Hi. This website is:
"http://members.fortunecity.com/retinal"; began date 11-24-2004.
This website is not finished, but will be
added to and assembled over time. But I wanted to get in started, so the basics
were available to WARN the public.
This website provides info on my experience with the "doctors" in the medical group known as Retinal Consultants,
based at:
Central HeadQuarters:
3939 "J" Street -- suites # 104 & 106
Sacramento, CA. 95819
However, the doctors also travel to the
following additional sites as of January 2005:
460 W. East Ave - suite #110 1400 Florida Ave
suite #212
Chico, CA 95926 Modesto, CA 95350
6283 Clark Road - Suite #10 1805 N.
California - suite # 406
Paradise, CA 95969 Stockton, CA 95204
These persons above also go by the business
names of "Vitreo-Retinal" and "Chico Eye Center".
The main doctors listed on their appointment
card are:
-- Robert T. Wendel, M.D.
(I found that he has more than one alias, such
as "Robert Wenoci");
-- Arun Patel, MD
-- James Wells, Jr. MD
-- Joel Pearlman, MD.
This is referring to doctors I've had
experience with in Northern California.
There are OTHER, un-related groups known as
"Retinal Consultants", in other areas of California, and other areas of
the Country -- DO NOT confuse them -- they are UN-related to the ones in
Sacramento, they are NOT the same people, and I know nothing about the other ones!
If you have problems with any doctor in Calif., (especially these doctors that I refer to here), you should consider contacting the California State Medical Licensing Board, 1426 Howe Avenue, Central Complaint unit, Sacramento, CAL 95825, (916) 263-2352;
at HOME PAGE:
www.medbd.ca.gov/
and: DOCTOR LOOKUP: www.medbd.ca.gov/Lookup.htm
-- or possibly contact the District Attorney in your county, and/or etc.
(Any legal statements are referring ONLY to
California -- I don't know what the laws are in other states.)
I do not have time at the moment to put in
complete information.
But I wanted to put in the basics.
My experience with Retinal Consultants
(Abbreviated):
I went in for exam, the nurses and assistants
did most everything, instead of the doctor; the doctor (Wendel) ran around from patient to patient,
spending no more than 4 -5 minutes total with me, in the 3 or 4 times he ran
into the room.
It strongly gave me the impression that all
he was interested in was the money, not the patients.
My eyes have what has been referred to as
"nuclear" (meaning very small, practically none) abnormal artery growth
(retinopathy). In other words retinopathy is not the problem.
Wendel told me there is nothing to do to stop
the artery growth or slow it down, and that I would probably need "Laser"
surgery in probably 3 months.
I asked him about my real eye problems of
glaucoma, nystagmus (eye bouncing), vision blurring, blind spots etc., and etc -- he said he knew nothing about any
other eye problems, and had no suggestions as to what I could do about those
other problems.
I tried to get my records from them 3 months
later, they did not contact me within the time allowed by the Calif. Health
& Safety Code, but they eventually wrote and demanded $48 for the records.
That charge is probably illegal, but I went ahead and paid it. I heard nothing
from them after that. I called several times -- they kept saying they would send
them.
I eventually began preparing for legal
action, They sent 2 pages, claimed that was all of the records. Some of the eye
photo images could plainly be seen that they were altered.
I sent them the 3rd letter demanding my
records, got nothing, I filed a lawsuit, they got a person implying they were a
"lawyer". (Small claims does not allow a person to use a lawyer in CA.)
I talked to my regular eye doctor, and he had
several wrong ideas of what Retinal Consultants were doing, and were not doing
on my treatment, so I wrote Retinal Consultants and asked them to provide a
short, 3 sentence letter to my regular doctor clarifying what they were and were
not doing.
They completely ignored it.
I still have heard nothing, on the answers to
my questions, while my eye problems continue to get worse, with no treatment,
since my regular doctor thinks Retinal Consultants are doing everything.
So I filed a second law suit on that problem.
Now it's been 4 months since I originally requested my records, and the so-called "lawyer" finally has sent me about
half of my records, (pieces and pages at a time), but they still obviously are not all there. (And it is easy to see that they have been modified, which is illegal.)
Summary:
#1 -- I have now spent over 4 months trying
to get my medical records from them, and I've spent thousands of dollars on it,
and I still only have a few pieces of my medical file.
# 2 -- Also, I wrote them asking a couple of
very simple questions as to what exactly was done at the eye exam I had with
them, since my regular doctor is under the incorrect impression as to what they
did, and as to what they were doing, and they have given absolutely no response
to answering the questions. (Other than getting a lawyer and telling me not to
contact them.)
# 3 -- Therefore, I have filed 2 small claims
lawsuits, (Butte County), under Calif. Health and Safety Codes section # 123100 to 123120 and
123149, on patients right to their medical records. (Records must be given wihin 15 days, monetary charges are only to "defray" costs to physicians, not necessarily fully reimburse them. [max is 25 cents per page copied, etc])
:
I also intend to file federal H.I.P.P.A. charges. (Must be filed within 5 months.)
In Calif., it is not allowed for a person to
have a lawyer represent them in small claims court -- but yet they have hired a
lawyer to "assemble" my medical records and represent them. (Lanahan & Reilley LLP, Gigi Knudtson)
EVEN THOUGH Retinal Consultants has a full-time clerk just for the purpose of assembling records requests!
I have filed 2 complaints and reports with the
California Medical Licensing Board.
Also, their "Practice Administrator", Chris Mentink, is a licensed C.P.A. (Certified Public Accountant), and due to
his similar actions, I also filed a complaint against him with the Calif.
Accountancy Board, which is the Agency that licenses CPA's.
I was looking for some other information on
them, and happened to find that they have been sued several times.
(See links below.)
LINKS HERE:
http://www.saccourt.com
http://www.saccourt.com/indexes/input.asp?LastName=RETINAL%20CONSULTANTS&DivisionCode=CV&SortBy=Name&SortOrder=Asc
Other generic LINK information about Robert
Wendel is here:
http://www.retinamed.com
http://home.comcast.net/~rtwendel/wsb/html/view.cgi-contact.html-.html
- --- regarding : Squaw Valley
Retina Symposium, Contact.htm
http://home.comcast.net/~rtwendel/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html
http://www.aao.org/aao/news/eyenet/archive/01_02/calendar.html
----regarding : January 24–27
21st Annual Squaw Valley Retinal Symposium, Squaw Creek, California Contact: Laura Wendel or Robert Wendel, MD ---- Fax: 916-483-6297 ---- Email:
[email protected]
http://www.revophth.c.htmom/index.asp?ArticleType=SiteSpec&page=body%5Ccalendar.htm
---- regarding : Review of / OSN Supersite - The Voice of Ophthalmology - latest news and articles from Ocular Surgery News; Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers and Imaging; Journal of Refractive
Surgery; and Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.htm
http://www.highbeam.com
PLEASE be VERY CAUTIOUS of them. I would not go near
them, since, based on my experience & observations of R.C., they will not respond to you if you need
anything from them after the exam. All of my other doctors cannot imagine why Retinal Consultants refuses to give me my records. My speculation is that the records were altered by them to over-charge insurance, and if they release all of them to me, it will not coincide with what they billed my insurance for.
I plan to add more
information to this web page in the future.
Click here for Other Calif. Licensing Agencies : http://www.dca.ca.gov/r_r/r_rdca.htm
SEARCH ENGINE: ASK.com
----end----