Kaiser Abuse and First Surgery
Eighteen months after her original Rolfing injury, Kaiser finally did agree to pay for Jenke to have a surgery in Houston, Texas by Dr. Rahul K. Nath, a plastic nerve surgeon. Bobbie had sent the nerve surgeon a video showing her injured shoulder blade. Dr. Nath told Bobbie and Kaiser in a letter he wrote to them, that he knew what was wrong with her. He said he could fix it by “releasing” a nerve in Bobbie’s neck. He also said that he had done hundreds of Brachial Plexus surgeries with “a major complication rate of zero“. Bobbie believed this surgeon because the surgeon worked for Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, and he stood up to her HMO so confidently.
At first, Kaiser refused to pay for Dr. Nath to evaluate and treat Bobbie. However, Bobbie went see Dr. Nath in Houston anyway. Once there, Bobbie states that Dr. Nath told her his office received a very disturbing phone call from a Kaiser Appeals nurse who called Bobbie a profane name. Dr. Nath wrote a very scolding note about it to Kaiser in which he states that he would “not let the matter go unaddressed“. Shortly thereafter, Kaiser agreed to pay for Jenke’s surgery. Bobbie still has a copy of this note.
After this surgery by Dr Nath failed and left Bobbie with more problems, she learned more about Dr. Nath. He and his colleague/partner had a large following of parents of children with birth injuries (called Erbs Palsy) who had heard about Dr. Nath on a website called United Brachial Plexus Network or www.ubpn.org. Dr. Nath and his partner were doing many repeated risky procedures on children with nerve injuries and even traveled out of state to evaluate children at attorney sponsored picnics. Often parents would post on this website of how Dr. Nath had recommended surgery in Texas during a “picnic” evaluation for their child.
Some would note that he would assist in their lawsuit against the doctor who delivered the child, Jenke said. When Bobbie posted about her failed surgery and its complications done by Dr. Nath on this UBPN website her postings would mysteriously disappear, and later she was banned from the website altogether. Ms. Jenke tried to get the attention of various Medical Boards to report what Dr. Nath was doing, but she also had serious injuries now from the Rolfer and from her first surgery to deal with.
Finally, The Houston Chronicle reported last summer that both Dr. Nath and his partner were barred from continuing to practice at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. The two partners, who are now millionaires, are suing each other for various reasons, says Jenke.
Following her first surgery, that Kaiser paid for, Bobbie found herself back in her HMO, which again refused to diagnose or openly disclose her surgical injuries. Once again, they also refused her access to those who might be able to help her. Bobbie said when she showed up at the emergency room shortly after the surgery with a large seroma in her neck one doctor there told her judgementally, “Well, you asked for the surgery.“ Jenke realized then that Kaiser must be sharing biased information about her throughout the hospital or in her patient chart. Bobbie lost total confidence in Kaiser’s ability or desire to help her. After a year of pain and new problems that were not resolving, Bobbie sought another surgery which she paid for herself to try to fix the first surgery.
This is Bobbie's right shoulder
blade, from the view above.
Photo taken 2005.
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Contact Information:
Patients For Access to Quality Care
P.O. Box 3454
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Email: bjj@sonic.net
