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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.

So, today I want to read out another letter that we have written for one of our clients so that you can see how we advocate for our clients and that you can see how we get results. You can copy the letter as you please by just replaying the video here and you can adjust for your own purposes. It shows you what we do for our clients and how we get results, because that’s the name of the game — getting results for families in intensive care. 

So, I’ll read that out.

“Dear [hospital CEO], I’m not going to mention any names, of course.

I’m writing to address a series of ongoing issues pertaining to the care provided to my mother in your esteemed hospital.

Even though the client is sending them, we are writing the emails on their behalf.

Our family firmly believes that my mother has been subjected to discriminatory treatment since our initial communication with the administration, social workers, and local ICU team regarding our decision to decline the placement for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, also known as a PEG tube. Despite our efforts to raise awareness about this discrimination, no significant progress has been made to resolve the issue.

Firstly, we have encountered difficulties in accessing Alice’s medical records online. The family’s inability to retrieve these records has been brought to the attention of the administration, yet no action has been taken to address or rectify the situation. During a conversation with the director of medical records and a representative from the third-party organization responsible for managing online access, it was confirmed that the issue lies with the hospital’s medical center’s system, preventing us from accessing the online medical records. This matter was first reported four months ago, and the lack of solution or any action on the hospital’s part is highly concerning. This situation adversely affects the well-being of not only my mother, but also any patient who is severely ill, disabled, lacks mobility, or lacks transportation to physically retrieve their medical records.

Secondly, numerous concerns have arisen regarding the quality of care provided by the medical team responsible for Alice’s well-being. While we understand that my mother has pre-existing conditions, we have observed several issues regarding the correct management of her liver medication dosage, insufficient attention to output analysis for better understanding and management of a fluid balance, and inadequate oversight leading to prolonged suspension of medication.

Consequently, this mismanagement results in the accumulation of toxins in the brain, leading to unresponsiveness, decreased blood pressure, and a setback in my mother’s overall progress. Furthermore, the management of other medications, such as water pills, require significant improvement, as the intermittent administration has resulted in water overload and excessive fluid accumulation, leading to the drainage of 1.5 liters of fluid from one of her lungs after Lasix was given.

Additionally, respiratory concerns have been persistently neglected, hampering any potential progress in weaning her off the ventilator and the tracheostomy, resulting in recurrent infections and inadequate and untimely treatment of respiratory issues. We have raised these ongoing issues with the medical staff, only to have them fall on deaf ears or be dismissed, with the staff citing my mother’s health condition as an excuse for their lack of care and effort in addressing her health concerns. Leaving my mother tied to their bed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a prolonged amount of time when my mother is aware and in distress and cries to be untied. My mother is not a threat to herself, nor is she a criminal or a threat to the staff. She is an older lady capable of communicating with the doctors, which are not encouraging her to help with moving fluids and relieving the pressure off the patient’s back from the pressure wounds she received under the hospital’s care for being restrained to a bed for an unethical and unacceptable amount of time. It is extremely disheartening to report that a private ICU team, overseeing her medical records and condition, shares our disappointment in the care and effort provided by the hospital staff.

Thirdly, we are deeply concerned about the interference of the administration in the decision-making process related to my mother’s health, thus hindering the doctors from performing their duties effectively. Medical staff members have privately expressed their frustration with this interference, but their fear of reprisal has allowed the administration to undermine their judgement and decision-making. Moreover, we have experienced situations where the medical staff failed to inform either the family or the designated responsible party when my mother’s medication supply had been exhausted. It was only through our own investigation and subsequent request for coverage that we discovered the shortage of medications. Our inquiry regarding the hospital’s policy in such circumstances has yet to receive a response, and doctors have claimed that the hospital refuses to cover the cost. This is an unacceptable practice, as patient care should take precedence over any financial or personal interests held by the hospital. It is distressing that we had to personally visit the pharmacy to request coverage for the medication, as it is crucial for my mother’s liver condition, and the medical staff neglected to notify us of the depletion. These issues could have been avoided, given the medical staff’s familiarity with the patients, and it is disconcerting that such basic practices are not being consistently upheld.

Given the aforementioned concerns, it is imperative that urgent action to be taken to address these critical matters. The lack of resolution, updates, or follow up from the individual or administration, namely yourself, whom you appointed to address these concerns, is deeply troubling and concerning. Furthermore, we have discovered instances where doctors or medical staff claim to have communicated with my mother’s son on various occasions during their daily reports, despite no such contact occurring. The inclusion of false and unethical statements in official reports reflects poorly on the hospital’s integrity.

We respectfully urge you to conduct a thorough audit of the medical staff, doctors, and administration involved in my mother’s care and decision-making within the hospital ICU. It is evident that the lack of accountability, action, and resolution has persisted for an extended period. We implore you to do what is right and expedite the resolution of these issues and concerns, as we are nearing the end of our patience in seeking a timely resolution. Your assistance in rectifying these matters promptly would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your attention in this matter.”

So obviously, to write an email like that to hospital executive, we have guided the client and have written most of it ourselves by looking at the medical records consistently. This is part of our membership. This is part of the service we provide, because it helps the client to have a second opinion and have another medical professional look over the notes and interpret the situation. 

Just the whole note about the client’s mother being tied to a bed is just absolutely incredible and it’s just unbelievable, for a whole week and of course, she would end up with pressure sores. Unfortunately, that’s a reality in some hospitals, and that’s why we provide the service that we provide.

I have worked in critical care nursing for 25 years in three different countries where I worked as a nurse manager for over 5 years where I’ve been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care since 2013 here at intensivecarehotline.com. We’ve been advocating and consulting for families in intensive care all over the world. I can very confidently say that we have saved many lives with our consulting and advocacy. You can verify that on our testimonial section at intensivecarehotline.com and you can verify it on our podcast section at intensivecarehotline.com where we’ve done some client interviews. 

We have helped hundreds of members and clients over the years as part of our intensivecarehotline.com consulting and advocacy for families of critically ill patients in intensive care, that’s why we created a membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care. You can become a member if you go to intensivecarehotline.com if you click on the membership link or if you go to intensivecaresupport.org directly. In the membership, you have access to me and my team, 24 hours a day, in the membership area and via email, and we answer all questions intensive care related in real time. In the membership, you also have exclusive access to 21 eBooks and 21 videos that I’ve personally written and recorded. All of the information and the access to me and my team will help you to make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, influence so that you can influence decision-making fast, making sure your loved one gets best care and treatment always.

I also do one-on-one consulting and advocacy over the phone, Zoom, WhatsApp, Skype, whichever medium works best for you. I talk to you and your families directly. I talk to doctors and nurses directly. I handhold you through this once in a lifetime situation that you can’t afford to get wrong. I also talk to doctors and nurses directly. When I talk to doctors and nurses directly, I ask all the questions that you haven’t even considered asking but must be asked when you have a loved one in intensive care.

I also represent you in family meetings with intensive care teams.

We also do medical record reviews in real time so that you can get a second opinion in real time. We also do medical record reviews after intensive care if you have unanswered questions, if you need closure, or if you are suspecting medical negligence. 

All of that you get at intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected] with your questions.

If you like my videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care. Click the like button, click the notification bell, comment below what you want to see next, what questions and insights you have, and share the video with your friends and families.

I also do a weekly YouTube live where I answer your questions live on the show, and you will get notification for the YouTube live if you are a subscriber to my YouTube channel or if you are a subscriber to my intensivecarehotline.com email newsletter at intensivecarehotline.com.

Thank you so much for watching.

This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I will talk to you in a few days.

Take care for now.

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