The Center for Bio-Individualized Medicine

January 28, 2016Dear [redacted]:I am in receipt of the complaint rendered by the above captioned individual dated January 27, 2016. I happy to respond to this individual's concerns.On February 25, 2015 spoke with the complainant for approximately 15 minutes as part of a "get acquainted" telephone...

conference. The purpose of which was to determine if there was a possibility that could be of service in her healthcare issues. At the time, to the best of my memory, informed her that it was my opinion that may be of service in her condition. At that time, offered her a full consultation to better and more completely assess her healthcare needs (see attached form utilized to inform potential clients of the process of said consultation). I have no memory of offering her any type of discount.Below you will find excerpts from the attached document given to all prospective clients as well as screen prints from my recording device taken at the time of her consultation. A record of the documentation presented to me and the timing of the initial consultation report forwarded to the claimant is also included:• Your Initial Consultation is intensive and in-depth.  These average approximately 2 hours.  At the end of this consultation, your consultant will send you an initial Treatment Plan along with his recommendations for additional testing, if any.  Please allow 2-3 days (excluding weekends and holidays) for an email with this information. • Disclaimer• Any information or advice given by any persons at The Center for Bio-Individualized Medicine is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose any illness or disease. We provide educational consultations regarding Herbs, Supplements and Alternative Medicine, and other recommendations which are traditionally considered safe. Clients assume all responsibility for decisions they make regarding their personal health and wellness. We welcome this opportunity to assist you on your path to Health & Wellness!If you would be so kind to note that the client paid for a consultation that was approximately two hours (it is made clear that two clinical hours actually equals one hour and 40 minutes). The telephone record made contemporaneously, and with the client's knowledge and permission, shows a consultation of 1 hour 53 minutes and 54 seconds. This is saved as an MP3 file and forwarded to the client as a courtesy.Our consultation includes, but does not charge for, preparation time wherein, as the practitioner, review all information presented by the client. Generally, this takes no more than 30 minutes but as you can see [redacted] presented me with documentation equaling 161 MB which took me almost 2 hours to review. She was not charged for this time.In the attached document a client is promised an initial report within 48 hours of the consultation (excluding weekends and holidays). If you will note the consultation took place on 9/26/15 and the initial report was rendered on 9/28/15 and forwarded to the client.[redacted] makes several accusations that appear to be based on misinformation, misunderstanding or pure fabrication.Our fee structure is time-based and the client is informed of same before any Services are rendered. My fees are not outcome-based (nor would that be ever possible in a healthcare arena).My recommendations in the treatment panel forwarded to the client on 9/28/15 are based on a review of the submitted documentation, an extensive verbal history, a review of any available testing and with extensive written and verbal explanation to the client as to the rationale for the proposed treatment. Clearly, she was unhappy with her treatment plan and was apparently dissatisfied with what she perceived to be a lack of adequate response from my staff and myself about her concerns.I do have memory of numerous emails that were answered but became progressively aggressive on her part to the point that [redacted]'s email was blocked from my personal and staff's email and instructed my staff to cease taking her phone calls.I cannot share the exact content of the Protected Health Information due to HIPPA regulations but it is clear that [redacted] paid for a two-hour consultation and was afforded in excess of four hours of my time which does not include the time spent responding to emails and phone Calls.It is my opinion that [redacted] received well in excess of what she paid for and a refund is unwarranted in this case given the clear evidence that our office complied with what was promised to her in writing.I hope the above explains my point of view. I remain at your disposal to answer any further questions.Jess A.  DC, RN

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The accusations of "progressively more aggressive" emails is false. It is in the recording provided that Dr. A[redacted] acknowledged that we needed to speak again to finish up, and he suggests a day to do so. It never happened. Any message that I sent the business, starting that week, are regarding when to follow up or how to proceed when most of the treatment plan is useless to me. If he truly spent 2 hours reviewing my case, why did his recommendations include no less than 4 products that I stated I cannot take? The core of his plan was flawed from the beginning, and totally disregarded the extensive history I sent him. Had Dr. A[redacted] stated that he would not be able to treat me, I would have quit calling. Instead, he told me every time he would either get back to me or refer me to a colleague. To state that I had to be blocked for harassment is unbelievable. Any real doctor is required to notify a patient that they are no longer able to provide care, and explain why. I was being told this would work out. I can provide a link to several other reviews with identical complaints to mine. Dr. A[redacted] has a history of providing substandard care, and conveniently not remembering things that he's said. That should not mean that he's not accountable. 
Regards,
[redacted]