Misdiagnosis Complaint Letter

Dear ____________________,

A recent experience at your affiliated heath care facilities left me concerned about communication among professionals. I'm reaching out in the hopes that my experience can be used as an educational tool for the future.

On Aug. 13, I visited Dr. A at the ABC Clinic, with symptoms including Symptom A. He diagnosed me with Condition AB and prescribed Medication DE. My symptoms did not improve, and I returned to the clinic on Aug. 16 where I saw Nurse Practitioner B. He affirmed the diagnosis but switched my medication to Medication FG. I showed no improvement and in fact felt worse. On Aug. 18 I was seen again by Dr. A, this time via video conference. I specifically reiterated that I had been experiencing Symptom A all this time. He insisted that I had Condition AB and told me to exercise patience as the disease ran its course.

Later that night, I was so sick that my roommate insisted on taking me to the emergency room at Hospital A, which is affiliated with the ABC Clinic. At this point, two things transpired that caused me great concern: The ER doctors could not access my records from their own affiliated clinic and the desk nurse immediately identified Condition CD based on my clearly identifiable Symptom A-the same symptom I had repeatedly called to the attention of Dr. A (twice) and Nurse Practitioner B. ER Dr. C described my symptoms as "classic" for Condition CD and I later overheard him expressing frustration to staff that prior medical professionals had diagnosed Condition AB.

I've been focusing on the healing process and moving forward, the difficulty of which has been compounded due to the initial misdiagnosis and delay in proper treatment.

I would hate to see this type of thing happen to someone else in the future. I hope that you will consider assessing and revamping communication procedures among your affiliated facilities. Additionally, I believe that the professionals who saw me at ABC Clinic should be made aware of their misdiagnosis and offered ongoing education in this area.

Please don't see this as a legal threat or need to "close ranks." Rather, I'm sharing this information in the interest of continuing education along with collaboration with other local medical professionals.