Update: I recently received a phone call from the office of one of my senators, Hillary Clinton. They were responding to my request for assistance regarding the review of Claudia Holland, MD, that is supposedly being done by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct. As I've said to the OPMC in phone conversations and in letters, the longer this drags out the more unlikely the witnesses in the O.R. will recall this incident.
At least I have witness accounts in writing. I recommend that all moms go into the hospital in a defensive frame of mind and take down the names of your caregivers. It's easy to forget everything during labor if you don't prepare yourself mentally in advance. The names are helpful when you want to write complimentary things or thank you cards, too.
At least I have witness accounts in writing. I recommend that all moms go into the hospital in a defensive frame of mind and take down the names of your caregivers. It's easy to forget everything during labor if you don't prepare yourself mentally in advance. The names are helpful when you want to write complimentary things or thank you cards, too.
posted by 4Moms2B at 6:05 PM
13 Comments:
I commented on your original post. I also had trouble with Dr. Holland, although not nearly as terrible as yours. She was the on-call Dr, that delivered my baby (my actual OB was Dr. Barbara Deli). I didn't get the antibiotics for Group B Strep I needed and she kept yelling at me while I was pushing that I wasn't "doing it right" - as if that was supposed to help me do it "right". She had an all around unpleasant manner and kept us in the dark as to why she called a pediatrician in the room for the delivery. We in fact didn't find out what had gone wrong until we got our bill from the hospital and a charge for "Newborn Resuscitation". If you haven't already please bring your case to a good malpractice lawyer! At the very least he/she may be able to help you push your complaint further.
Statia-
Dr. Holland delivered my baby (she was not my dr.) and she too told me that I was not "doing things right" She asked me if I wanted a retarded child while I was still pushing! If you gave birth at St. Luke's Roosevelt, like I did I please call Dr. Carl Braun at the Chief Medical Office and tell him about your experience. His number is 212.523.7234
Statia, I hope your baby is fine. I am trying to go through non-legal channels first. But Guari, I will definitely call Dr. Carl Braun. Thank you to both of you for the advice!
One month before giving birth, I googled Dr. Holland for her phone number and I found your blog. It sounded completely incongruous with my experience with her. So much so, I did not feel the need to bring it up with Dr. Holland. I had a surprisingly simple and relatively painless birth. (It was my first child and I DID have an epidural). During my follow up visit, I decided to discuss your blog with Dr. Holland. She gave me her version of the story, one which I found plausible. She did not suggest I write in her defense.
I don't feel the need to pen a passionate response in defense of Dr. Holland as I believe her work and reputation tell a story of their own. I write to urge any readers to continue on with a discerning mind. I think free speech is a marvelous thing, but if your version is not entirely factual, your readers should consider the impact your words have on her career and as well as her as a person.
I don't discount how you feel about your experience. You were obviously outraged enough to write this blog. I do wonder why you have yet to consult a lawyer. I am hardly sue-happy but I would imagine it would be my first response if I suffered what you have described here. It has been 2 years and you have not gotten much in the way of results other than defaming Dr. Holland. Are you looking for action against her or are you looking to inform the public that C-Sections have become too common? I am an advocate of patient's rights, but I am unclear as to what you are trying to achieve with this blog. It could eventually become an informative and relative site, especially since it is so well written, but to achieve that, I believe you need to focus on making a difference rather than bringing down another individual.
Paul at Push, I don't know if your read my original post, but Dr. Holland is not above lying outright. She brazenly lied about seeing me in recovery after the c/s and left me a voicemail message suggesting I forgot it, even though I have witnesses that she DIDN'T (the nurse, my husband, the doula) who wrote down their testimony (which I sent to the OPMC). If what she said was so plausible, I'd love to hear it. But it couldn't be that hard for her to make up any story. At this point, perhaps she even believes her it. (Whereas my account was written within weeks of the incident and is accompanied by witness testimony, which I have sent to the OPMC.)
Maybe you noticed that I'm not the only one who had a terrible experience with her. You were lucky to have had a "surprisingly simple and relatively painless birth." You should be grateful.
I'm outraged at how much physicians like Dr. Holland can get away with when so much trust is placed in their hands, and how little they and hospitals respect patient rights. How little they really care, and how much they dare to say or do. They obviously know they can get away with it, or they wouldn't dare. There's no accountability. They respect your rights only insofar as it protects them from litigation.
I am outraged that doctors like Dr. Holland and hospitals can get away with trampling on patient rights by the mere suggestion that the patient is crazy. The suggestion that if the patient is complaining it must be post-partum psychosis is one of the most outrageous examples of sexism I can think of. In fact, I have never had post-partum or any kind of depression. It's like blaming the rape victim by saying that she was wearing a slutty outfit.
Dr. Holland scared the life out of me when she burst into the O.R. shouting at me a few minutes before cutting me open. I don't know what she could possibly say to justify that (apart from what she already tried to suggest, that I was mental.)
She didn't ask you to write in her defense so perhaps deep down inside she knows what she did. Perhaps her remorse is why she treated you so well. I can't explain why she would treat me that way and you so well. She came highly recommended to me by an acquaintance whose father is a doctor and is friends with her. They obviously had a connection.
But just because a patient isn't buddy-buddy with her doesn't mean she doesn't have to be professional and treat that patient with respect.
In the O.R., she shouted at me to give her a verbal promise I wouldn't sue her for assault for operating on me (who would even come up with such a wacko idea like that? I never even imagined a doctor could behave that way in the O.R.) Considering I haven't sued, and am clearly not litigious, do you still think she had ANY grounds to scream at me?
In closing, let this story be a warning to all mothers entrusting their care into someone else's hands. Don't be complacent like I was, trust your instincts and take precautions.
4moms2be-can you please email me? I need to ask you something very important. My email is guarionexmom@gmail.com
My baby did turn out fine, thank you. I'm now in my second pregnancy and a patient of Dr. Rutenberg's. I've been told that Dr. Holland is not in the rotation with Dr. R's current practice and I hope that's true because I would refuse to have her deliver this baby if she came into the room.
And 4moms2b, please don't let hurtful comments get to you. There are obviously enough of us out there with similar complaints to back up your story.
When I had spoken to my old OB about what happened during delivery I was told that Dr. Holland's actual patients love her but many of the other women who delivered with her do not. Maybe she's nicer to her own patients.
Statia, Another reader is filing an official complaint with the hospital elders at St. Luke's-Roosevelt. If you care to put in a word of support for her, you may reach her at guarionexmom@gmail.com.
I actually was Dr. Holland's patient. She wasn't filling in for another doc. But she hadn't known me for long. I joined her when I was in my second trimester. My office appointments were literally 3 minutes long (not counting the 1 1/2-hour wait time). She'd come in, look at my chart, and say, "Questions? Concerns?" I'd say, "No." And she'd say, "Follow me," and take me to her office manager to check out. (She did examine me on certain visits.) So admittedly, we didn't get to know each other.
Congratulations on your pregnancy! Best wishes to you.
Looks like you might be having 'trouble' with your comments again. My last comment seems to have disappeared. It would be shame if your site was being edited.
Why not just repost your comments? Don't forget to include Dr. Holland's account of the incident.
What you went through was horrible. And shame on the hospital for letting a doctor with that level of anger problem/mental health issue work there.
Here is link to a woman who successfully sued for a coerced c-section in CT. Might be an interesting read for you!
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=668204&highlight=fought+back
By the way, if Dr Holland is discussing "her side of the story" with her patients, this is a huge HIPPA violation.
If anyone is wondering why lawyers are being mentioned, it is because the medical community does not seem to listen to anything else.
Someone has commented here that Dr. Holland is not the monster that I have described. I think the patient reviews--both good and bad--on this website show how she can be Jekyll and Hyde with her patients. Many have had a bad experience akin to what I've described:
http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/37141/Dr-Claudia-Holland-NEW+YORK-NY.html
I just came across this Blog after trying to find out if Claudia Holland was, in fact, still practicing. I had heard a rumor that she was dismissed from Columbia Presbyterian
after having slapped a patient. Don't know if that is true.
Claudia Holland delivered my first child, 20 years ago. Although I cannot prove it, I feel certain that the nightmare birth, which ended with an emergency C-S, resulted in permanent damage to my son. I was left to labor for hours, treated like I was at fault for not doing ANYTHING right, and only saw Claudia Holland when my son was finally in fetal distress. She came sweeping in like a madwoman, insisting on an immediate C-S.
I had two other children after my son was born, working with the docs to avoid another C-S. I delivered both of my daughters by VBAC successfully.
I continue to be horrified by what happened with Claudia Holland. I was deceived by her credentials as a doctor at one of the top hospitals, and thought I could rely on her to do what was right. Instead, my son has suffered from ADHD and other unexplained issues consistent with brain injury. Hard to prove and most probably an impossible lawsuit, but, as his mom, I KNOW in my heart that his birth caused the damage!
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