Patient
Formal Statement on Medical Negligence, Retaliation, and Systemic Bias at UW Health I am submitting this statement to document serious clinical negligence, retaliation, and systemic bias I experienced at UW Health's Faint & Fall Clinic and Cardiology Department. Despite presenting with severe and persistent symptoms of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), my concerns were dismissed following a single tilt table test that was clinically inadequate and unrepresentative of my baseline condition. Evidence-based guidelines make clear that POTS cannot be reliably ruled out by a single test, particularly under non-representative conditions. Denying further evaluation in this context constitutes clinical negligence and a failure to provide safe, competent care. Shame on Dr. Goldberger and Dr. Hamdan for their lack of compassion and clinical judgment, and on Tania Weber, who should have recognized the complexity and variable presentation of POTS. My severe symptoms were dismissed as invalid, reflecting not isolated errors but systemic failings in patient care, particularly for women and patients of color. Three years later, when other UW Health providers recognized my condition and sought to facilitate reevaluation, the Faint & Fall Clinic continued its pattern of dismissal and retaliatory negligence, refusing the reevaluation. Labeling my requests for reevaluation as "rude" in order to justify denying care is unethical, clinically inappropriate, and retaliatory. Patients with complex conditions require careful, individualized evaluation. The refusal to provide appropriate care forced me to seek evidence-based treatment outside the UW system, which significantly improved my health -- care that UW Health failed to offer. As a direct consequence of advocating for my health, I was effectively barred from receiving care at UW Health Cardiology. This action was not clinically justified but appears retaliatory and discriminatory against a woman of color asserting her patient rights. Additionally, UW Health staff, including patient relations and the Faint & Fall Clinic, mocked me over the phone and hung up on me multiple times, demonstrating an unprofessional and dismissive culture. Under federal and state civil rights protections, the statute of limitations for a disabled minority woman pursuing claims of discrimination and denial of care remains fully viable. The combination of clinical negligence, systemic bias, retaliation, denial of medically necessary care, and unprofessional conduct constitutes a serious violation of both ethical and legal obligations owed to patients. This statement is submitted to formally document these violations and to preserve my right to pursue civil rights claims and accountability. UW Health's actions not only harmed me personally but also reflect broader public health risks arising from systemic discrimination and the dismissal of complex patient cases.