The Medigate Case

Recent Developments

A Case for

   Evelyn S. Berwick M.D. 

Suma Cum Laude, University of Pittsburgh

Prologue:

  On July 5, 2006 Evelyn S. Berwick M.D. emailed the following letter to nursing homes where she practiced and HMOs where she was a participating practitioner.

To whom it may concern,

  As of July 4, 2006, I, Evelyn S. Berwick, M.D. have been forced by circumstances beyond my control to close my medical practices located at 1605 Lowrie Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 and 4037 Perrysville Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15214.

  After 25 years of impeccable service to my patients and a flawless reputation, I feel that I was wrongfully terminated from my hospitals (Allegheny General and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) and numerous Health Maintenance Organizations. All evidence and details of this catastrophic sequence of events are clearly presented on the internet website themedigatecase.com.

  For the past four years I have attempted to continue serving my patients, as always, but the enormous financial burdens caused by all the undeserved negative ramifications documented in themedigatecase.com have made the concept of rebuilding my practice impossible. These situations have also had a devastating effect on my personal health to the point where I am now simply unable to continue the practice I have loved for over twenty-five years.

  To all my patients, I wish you all well, and good health in the future. It has been a great honor to serve you for these many years.

 Sincerely Yours,

 _________Original Signed___________________

       (Evelyn S. Berwick, M.D.)

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   "The Medigate Case" is a tragedy of wrongful acts, lies, cover up, collusion and corruption on a state wide level. Evelyn S. Berwick M.D. has been forced to close her private medical practice after 30 years of impeccable service to the greater Pittsburgh area. The ultimate closing of her medical practice directly resulted from a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Attending Physician's incorrect diagnosis and wrongful referral of Dr. Berwick to the "Physicians Health Program" In August 2002(hereafter the P.H.P. ). The wrongful action occured when Dr. Berwick was a seriously ill patient at U.P.M.C. Presbyterian. Officials at thee University of

   Pittsburgh Medical Center and Physicians Health Program then chose to protect the Attending Physician, (a prominent U.P.M.C. member) rather than sanction him for his actions and respond ethically to help Dr. Evelyn S. Berwick save her extraordinary reputation and 25 year highly successful medical practice from the onslaught of institutional and HMO terminations which followed the attending physician's wrongful referral. Most officials responsible in this case are medical doctors who violated the medical code of ethics and Hippocratic Oath they swore to uphold.

   During the 4 years of tragic events which followed her wrongful referral to the P.H.P. Evelyn S. Berwick M.D. served her 45 to 90 patients a day with dedication. However, without her staff and admission privileges at area hospitals, the accumulated stress and financial burden placed on this saintly female healer has ultimately forced her to close her medical practice - a practice which, prior to August 2002 was highly successful and profitable. The following table identifies the wrongful events that now leave Dr. Berwick in poor health, on medical disability and unable to support her family.

Table of Wrongful and Tragic Events

   During this time the overwhelming helplessness and stress Dr. Berwick endured as she experienced a 4 year destruction of her highly successful medical practice. She relentlessly struggled to clear her name of the "impaired physician" stigma that seemed to follow her and which was erroneous attached to her impeccable reputation by the wrongful actions of her U.P.M.C. Attending Physician. The destructive and tragic effects of the Attending Physicians wrongful actions were escalated because U.P.M.C. and Physicians Health Program officials refused to help Dr. Berwick.

   Dr. Berwick's case has not been heard in a court of law because all attempts to obtaining legal council in the State of Pennsylvania have failed. Dr. Berwick and her family now seek help from local and national investigative news teams and continue to ask for legal assistance to process this case. The catalog of events and consequences involved in "The Medicate Case" became complex. However, the root cause of Dr. Berwick's career ending tragedy is clear - the wrongful actions of her attending physician.

   This web site was created to help Dr. Berwick tell her story to beloved patients and colleagues, to find the justice she rightfully deserves and to help her obtain fair settlement for the wrongful actions of those individuals who are responsible for the assignation of her character and the destruction of her Medical Practice.

Please view the following video clips.

Note: All video files on this site are Windows media files. For Internet Explorer users just left click to play it. For Netscape and Firefox browsers right click on the video link, save the file to your desktop then open the file to play it.

Summary and Crucial Supporting Documentation

  Through no fault of her own, Evelyn S. Berwick M.D. was victimized by a U.P.M.C Attending Physician's incorrect diagnosis, violation of protocol and medical ethics and subsequent attempts to cover up his mistake. The consequence of the Attending Physician's actions caused a tragic series of institutional terminations which, over the last 4 years has devastated this saintly female doctor's reputation and medical practice. U.P.M.C. and Physicians Health Program officials unjustly chose to protect a prominent U.P.M.C. member's reputation in lieu of sanctioning him for his wrongful, unethical and tragic actions while he was Dr. Berwick's Attending Physician. We have provided extensive facts and supporting documentation herein. It is time for Dr. Berwick's side of this tragic story be heard and the responsible individuals judged in a court of law for their wrongful, unethical and destructive actions. Additionally, Dr. Berwick deserves fair settlement for this tragedy so she can continue to support her family.

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   On August 18, 2002 Dr. Evelyn S. Berwick was admitted to U.P.M.C. Montefiore Hospital with a blocked renal artery and in serious medical condition. Days later a  her Attending Physician made an incorrect diagnosis, then wrongfully and publicly in front of hospital staff accused Dr. Evelyn S. Berwick of being a recreational morphine addict. However, the morphine Attending Physician's identified in her medical chart blood test was administered earlier in his own emergency room.

   It was later discovered that for incomprehensible reasons that the Attending Physician committed a second wrongful act by secretively referring Dr. Berwick to the Physicians Health Program - a private peer assistance program supported by the Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society. The P.H.P is widely recognized in the medical community as an organization that treats working physicians who are impaired by drug and alcohol addiction. A destructive stigma of "drug impairment" was then carelessly and erroneously placed on Dr. Berwick's honorable reputation when the Physicians Health Program placed this innocent female doctor in their impaired physicians program. The stigmatic label of impaired Physician swept through the Pittsburgh Medical community.

   P.H.P officials violated professional courtesy and common sense when they: [1] repeatedly refused to acknowledge that the referral was a mistake; [2] attempted to cover up the truth about the attending physician making the referral; and [3] refused to help Dr. Berwick resolve the issue with institutions. In Reference 3 below, the P.H.P Director's attorney clearly lied in his written response to Dr. Berwick's request for pertinent information made three years later. He states that she referred herself to the P.H.P. Reference 3 also contains additional errors and attempts to cover up the truth which are not discussed herein.

The Four Key Documents in this Case

   Allegheny General Hospital then wrongfully terminated Dr. Berwick's staff and clinical privileges following a "kangaroo court" medical hearing for 3 trumped-up patient care violations. Other reactionary terminations by medical institution and HMOs followed. Each institution claimed that their subsequent termination was based on  Allegheny General's decision to terminate Dr. Berwick after 25 years and their subsequent posting of an adverse recommendation on the National Practitioners Database about her. Dr. Berwick and family strongly believe that all institutional and HMO terminations were the direct consequences of the tragic March 2002 wrongful diagnosis, her wrongful referral to the Physicians Health Program and the wrongful refusal of P.H.P. and U.P.M.C officials to admit the mistake and do the right thing - to take corrective actions for the erroneous and unethical Attending physician's referral.

   The tragic events in this case are symptomatic of everything that is wrong with the state of affairs in the institutionalized medical profession today. Evelyn S. Berwick M.D. is innocent and she needs your help to correct this injustice, clear her reputation and obtain fair settlement for the destruction of her private medical practice and total financial devastation. Themedigatecase.com is a call for doctors, medical students and patients to speak out in the name of justice for Dr. Evelyn S. Berwick - and an opportunity to send a strong message to institutionalized medicine against the unethical treatment of physicians.

   Justice in the case for Evelyn S. Berwick M.D. is the removal of an adverse recommendation about her placed on the National Practitioners Data base and fair settlement for the U.P.M.C. Attending Physicians unethical and wrongful referral of Dr. Berwick to the Pennsylvania Physicians Health Program.

 Justice Starts Here!  Enter