Dr. Daniel Stewart Levy, MD

Dr. Levy might have saved my husband's life in the E.R. at Ventura Community Hospital--- treated him for anaphylaxis to prescribed sulfonamide drugs and aspirin. He is one of the few bright stars on the medical scene in that medical backwater of a town.

Your hospital doesn't come right out and say they are refusing you because of lack of insurance, but trust me, they do. I came in with what I was told was a back injury. My pain was a 10+, high blood pressure (due to pain) and my liver enzymes were elevated. Instead of acting like a doctor and investigating, you took the easy route and administered narcotic pain medication. I had told you that I had narcotic pain medicine at home, but that it hadn't been working, hence my visit the to ER. The next night, again the pain set in and I headed to the ER and was met by an angry Dr. Levy who assumed I was there for narcotic pain meds (of which I had plenty at home). Again, you took the easy route and shot me up with more narcotic pain meds, put my arm in a sling and told me not to come back until I had seen my doctor (who I was seeing on a regular basis). You then spoke to the nurse outside my door and made reference to me "drug seeking," which was VERY offensive to me, enough to make… me stay home while I had these regular bouts of severe pain. You have the audacity to state that I came in in the middle of the night on 3 occasions and yes I did, this is when the pain kicked in and one would think that you would have looked into it further, but you didn't! It wasn't until I came 3 years later, still suffering and still being misdiagnosed by my orthopedic surgeon and I refused narcotic pain medication that you did look into it. You discovered it had been my gallbladder (as it was the prior time I had come in, but you didn't look into it). You told me I needed to contact my doctor immediately as I needed my gallbladder out. You gave me a non-narcotic pain shot (at my request) and after I got home, the pain kicked in yet again. I went to VCMC and their ultrasound showed a very infected gallbladder filled with sludge as well as 2 very large gallstones. The pathology on my gallbladder was that of a hemorrhagic, porcelain gallbladder, which was so infected that I had a drainage tube for 10 weeks. I had just left your ER a few hours earlier so I highly doubt this infection happened that quick. I understand you wanting to defend yourself, perhaps it's time to take a step back and brush on up on your skills as a doctor, your bedside manners were atrocious to me at a time that I was in serious pain. You are not the only one at fault, my orthopedic surgeon also misdiagnosed me for several years, much for the same reasons as you, taking the easy way out and belittling someone to the point that they are uncomfortable seeking help when in extreme pain. Thank you for the info on the complaint process, I will pursue this.