PHARMACIST STEVE

http://mycbs4.com/news/local/video-shows-doctor-yelling-at-florida-patient-over-long-wait-times

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WGFL) — A Gainesville doctor seen yelling at a patient on a now-viral video responded with his own accusations Wednesday, saying the woman threatened his staff and refused to leave prior to the moment that was published on Facebook.

Jessica Stipe posted the one-minute video on her Facebook page after she said the doctor yelled at her when she complained she had been waiting at the Gainesville After Hours clinic for an hour and 15 minutes. Stipe told CBS 4 Gainesville she called Gainesville Police after the doctor grabbed her daughter’s phone and “shoved her” when she tried to get it back.

Dr. Peter Gallogly released a statement, the police report and statements from staff on Wednesday. The police report says the officer who responded to the clinic watched the video and had no reason to believe Gallogly struck or pushed Stipe’s daughter.

Gallogly says in his one-page statement: “Ms. Stipe had been increasingly belligerent and abusive to the office staff, cursing and threatening them with violence, because she was unwell and had been waiting to see me for more than an hour.” He wrote that she received her refund but refused to leave. “I went to the front desk only because after Ms. Stipe received her refund, she refused to leave the office, and continued her abusive behavior towards staff. Despite repeated requests from the office staff, she repeatedly demanded to see me instead of leaving.”

Gallogly said the video is heavily edited and taken out of context. “When I walked into the waiting room, Ms. Stipe (and her daughter) cursed and threatened me as they had done with the office staff previously.”

Stipe on Wednesday called Gallogly’s statements “absolutely not true.”

“What you saw is what it was,” Stipe said. “This is just ridiculous.”

She questioned why Gallogly took the phone and attempted to delete the video if he had done nothing wrong.

Gallogly acknowledged his actions shown on the video were inappropriate.

“At the very end of the events, I most regrettably lost my temper, and spoke to the two women in a most unprofessional manner. I make no excuses for my unacceptable behavior,” Gallogly wrote.

He wrote that he was “merely reacting to unreasonable provocations and threats of physical violence” and “Again, while not an excuse for my behavior, a basic reason for my reaction is that I simply regard my staff as family, and I over-reacted to defend them.”

In her initial post, Stipe wrote she was “severely sick” and had made a 6:30 appointment at the clinic. By 7:45, she said doctors had only taken a urine test and she was throwing up in a trash can. That’s when, she said, she asked for her co-pay back so she could go home and be seen somewhere else the next day.

The video starts with Stipe telling Gallogly that it would be helpful for staff to tell patients if they’re not going to be seen in a timely manner.

“Are you kidding me?” Gallogly said on video. “Do you know how many people … I’ve got seven rooms back there. It’s 7:45 and we’ve already been working on you. We’ve done a urine test on you, I’ve seen you.”

She tells the doctor that they’ve only done the urine test. He asked if she thought that only took three seconds. She says she doesn’t know how long that takes. He asks if she wants to be seen or not. She says she wants to go home and get in bed.

“Then fine,” Gallogly tells her on video. “Get the hell out. Get your money and get the hell out.”

The doctor says she’d be waiting three hours if she went to another clinic, nine hours if she went to the ER.

The daughter recording the exchange can be heard saying “OK, you can get out of her face.”

The doctor tells Stipe, “Get the f*** out of my office. Now.”

Both Stipe and her daughter tell him she’s recording. The doctor holds the door open for them to leave. When the daughter asks his name, he says, “You’re recording this?” and appears to grab the phone and walk down the hallway with it.

Stipe told CBS 4 she believes he attempted to delete the video and then threw the phone back at her.

Stipe said she has contacted an attorney to demand accountability for his behavior.

“My ultimate goal here is that he needs to be looked at, he needs to be investigated and I don’t want anybody else in my community or any other community to receive that type of care or behavior towards them. It’s just not OK.

Filed under: General Problems