An ENT Badmouthed Me to My Boss

That happened about a month ago when I was still new to tinnitus and I was getting a very loud spike, my boss recommended his ENT since he (my boss) experienced tinnitus before due to bruxism but it went away - anyway I went to this ENT and I was lacking sleep, exhausted and frustrated; he asked me to do their usual audiogram and hence he found no hearing loss (a slight hearing loss was found later in another audiogram with another ENT) he said neither MRI nor any scan is needed - I asked why not doing MRI/scan anyway - but he insisted on not.

Anyway my boss met this doctor by chance a week later at a funeral and he told him that I am “Crazy and Paranoid, and that tinnitus is nothing, it’s nothing dangerous”. I know that because boss told
me what he said.

So yeah, this is just a tiny example of the attitude among some doctors.

 

I'm absolutelly disgusted by this....it is a breach of patient doctor confidentiality at the very least.

You should go to his office and rip this guy a new asshole in front of everyone.
You could easily sue this idiot.

 

What country are you in? That is a serious breach of patient/doctor confidentiality

Interesting that your boss had it due to bruxism and it went away though - do you know how long your boss had it for?

 

I don't know where this happened, but in many jurisdictions this is a breach of patient-doctor confidentiality, with important legal consequences.

 

Medical school students are told worldwide not to describe patients in a descriptive way. To use only medical terminology.
So have you thought that maybe your boss isn't being honest?
Maybe your boss is concerned that you got tinnitus on the job - noise, chemicals, mold, dust, or whatever.

 

@Wolfears

Whilst I understand you are upset by the way @MuffinMan was treated by his ENT doctor, confronting him in the manner that you have suggested is not a good idea for obvious reasons. The right way to punish this doctor is through the proper channels. That way he will learn a lesson to never do it again with another patient. I suggest @MuffinMan that you write a letter of complaint to the head of Audiology explaining the breach of patient confidentiality by your ENT doctor.

Many years ago when I first got tinnitus, I wrote a letter of complaint about my Hearing Therapist. I found her to be abrupt and rude. The matter was dealt with and I never had to see her again. Some time afterwards, I learned other patients had complained and the Hearing Therapist's employment was terminated.

Michael

 

Whatever the boss' concern may be, it doesn't allow for a legal breach of patient-doctor confidentiality (in any jurisdiction that I'm aware of).

 

I live in Lebanon and yes I was so mad for this breach, which is against Doctors’ code everywhere in the world- but what’s the point to sue him? I have no tangible proof.

And he’s the boss’ close friend.

I work in software development, no noises and such at my work place.


I don’t think boss was lying; he was telling me what he said probably thinking that would comfort me.

 

He said it was long time ago, he recalls it lasted for months.

 

What I saying @GregCA is that maybe the doctor didn't say anything.

Maybe there wasn't a funeral.
His boss may have only seen this ENT once, so maybe they are not friends.

I can't see a doctor using those words to someone else about a patient.

I been around hundreds of doctors for close to thirty years and I never once
heard a doctor use those words.

 

I don’t see why boss would invent that.

But they are really friends; he is the one who called him directly to his personal cellphone to arrange a quick appointment; and I have seen him how he talked to him on the phone (friendly).

 

Neither I, never heard a doctor saying such before. - but this case is a leak.

Btw this doctor works at the most prestigious Eye & Ear medical center in the area.

 

@MuffinMan ,
It was very disrespectful towards you as confidently is paramount.
It looks like if nothing else to get seen by someone else next time.
You could tell your boss his friend was in breach of contract and that might make him think next time.

love glynis

 

If you're in American then this is a blatant violation of HIPAA. Sue the shit out of him.

 

Holy crap, this is disgusting attitude. And I thought I recently had a bad experience with doctors... You should post this in the Fb group, @MuffinMan if you are in it.
Good luck with everything.

 

damn, the auto correct on my phone really sucks.

 

HIPPA violation for reals. That really sucks, i'm sorry to hear that.

 

According to the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon, the Ministry of Public Health Mental Health Program and Embrace. All doctors are required to go thru extensive training for 'rights of patients' 'violation of patient rights' which includes 'mental health rights.' We just don't know if there was a gap of communication as Muffin has said that he never heard a doctor saying this before.

 

This bad, but my work provides all staff with medical insurance, but in order to claim back expenses we have to submit all medical documentation to the company to claim on our behalf. So any reports, medications, xrays, scans, diagnosis etc are known and filed by the company. This is crazy and such an offensive invasion of privacy, but is a standard in the country. Fair to say you wouldn’t want to be claiming for anything embarrassing.

 

I like how I've never heard anything good about ENTs lol.

 

He probably didn't expect that his friend (my boss) would leak it to me ; and I bet my boss didn't imagine I would take his words as a violation or as something negative (he seriously thought that would comfort me) - I didn't overreact to my boss or anything, my apparent reaction was: "Believe me, it's real and very annoying, I am not imagining it" (but i was boiling inside) - he agreed because he went through it before..

 

@MuffinMan I hope the tinnitus settles down for you.

Maybe a physical exam from a primary care doctor would point to something that caused your tinnitus if you already haven't done that.

Beyond that, maybe consider WiFi router, bending over a keyboard, heavy forward lifting, posture, neck stiffness or neck tightness along with stress that can increase pressure on the nerves that run up the back of the neck, tension in shoulders, dizziness, headache, eye or facial soreness, jaw or dental disorder.

 

actually i just remembered that I sent him a texting (a link) of a research on hearing aids helping tinnitus cases, and I asked him if it may help me even if I don't have a significant hearing loss - he read it and ignored me, that was before finding out what he told to my boss.

 

your ENT has violated the Hippocratic oath.