u/North_Bug_7857

From a friend: "My PCP has repeatedly labeled me as morbidly obese and billed for obesity counseling despite inaccurate height and weight information in my chart and despite my showing her an urgent-care record documenting me at 5'7" and 135 pounds. When I asked for the record to be corrected, I was told I was “in denial” about my weight.

During an appointment that was supposed to be for a shoulder injury, she lectured me about how obesity was supposedly affecting my life, told me she would not hire me because of my weight, said she would not want to be seen with me if we were friends or family, suggested my weight was likely why certain family members were not in my life, and told me I should be grateful my husband had not divorced me.

When I tried to defend myself by saying I wear a women’s size small, she responded that she wears an XXS, said her physique is what a woman should actually look like, and told me that wearing a small does not mean I am not fat.

The inaccurate obesity diagnosis has also followed me into other medical care, where an orthopedic provider suggested my shoulder injury from falling off a ladder might not have happened if I had “actually tried losing weight” and stopped eating so much fast food, even though I do not eat fast food. These experiences have created a serious barrier to care and have made me reluctant to seek medical treatment at all."

This is the complaint my friend is planning to send to the medical board. Just fyi this type of billing happens all the time. I work in medical insurance and half the calls are people upset about being billed for obesity counciling when they are not obese or never even talked about it. It's really easy to manipulate height and weight in the chart so you can bill for obesity. It's easy .oney for a lot of offices.

My adult daughter recently was put on an anxiety medication by the PA at the major corporate medical establishment we have here, that she sees. She avoids taking medication, but my daughter was struggling with PTSD and an eating disorder.

We were concerned about possible side effects. My daughter mentioned being worried about self harming thoughts getting worse. Her PCP basically laughed and acted like she was being dramatic. This PCP then launched into an hour long tirade about God.

After leaving I read the clinical notes and found several things written that were never discussed. For example she wrote that my daughter was obsessed with AI. Nothing about that or anything like it was ever discussed. The only thing I could think of was us mentioning that we googled therapy options.

When looking for therapy we only found two people in the area that took my daughter's insurance. Both required a referral from a PCP.

Her PCP refused and told us that she did not believe in therapy. This was a reminder to me that 4 years ago when my daughter began dieting and exercising to reduce her excema and loose weight this same PCP told her that would never work.

She ended up loosing 200 pounds and maintaining for 4 years. Of course she struggled hard with an eating disorder. It was also hard having her PCP continue to mock her weight whenever she needed an appt for anything.

This deeply bothered her and became an obsession. Now she looks back at photos from a year ago and wishes she could go back to the weight she was. Unfortunately this medication for her anxiety caused a rapid weight gain.

It also worsened her self harming thoughts. We called her PCP and no one would get back to us for days. When someone finally did they said it was her choice to take the medication or not. They offered no alternatives and still no referral for therapy.

My daughter is now going through a rough withdrawal and starving herself. She also confided that this PCP advised her to be with men because she assumed my daughter was a lesbian since she was 28 and not in a relationship.

Due to her PTSD from a past assault she did not want to be in a relationship. The PCP basically made her feel like she wasn't worthy of medical care unless she could adapt to a healthy straight lifestyle. My daughter ended up forcing herself into a now abusive marriage.

When she told her PCP she was being hit by this man she was told that's just how a marriage is.

I have no idea where to start or what to do, but I'm afraid I will loose my daughter.