Complaint Review: Ruth Wind MD

The following is the NC Medical Board complaint in which I filed against Ruth Wind. It is a well-known fact that NCMB hands down reprimands only if a patients died due to gross negligence. The state of NC will take no action against this sorry doctor's egregious behavior.

On March 29, 2017, I began receiving medical services with Dr. Ruth Wind of Mid-Carolina OB-GYN. It was made clear at time of appointment that I would be a self-pay patient and experienced no problems paying for healthcare services, consultations, or associated costs. I was not and currently am not receiving any type of public assistance; I am a newly employed in the non-profit industry and simply choose not to enroll in the Obamacare program. Additionally, I was not and currently am not experiencing any type of financial problems.

I had two subsequent appointments, April 6 (ultrasound & biopsy) and April 20 (consult only), both times paying the bill in full at the front desk following the visits.  During each office visit, I interacted with only one employee at the front desk. This woman was responsible for putting together my total charges for each visit and after she had done so, I was given a quote and paid the charges in full before walking out the door. At no time did this employee state that additional fees would be billed at a later time. However, during the April 20 office visit with Dr. Wind, she stated that the office would bill me for that visit.

When I subsequently checked out at the front desk, I mentioned this conversation to the front desk employee and told her that I would simply pay what was owed while present. It did not make sense to wait for the bill in the mail which was something that had not occurred with previous visits. It was not my responsibility to ensure that charges were calculated correctly during each visit. I stood at the front desk and waited for the employee to calculate the costs for my care and used my debit card to pay for the services.

Approximately April 25, 2017, while visiting my online portal, I noticed a balance of $522 which I was unaware and which also puzzled me. Subsequently, I called the office and spoke with the same employee who took my payment on April 20, and she too was puzzled. The employee stated that she would research the matter and call me back, which never happened. Rather, I called the office and spoke with a different employee (Corrine) who identified herself as a financial services representative. This employee could not explain the origin of the charge; however, laboratory fees were never part of the conversation and my online portal did not reflect any lab fees. Incidentally, lab fees probably would not have amounted to over $500. Corrine also stated that my balance was $612, not $522, as of April 26, 2017.

The following day, I called the office again and spoke with Corrine who still did not have an answer for the extra charge and who also became very ill-tempered and antagonizing towards me. The employee stated that she would inform Dr. Wind that I refused to pay the balance. Less than one week later, I was locked out of my online portal and had no ability to view clinical notes entered by Dr. Wind, medications, etc. Since late April, I have had no contact with Dr. Wind. She has made no attempt to communicate with me concerning the billing issue or bothered to follow up concerning my serious medical conditions. Rather, Dr. Wind instructed front desk staff as well as financial representatives to avoid taking my telephone calls and to refrain from scheduling any further appointments.

On July 10, 2017, I received a letter (dated July 6, 2017) from Mid-Carolina Ob-Gyn practice administrator, Shane Gerovac. This letter was in response to my repeated attempts to contact him at the office and finally offered an explanation for the balance on my account. The letter also formally ended my relationship with the practice. According to Mr. Gerovac, the balance resulted from several laboratory tests which were ordered on March 29, 2017 however were not invoiced by LabCorp until July 6, 2017 and July 8, 2017. Incidentally, the lab bill as well as Mr. Gerovac’s letter were generated on the same day, which was nearly 90 days following my last office visit for an ultrasound and biopsy. Given the seriousness of my medical issues, a multitude of additional problems could have developed over the course of four months and Dr. Wind failed to communicate the results of these lab tests with me.  Apparently, I either currently have cervical cancer and was not informed by Dr. Wind and/or I am at very high risk for the development of cervical cancer. This is a very serious matter in which my physician of record should have discussed with me. At no time during any office visit was I informed that a test for HPV was ordered, however Dr. Wind had ample opportunity to advise me of this as well as her suspicions that I may have either HPV or cancer, or both. Learning this news through a bill from LabCorp (four months later) was extremely emotionally distressing to me.

Dr. Ruth Wind’s failure to effectively communicate crucial lab results was reckless, irresponsible and disrespectful.  At this point, I do not trust her unprofessional and uncaring assessment of my health and have scheduled a second opinion with another medical practice.  False and deceptive business practices over billing is one issue of lesser importance and an easy fix. However, failure to disclose to a patient matters which directly affect her present as well as future health is heinous. Additionally, I learned from Lisa, at the mammography center associated with Women’s Health Alliance, P.A., that Dr. Wind arbitrarily ordered additional mammography testing (June 26, 2017) without first discussing the need to do so with me, the patient. I never scheduled this appointment.  If there was an issue with my breasts, Dr. Wind should have discussed it with me during my last visit on April 20. However, she simply stated that my breasts were fine and that I had nothing to worry about. If my breasts were fine, why order another mammogram and why not discuss it with me first? Dr. Wind also could have called or written me a letter explaining why additional screening was necessary. I have every reason to believe that Dr. Wind ordered additional services in an attempt to underhandedly recoup the $522 balance on my account by billing for extra services. Dr. Wind’s actions had nothing to do with compassion. 

It has been 120 days since last being seen by Dr. Wind, and if cervical cancer has been growing inside my body for this length of time without any form of medical treatment, Dr. Wind is completely responsible. If Mid-Carolina Ob-Gyn is experiencing billing problems with LabCorp, it should not become a problem for the patient. However, this is a problem for me today. Dr. Wind allowed a laboratory to diagnose me with HPV and possibly cancer, rather than herself. This is unacceptable. Dr. Wind’s behavior is highly unprofessional, unbecoming as well as undermines the integrity of the medical profession. Her lack of compassion for me as a patient and human being has created an atmosphere of distrust and compromises not only my safety, however that of other patients.

The lack of accountability, values and ethical adherence to core principles of the medical profession have been grossly eroded by Dr. Wind’s behavior toward me. This bad behavior manifested over a billing dispute – one which either occurred intentionally or purely by human error. Nonetheless, the overall outcomes of the matter reflect the attitude of the administrators of the practice as well as that of Dr. Wind’s.