Priority Family Medical review: Medical services

Thomas Gann’s (owner/provider) mistaken diagnosis of my shoulder injury on July 2023 caused me unnecessary pain and suffering which ruined the quality of my life for months. He went from simply telling me it would just take time to heal, to giving me a cortisone shot that should not have been done. He did not discuss with me the pros and cons of the shot or provide me with alternatives to the shot. His written report of this procedure claimed that he did discuss the pros and cons of the shot but this is not true. His employee handed me a paper to sign, left the exam room, then he came and then gave me the shot and left the room. The shot exacerbated my problem leaving me unable to use my arm for weeks. Did he ever consult a doctor about my case? Chances are a doctor would have cautioned him about giving a cortisone shot without first taking an MRI of the shoulder. Thomas had no idea about the extent of the injury. He finally did order an X-Ray of not only of my shoulder but also my wrist and hand. His diagnosis after viewing the X-ray was I had “calcific tendonitis.” He then told me that he could not get an MRI done sooner (than it was eventually done) because of insurance company policy. That is true, in some cases insurance companies will deny claims, without preliminary steps taken to determine if an MRI is needed. However, as a medical practitioner, he did not attempt to contact my insurance company to determine if they would approve an MRI at the onset of my injury. I am a seventy-nine year old patient. At the advice of Thomas Gann I began some physical therapy, which did nothing to help my condition. Only after I insisted on getting an MRI did he prescribe one. Why didn’t Thomas order an MRI initially? Isn’t an MRI part of basic medical protocol for cases like mine? After the MRI, he told me that he knew an orthopedic doctor in town that could fix the rotator cuff, “next week.” An Orthopedic shoulder specialist which I found, told me that after looking at the MRI which, Thomas had taken, that the rotator cuff muscles had separated from the bone some time ago and the rotator cuff muscles had atrophied and were beyond repair. The specialist said the only solution to my problem was to have a shoulder replacement, which I had done by him. Thomas’s advice to have a friend of his operate on the rotator cuff muscles would have been a disaster. Why is Thomas prescribing MRI’s if he can’t properly read them?

Additionally, I suffer from genetic hemochromatosis, that required regular theraputic phlebotomies. Initially, Thomas scheduled them for every three months. Thomas Gann was getting my iron levels check at a lab before he gave me a phlebotomy prior to this year. He then told me he could check the iron level in his office. When I have gone in to get treatment this past year, he just scheduled the appointment for treatment. When I questioned him about my iron levels, he gave me a vague answer. He had scheduled me for phlebotomy for December 8, 2023, that I cancelled. A new medical practitioner, requested I go to a lab to get my iron levels checked before she performed a phlebotemy. She informed me that based on my iron level, I did not need a phlebotomy at this time. In fact to do so, could put me in danger of anemia.