An Appeal to Congresswoman Castor and the Media – Abandoned 90-Year Old with Possible Cancer

This broadcast is transmitted to Tampa Bay 10 NEWS INVESTIGATORS, Rep. Kathy Castor of the 11th District of FL, and NPR.

A grave injustice is occurring, and the doctor may get away scot-free. With your help, that will not happen.

The resounding message must be conveyed to those in charge of providing health care services, in this case, Humana health insurance, “This is wrong. Please fix this.”

For years, Aunt Monica has been on a low-dose of Levothyroxin for hypothyroidism. The illness ramped-up in April 2011. By last November, she was in serious decline. In March of this year, she was in trouble. Humana’s Dr. Kathariguppa Venkataram - Dr. Ram, for short – refuses further treatment for this illness out of concern for potentially upsetting Aunt Monica’s heart condition.

Even with the prescribed thyroid medication, Aunt Monica’s history of blood tests is proof-positive of a steady decline in her level of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Tests in March prove her thyroid is covered with potentially cancerous nodules. A CT brain scan proves a state of age appropriate brain condition with no dementia.

A thyroid specialist, an Endocrinologist, is required to examine and manage those nodules, and treat the hypothyroidism.

Dr. Ram resisted issuing the needed referral for a specialist. He stated his reason for the denial as not wanting another doctor potentially upsetting the work he had done on Aunt Monica’s heart.

To date, Dr. Ram insists Aunt Monica’s symptoms are a normal part of the aging process, they are not thyroid related, and are, in fact, signs of the onset of dementia.

Dr. Ram immediately issued a referral for dementia while taking two weeks to generate a referral for an Endocrinologist, and finally generated the referral for the Endocrinologist under pressure exerted by Monica’s family.

Through his inaction in treating the thyroid issues, and by refusing to refer his patient to a specialist for the examination and treatment of those thyroid issues, Dr. Ram, in essence, is leaving the care of his patient, and potentially her life, in a state of danger.

Now, the doctor is further delaying my aunt’s thyroid treatment by refusing to issue a referral for a specialist of our choice that is within the approved Network of Providers, and his employer is backing him up.

We no longer trust Dr. Ram’s judgment. That, plus the fact that it is a patient’s right to have access to a physician of their choice, a physician who is within the approved parameters of the medical corporation, motivate us to pursue a referral of our choice as well as a new Humana Primary Care Physician.

Immediately, we urge Humana executives to take the following actions:

• Mandate that their Dr. Kathariguppa Venkataram, Dr. Ram, issue that desperately needed referral for an Endocrinologist of our choice from within the Humana approved Network of Providers to examine and treat the potentially cancerous nodule-inundated thyroid.

• Provide assistance in quickly acquiring and transitioning to the care of a different Humana Internal Medicine Primary Care Physician.

As a means of protecting others from having a similar experience, we urge Humana to:

• Have an outside, non-private-sector entity perform a thorough investigation into Dr. Ram’s handling of Aunt Monica’s case, and determine if he has treated other patients so horribly.

• Formally reprimand Dr. Ram, and if warranted, fire him.

• Revise its’ policies for reviewing atypical patient scenarios, and provide patients the benefit of the doubt – not Humana doctors.