Yuneng Oswald Li, MD

Dr. Li is a hospitalist at Suburban Hospital and was assigned to my elderly relative during the last week of her stay at the hospital. Her main problem was a severe and prolonged case of post-herpetic pain, with attendant distresses. My relativeâ??s main problem was outside the scope of Dr. Liâ??s license, where his specialty is listed as pediatrics. His license also indicates that he received his medical training in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, which suggests that Suburban Hospital may need to provide Dr. Li training and professional support in implementing Maryland laws governing medications that are controlled substances under state law, especially as they pertain to institutional and inter-institutional medical care and the continuity of care in the transfer between and among institutions of patients requiring controlled substances. Perhaps, too, Dr. Li would function more comfortably in a pediatric setting. The anesthesiology and pain specialists that cared for… my relative worked tirelessly to improve her condition and help keep her as pain-free and comfortable as possible. They were wonderful and are a credit to themselves and the hospital. By contrast, Dr. Li, after an indifferent performance as hospitalist, in a final gesture of disregard for my relative's welfare, processed her discharge from the hospital neglecting to fulfill his role in ensuring that the crucial pain medications my relative would need for her next scheduled dose soon after her transfer would be readily available. Those pain medications are considered narcotics under Maryland law, which includes strict provisions for circumstances when a patient is moved from one institution to another. The receiving institution and I had to work at a frantic pace to make it possible to provide my relative with the medications she needed to manage her pain on the first couple of hours outside of the hospital. Not receiving her prescribed medication on time might have resulted in a serious setback to her condition, which had been so carefully managed by the specialists at Suburban Hospital. If my relative is taken to Suburban Hospital again and if she has Dr. Li assigned to her as the hospitalist again, I will insist that she be assigned to a different doctor. Not only would I have no confidence in his care of my relative, but I fear that the stress of having him on the case might put my own health at risk.