filled it out, they investigated.
Now you need to contact your "State Board of Medicine." Now you can go after the Doctor who failed to tell you about the risks associated with your surgery. Such as; did you know that a simple cataract surgery can destroy your eye? If your anesthesia provider is incompetent and you get nauseous on the operating table, you eye can be destroyed. Since nausea is a common side effect of pain medication, shouldn't this little tidbit be revealed?
If your eye is damaged, all your Doctor has to say is "patient moved." Of course "patient moved," patient was trying to vomit while strapped in place face up. Can you say aspiration of vomitus? So you lose your eye and maybe get vomit in your lungs. Did anybody tell you about that? If you got Versed you will wake up with a damaged or destroyed eye with only your doctor's word about what happened. Basically, you moved you jerk and this was unavoidable. Really?
Naturally the "Nursing Board" found that my CRNA was without fault in all of this. Are you seeing a pattern of abuse yet? My CRNA claimed that once in the OR I "didn't object" to general anesthesia. Well my goodness the fact that I was heavily sedated also in defiance of my wishes didn't matter. The fact that there was no informed consent didn't matter. I gave my permission by being unable to move or object once I was in the operating room. How's that for compassionate care?
I said no very loud and clear, but I was unaware they had a zombie drug like Versed! However I now have it officially on record that my CRNA did an end run around me by forcibly injecting me with a brain disabling drug in order to gain compliance. This looks good when you show it to your legislators.
The "Board of Medicine" will also probably side with the medical practitioner. This is how we got into this mess in the first place. No matter how egregious, no matter how many laws were broken, no matter how incompetent the people are who are involved in your care, nothing will happen. Legislators who are supposed to represent US, THE PEOPLE, are our last hope to rein in the medical profession. Get all the ammunition you can to show how callous the "Boards" are and how little they care about patient complaints.
Remember that right now our legislators are looking at the runaway cost associated with health care. It is my belief that Versed, in conjunction with the tort reform and all the rest of the protections for the poor little Doctors who are so afraid of malpractice has caused the pendulum to swing way too far in the Doctors' favor. We need to be able to say NO and have our wishes respected. If you don't contact these legislators and tell them what is going on with their constituents how would they know?
There is an excellent post on http://www.versedbusters.com/ by somebody who states that lawyers don't get Versed! I'll bet that legislators get to say NO as well, so it's up to us to let them know what is happening. Money is the main reason Versed is used and MONEY is the main way that we convince legislators to help us get this drug off the "standard of care" list and put in the "optional" list, just like sedation in dentistry!
Where to start
If you have been harmed by Midazolam/Versed, the first thing to do is GET YOUR RECORDS. You will need to get these BEFORE you do anything else. The medical people are not above redacting, falsifying and otherwise altering your records. This is against the law, but medical people are lawless these days.
The next thing to do is complain, complain. Obviously if you are reading this, you are probably at home. Get on the phone and call the hospital. Ask for the "patient relations" department or person. Explain your circumstances and why you feel like you have been violated. This drug wasn't explained, this drug was sneaked in, who authorized the use of this drug etc. They will probably tell you that it is "standard of care" to smash into your brain and make you into a zombie!
Keep in mind that this person is part of "risk management" at the hospital. Her/his job is to try to defuse any kind of malpractice suit. This person is in an adversarial position in regards to you. Don't let them fool you for one minute into thinking that they are on your side. They are on the side of the hospital and making money.
Try not to get really angry at this person. They will tell you how YOU "don't want to remember the pain," how "most people are happy to wake up and have it all over with" and various other insulting statements. They are trying to placate you because they think you are stupid. If enough people contact the hospital they will cause the hospital some alarm... This is the first step. Alarm the hospital. Only alarm will change hospital policy in the face of the enormous profit to be made by sedating everybody.
After you have your frustrating experience talking to the patient relations person you should be ready to write letters! You need to write a letter, in detail, about your experience and you need to address it to the CEO of the hospital. Talk about the "informed consent" being inadequate. Tell your story about being violated, signing an uninformed "informed" consent which is against the law. State that you were manipulated into having a drug you didn't wish to have. If, like me, they just dispensed with the informed consent altogether, state that. I can't promise that they will give a damn, but its a start.
Almost all of this goes to informed consent and the antiquated (?) idea that patients are in control of their bodies, not medical people. Informed consent requires that you are told of the benefits and risks of all medical procedures and drugs and that YOU have the right to decline any of it AT ANY TIME! Versed takes this right of refusal away, because after all, most people can't remember screaming and begging them to stop. Hell you probably didn't even get to object to the Versed in the first place.
Even if you do remember begging them to stop or having them continue with procedures you declined prior to sedation, it won't matter as they feel that you don't have the capacity to object once you are sedated. See how this works? You say "no," they want it, so they shoot you up with their control drug Versed, and do it anyway. This is an egregious violation of patient rights and autonomy. It's all done for money, not patient care.
Your little anesthesia nurse who decided that you would get this poison needs to be called on the carpet too. This person is required by LAW to identify themselves and their purpose in being in your room. This law is routinely dispensed with. Too many people would be unhappy to know that a nurse, not a Doctor is going to be doing the anesthesia. Plus, the hospital and anesthesia group can now charge DOUBLE for having two people instead of just one Doctor.
Find out who it was and if possible, the name of the anesthesiologist (the REAL Doctor) who was allegedly supervising the little nurse. This is the LAW. The little nurse MUST be supervised by the doctor. Unfortunately this law is also routinely violated, but its good to know just how far the hospital went in flouting the law.
This will be the next letter you write. He/she probably works for somebody called "Anesthesia Associates" or something. Find out which outfit they work for and write a letter to them stating how you feel that this person violated your rights.
It is important to take this step as the hospital has ZERO, that's right ZERO fiduciary duty to make sure that the anesthesia provider is following the law. Cool huh? You thought the hospital had some responsibility to make sure that their patients were being treated with respect and within the law didn't you? The hospital chooses this person, but when they screw up, the hospital has no responsibility. Be very aware of this little item...
When writing your letters, you need to take them to a Notary Public. Have them look at the letter and watch you place it in the envelope and seal it. This is an important step, which I didn't know. It doesn't cost much. Then have the letter delivered by the Post Office, via certified mail with a return receipt requested. This way, if it comes up later, you can show that a copy of THIS LETTER was mailed to THESE PEOPLE and here is the proof.
You are now done with the hospital and the anesthesia providers at the point of care. If you get lucky somebody will call you. If you were at one of the abattoirs the silence will be deafening. But there are other more fun things to do now!
The next thing to do is complain, complain. Obviously if you are reading this, you are probably at home. Get on the phone and call the hospital. Ask for the "patient relations" department or person. Explain your circumstances and why you feel like you have been violated. This drug wasn't explained, this drug was sneaked in, who authorized the use of this drug etc. They will probably tell you that it is "standard of care" to smash into your brain and make you into a zombie!
Keep in mind that this person is part of "risk management" at the hospital. Her/his job is to try to defuse any kind of malpractice suit. This person is in an adversarial position in regards to you. Don't let them fool you for one minute into thinking that they are on your side. They are on the side of the hospital and making money.
Try not to get really angry at this person. They will tell you how YOU "don't want to remember the pain," how "most people are happy to wake up and have it all over with" and various other insulting statements. They are trying to placate you because they think you are stupid. If enough people contact the hospital they will cause the hospital some alarm... This is the first step. Alarm the hospital. Only alarm will change hospital policy in the face of the enormous profit to be made by sedating everybody.
After you have your frustrating experience talking to the patient relations person you should be ready to write letters! You need to write a letter, in detail, about your experience and you need to address it to the CEO of the hospital. Talk about the "informed consent" being inadequate. Tell your story about being violated, signing an uninformed "informed" consent which is against the law. State that you were manipulated into having a drug you didn't wish to have. If, like me, they just dispensed with the informed consent altogether, state that. I can't promise that they will give a damn, but its a start.
Almost all of this goes to informed consent and the antiquated (?) idea that patients are in control of their bodies, not medical people. Informed consent requires that you are told of the benefits and risks of all medical procedures and drugs and that YOU have the right to decline any of it AT ANY TIME! Versed takes this right of refusal away, because after all, most people can't remember screaming and begging them to stop. Hell you probably didn't even get to object to the Versed in the first place.
Even if you do remember begging them to stop or having them continue with procedures you declined prior to sedation, it won't matter as they feel that you don't have the capacity to object once you are sedated. See how this works? You say "no," they want it, so they shoot you up with their control drug Versed, and do it anyway. This is an egregious violation of patient rights and autonomy. It's all done for money, not patient care.
Your little anesthesia nurse who decided that you would get this poison needs to be called on the carpet too. This person is required by LAW to identify themselves and their purpose in being in your room. This law is routinely dispensed with. Too many people would be unhappy to know that a nurse, not a Doctor is going to be doing the anesthesia. Plus, the hospital and anesthesia group can now charge DOUBLE for having two people instead of just one Doctor.
Find out who it was and if possible, the name of the anesthesiologist (the REAL Doctor) who was allegedly supervising the little nurse. This is the LAW. The little nurse MUST be supervised by the doctor. Unfortunately this law is also routinely violated, but its good to know just how far the hospital went in flouting the law.
This will be the next letter you write. He/she probably works for somebody called "Anesthesia Associates" or something. Find out which outfit they work for and write a letter to them stating how you feel that this person violated your rights.
It is important to take this step as the hospital has ZERO, that's right ZERO fiduciary duty to make sure that the anesthesia provider is following the law. Cool huh? You thought the hospital had some responsibility to make sure that their patients were being treated with respect and within the law didn't you? The hospital chooses this person, but when they screw up, the hospital has no responsibility. Be very aware of this little item...
When writing your letters, you need to take them to a Notary Public. Have them look at the letter and watch you place it in the envelope and seal it. This is an important step, which I didn't know. It doesn't cost much. Then have the letter delivered by the Post Office, via certified mail with a return receipt requested. This way, if it comes up later, you can show that a copy of THIS LETTER was mailed to THESE PEOPLE and here is the proof.
You are now done with the hospital and the anesthesia providers at the point of care. If you get lucky somebody will call you. If you were at one of the abattoirs the silence will be deafening. But there are other more fun things to do now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)