May 4, 2010

It is with great regret that the Good Life Centre for Women is now permanently closed.  This marks a sad and final chapter for my practice of medicine in this community.  For my patients, especially those who have stuck by my side through these dreadful times, I am deeply saddened that I cannot be there for you.  So many wonderful women have loyally hung in there while tremendous efforts were put forth for this practice to coexist in an environment not too dissimilar to the “brood of vipers” referred to in Scripture.  For a city that, for the better part of my young life, was a thrill for me to be able to reside as a physician, I have come to the realization that this is not the place for someone who believes in either the rule of law or that grown men ought to behave in a mature and righteous manner – especially when it comes to the profession of medicine.  I take this opportunity to speak (write) some final truths. 

When deciding to return to the city where I not only went to medical school (and where I had such a wonderful experience) but was also the home of my beloved Orangemen and where I met my wife, I had high hopes for my family and future career.  It started off well enough but soon I would see that those who I had been warned about were indeed everything (horrible) they were advertised to be.  Believe it or not, upon looking for a house back in 1998, I viewed one home and met a (now former) Perinatologist who was running as far as she could from this place.  When she learned that I was an Ob/Gyn and was planning on practicing at Crouse Hospital she gave me a stern warning about a few individuals in the department, one in particular who she described as “pure evil”  and the primary reason she was out of here.  Now I do not know what ability she had as a physician (which really didn’t matter) but she was nice enough and clearly had been so damaged by her experience that she felt compelled to issue this admonition.  Once in the practice that initially hired me, I again got such a warning from my dear friend Omar Rashid, M.D. with whom I practiced side by side.  Again, I thought, how bad could it really be?  Need I say more with the fact that I am writing this statement?

It wouldn’t be long before I learned of how medical politics (at least in this place) worked, for they didn’t teach us this stuff in medical school.  For many reading this, you already know of how my troubles started off when I innocently stood up in a department meeting, after having been here six months, and wanted to talk about some concerning care being rendered to the patients by the resident staff along with the cursory approach by some of the nurses.  Needless to say, it was the sentinel event that triggered the truly wicked individuals that run the department and of whom I had been warned, to turn their aggression upon me.  Many of you know the rest of the story in great detail.  I will not go into it again here.

The ensuing years have been nothing short of a nightmare for my career and that of my family – both immediate and extended (especially my dear mother who has been devastated and to whom I am so sorry).  It cannot be stated strong enough the damage that has been brought on by men who have unchecked power, direct connections to those who sit in even higher places in the State and a will for malevolence.  It is bad enough to think that such behavior exists amongst those who call themselves physicians.  What is even more shocking is that those who have the ability to rid this community of this riff raff have not only known about it for years but have enabled it to continue unfettered. 

As a result, this community has no idea how awful the quality of Obstetrical and Gynecologic care has been for many of them when primarily involving these very individuals as well as the residency program over which they have control.  And it starts at the top with the chairman, who is also the director of the residency – a duality of responsibility that most Universities divide between two different individuals.  For years now, my question has incredibly been, “How bad does it have to be in order for something to be done about it?” or “How many damaged women and dead babies does it take?”  The problem is that those who are in a position to not only know about these adverse outcomes and to actually act on them are the very ones who perpetrate much of it on the community.  So it doesn’t take a genius to read between those lines.  Be a “team player” or further, get on the quality assurance committee and you too can be immunized.  And don’t expect the chairman to know better and moreover, do anything about it.  For the only conceivable reason this man has remained in the position he has enjoyed is because he enables the others to run amok while they in turn enable his existence.  I have termed this scenario as the department’s own “mutual enablement society”.

Now, many reading this might think that I have an axe to grind with these individuals such that I need to take it out on them here.  Well, to be honest, I do have an axe to grind and it is for good reason.  When I stood up in that department meeting back in 1999, it was based on my limited but direct observation of sketchy care being rendered to patients.  If that was what was considered acceptable at the time by the rest of the practicing physicians in this community, that’s fine.  But when my patients started being treated in such a substandard way, that is where I drew the line and felt compelled to say something about it.  During the years defending what would eventually be done to me for daring to speak up, I saw even more examples of this deficient care.  And whenever I stepped in to overcome it for the sake of my patients, the result was often a disparaging letter in my official hospital file for being whatever the disruptive physician flavor of the day was.  For them, it was always politics and teaching me a “lesson” on who’s boss but never about the patient.  Never. 

The implications of my experience go way beyond what happened to me and the shoddy care alluded to above.  The individuals that control the Obstetrics in this town have power and reach far outside the boundaries of Onondaga County.  Upstate New York is perhaps one of the most unique regions in the country given the span of the outlying communities often dealing with high risk Obstetrical cases that their institutions cannot handle, who then have to refer them to Syracuse.  In fact, the very same individuals described above have, for years, controlled a region that extends all the way up to Canada, down to Pennsylvania, half way to Albany and halfway to Rochester.  This is an enormous catchment area (as it is called) with every single doctor and hospital in that territory enchained by these two monsters.  And if anyone dares challenge either of them then they had better sharpen their defenses against a would-be assault on their careers as well.  And indeed this has happened. 

I want to make it clear that my primary beef here is with the Chairman and the two who head this high risk Obstetrical division and not the other three who work under them.  I would like to think that they are above such evil works but find themselves stuck in a situation that they have learned to accept in order to sustain their own careers.  For they cannot be so ignorant to know that they would be next if they so much as said a single unfavorable word.  Yet, in many ways, they seem beholden and sadly appear to have tailored their practices to match the agenda and ways of these other two.

And what has been the result of the dynamic duo’s “leadership” for these millions of unsuspecting citizens who believe that their care and that of their babies is actually being handled by competent physicians, since they are affiliated with the “big city” University?  Well, what I have observed is unspeakable.  I make this statement based on fact.  For the past sixteen months, I have sat in on the weekly case presentations involving work by all physicians in the department.  It would be an understatement of epic proportions to say that what I have seen as far as preventable bad care and outcomes is acceptable.  Totally inappropriate care, injured patients and dead (or damaged) babies occur on a regular basis.  It is one thing to think these things happened on rare occasion as they are supposed to.  But this frequency combined with the utter lack of oversight and quality control along with the astounding indifference to it all and worse yet, the will to often cover it up, has been unbelievable.  “This is a case of….and the baby ended up dying.”  “Oh well, just another day at work.”  This is essentially how little bad outcomes seem to matter – something that would have been inconceivable where I trained in metro Detroit.  You can have it Syracuse.

To be fair, this is not to say that they are totally incapable of any good work.  I am talking about their results as a whole (and especially the immunity that comes with it).  For starters, in addition to the norm detailed above, Onondaga County has consistently had the highest rate of preterm birth in NY State for a number of years.  Now this will be countered by the fact that they receive so many cases from outlying hospitals that supposedly alter these numbers.  But I beg to differ.  I have seen first hand how preterm labor and threatened preterm delivery are handled by this division.  And it is not done with the best case scenario in mind.  In every circumstance, unless there is an imminent danger to the baby or mother in sustaining the pregnancy, all babies are best served if their mothers are treated in such a way to keep the baby in the womb.  Not here.  Premature babies are big business.  Enough said.

I alluded to the fact that this entire region is at the mercy of this department, primarily in regards to the Obstetrical care.  So much so that when I recently sent letters to regional practices and hospitals looking for work, I got a surprising response from one of them.  The card was very kind and considerate but made it very clear that I did not want to be anywhere near there because the community was described as “a snake pit held hostage” by those at Crouse.  You know, the ones I so wonderfully experienced myself.  Think about that for a second.  Further, I am currently working with one recruiting firm from the Midwest.  Upon learning of my situation, a senior member of the company made it very clear to me that the medical community in Syracuse is known far and wide as a “political hole”.  Hmm.  Way to go ‘Cuse. 

What is clear from my experience and seeing what has happened to others is that (in many ways) this town despises physicians who are at the top of their game.  It is my belief that this is so because exceptional care immediately identifies the mediocrity that has long been deceiving the community as “exceptional care”.  I defy anyone to refute this statement since not only have I personally witnessed it, I know for a fact that my own record and body of work (despite what others think they know given what has been fraudulently spread around this town to the contrary) would stand up against the utmost of scrutiny by anyone if done so in an open and honest manner.  And don’t think for a second that the Department of Health in Albany has any legitimacy with what they have proven themselves to be as well.  This first point can be further established with the running out of town of many excellent physicians in the past – such as Michael Roizen, M.D.; Neurosurgeon – Robert Martin, M.D.; Urologist – William Blank, M.D.; Pediatrician – Cathy McCarthy, M.D.; Jennifer Daniels, M.D. and many others including a young, up and coming Pediatric Surgeon (whose name escapes me) a few years back that would have benefited this community for years.  Politics and jealousy.  Very mature, gentlemen. 

Of those just listed, (and I hope she doesn’t mind my making this point) a prime example of the culture in this town (specifically Crouse Hospital) is what happened to Dr. McCarthy.  A wonderful and caring woman, who had endured her own personal medical trials, was run out of Crouse Hospital for simply asking if she could get a chair to sit on while she rounded daily on the (sometimes) dozens of newborns under her care.  Apparently this “rubbed” one or more nurses the wrong way who then made such a stink that this capable physician was treated so poorly that it eventually resulted in her termination.  Imagine that.  Again, you can have their care in your hands Syracuse.  Not me.

Despite the sickening experience I have had with the medical community in Syracuse, my time here has not been a complete failure.  On one hand, there are some very cool and truly good physicians and people who live here.  And the community has much to offer in regards to culture and educational opportunities.  But the most profound benefit of having come here has been the realization of the absolute Truth of Scripture, God and Jesus Christ over the past ten years, through the love and testimony of many wonderful people of faith – a level of faithfulness and understanding never achieved having been raised Roman Catholic.  It has enabled me to bear not only the actions of these unpleasant men but the havoc that has been experience within my own home.  If coming to Syracuse meant having to go through all of this to find ultimate Truth, then it was worth it.  This is where this statement culminates in a series of prayers that I have literally offered to God the Creator in regards to my experiences and observations here.  You can take it for what it’s worth.  They are as follows.

“Dear God, you are holy indeed and the Creator of all things seen.  I thank you for coming into my life and giving me the wisdom to know of and have a relationship with your Son, Jesus Christ.  I know that many do not believe in your existence or further, see faith in the Trinity as a sign of weakness or fantasy.  I know different and have personally experienced the power of the Holy Spirit and have seen the favor you have for all your children who believe in and are given to Christ Jesus.  I also know that the world system is one of inherent wickedness and evil, especially since the enemy has dominion over much of what goes on while you simultaneously enable it for a larger and better purpose.  As I move on from this town, I ask that you continue to bless my family and allow me to live a life in service to your Truth.  I wish to express the following prayers for the community I leave behind, for they know not what is being done to them.

• I pray for the women of this community, that those seeking Obstetrical and Gynecologic care understand that they need to be discerning about who provides these critical services, that they need to ask questions and that other options exist.
• I pray for the individuals described above who have behaved so badly, for they have no idea what they have done to their eternal existence beyond the material gains they hold so dear in this world.
• I pray for the Ob/Gyn resident staff who have been blindly allegiant to the leadership of this department to their educational detriment.  Loyalty to a whimpering chairman and to those who have not imparted the most fundamental knowledge does not a sound physician make.  They have no idea what it is supposed to be like for them.  So please help them overcome this damage to their preparation as attending physicians such that this pattern of bad outcomes might cease.
• I pray for the leadership of this University who have for years allowed 75+ year old men and others to run the Department of Ob/Gyn into the ground with: the performance detailed above, numerous past probations for the training program, repeated failures by the residents on a written Ob/Gyn board exam that is designed for passing, political and medical immorality, and decades of being labeled as the worst clinical rotation in all of medical school for the students who are required to pass through this department.
• I pray for the medical students who have not only had to endure the pathetic clinical rotation that is the department of Ob/Gyn but who have, for years, complained about it only to have their concerns fall on deaf ears.
• I pray for those who work in the ancillary positions (nursing, aids, supervisors) who can, unto themselves, make a difference in the quality of care delivered despite little to no efforts on part of the physician or University leadership.
• I pray for the future of this department as their “illustrious” chairman retires this year.  That the University finally gets serious and installs a legitimate Chairman and not simply hand it over to the decadent individual who has positioned himself for years to assume this role, which will surely result in more of the same for this community and University.
• I pray for my patients that they can find sound and empathetic care in a community where such basics, from my personal observations, have proven scarce.
• I pray for all my former patients who have been deceived into thinking that their ex-doctor was anything but competent and skilled in being able to care for them.
• I pray for any patient who has been negatively impacted by my first practice closing as well as this most recent occurrence.  I am so sorry for any lost trust or alteration in your healthcare as a result.
• I pray for those colleagues who have knowingly associated with those who have behaved so immorally and ungodly for your Word clearly states that one should not do so.  (Psalms 26:5, 34:16, 37:27, 119:101, 141:4; Proverbs 4:14, 23:6, 24:1, 24:20; John 3:19; Romans 12:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:15 – to name but only a few)
• I pray for those colleagues in this town who have had to either painfully deal with these individuals or who are directly under their leadership that someday soon you have a righteous, competent and honorable group leading you.
• I pray for my colleagues both in this community and the surrounding regions who consider these men to be virtuous and have blindly entrusted them to not only care for their patients but believe any and all iniquities that emanate from their mouths.
• I pray for the likes of the one individual (and all others) who have been held hostage by the evildoers who control the Obstetrical medicine across an incredibly large region.
• I pray for all the applicable mothers (and their babies) who have undeservedly been deceived and then forced to withstand the perils, uncertainty, stress, anxiety and pain of premature birth; especially those children who have experienced long term morbidity and moreover, when clear and convincing alternatives existed.
• I pray for any patient who blindly has put their faith in physicians who not only have demonstrated preventable poor outcomes but do so not knowing the ulterior motives of such doctors.
• I pray for other hospital staff who believe the Ob/Gyn leadership at Upstate to be clinically sound and who do not have the knowledge to know otherwise.
• I pray for all the physicians who knowingly (and willingly) participated in an adulterated peer review process based on counterfeit patient care violations and who applied a double standard of sanctions at Crouse Hospital in both 2002 and 2008 for the sole purpose of inflicting harm.
• I pray for those who reside in State level offices that you either come to your senses and stop the dishonesty in the name of Government or realize that you have been used as a cheap tool to disseminate evil by those who would behave in a most wicked manner.
• I pray for my fellow Obstetricians and Gynecologists who have also had their lives and careers indelibly altered in a bad way by the actions of these few individuals for daring to disagree with them on anything or for not kissing the proverbial ring.  They exist and my heart goes out to them for I know what they have experienced.
• I pray for all those in this town who think they have Dr. Caputo all figured out as a bastard who wants nothing more than to bring harm to this medical community and hospital.  That they know how many lies have been spread in order to destroy the messenger so that the message of truth is disregarded.  May your eyes be opened.
• I pray for all of those who think they know everything about my personal life by believing hook, line and sinker the deceptive words of one who seems no nice and pretty. 
• I pray for the one who seems no nice and pretty, for I once thought I knew who she was.
• I pray for those at Crouse Hospital (past and present) who were either directly involved or were complicit with the events of January 22, 2002 for not only do I know (and know that you know I know) but so does the Lord.  For it is this level of evil that I believe I was Providentially brought here to call out.
• And lastly, Jesus, I pray in general that all of your children have the heart to know you as Lord and Savior.  For it is the most beautiful experience and furthermore provides the assurance of everlasting life.  For those already there, right on.  For those who are not or think it a joke, may Christ have mercy on you when, at that time, you most assuredly realize it’s True.  

In Jesus’ most precious name.  Amen.

In Christ,

James R. Caputo, M.D.

Evidence for God the Creator

Evidence for Jesus Christ