Dr. Scott Alan Flanders, MD

I was admitted to the hospital with a rare illness (hypersensitivity pneumonitis). I was very, very ill. Despite how uncommon this illness was (I am a physician myself and had no idea about what it could be, particularly because I had no known exposure to things that are known to cause it), Dr. Flanders quickly figured out what it was and started appropriate treatment. I also had made it more difficult to diagnose (without meaning to) because as I physician I did not want to admit that I had been sick for weeks before I had a hypoxic seizure and had to be admitted. I always want to believe that I can handle everything on my own, which is very foolish. They always say that a physician who has his or herself for a patient has a fool for a physician and a fool for a patient. That certainly was true of me. He came each of the 8 days I was hospitalized to see how I was doing, and he helped his team (residents, medical students, nursing staff) take excellent care of me. He also… consulted with the pneumonologist and the neurologist (I had had a hypoxic seizure prior to admission) and coordinated my care and made sure that after discharge things were in place for outpatient follow up and care. He saved my life.

One of my good friends was treated by Dr. Flanders - she has pancreas issues. After a three day stay he basically told her there was no reason for her to be there. Luckily there was a nurse who advocated for her. The comprimise was that prior to getting 'kicked out of the hospital' as there was no reason for her being there she would be evaluated by GI team. Again, she and her nurse had to advocate for this. GI did some tests prior to seeing her and found blockage in the bile duct and they said absolutely she is not going anywhere. What would have happened had she been released. He never came back to apologize. So many pancreas patients get this treatment and it is so crushing. This should be taken seriously and addressed and an apology should be made. Thank God for that nurse.