University of Wisconsin Medical School Launches Investigation of Doctors’ Fake Sick Notes
by PubliusBigGovernment.com has learned that the University of Wisconsin medical school is investigating reports that its
physicians handed out fake medical excuses to union teachers who were planning to call out sick this week.
On Saturday, Andrew Breitbart approached doctors signing teachers up en masse and was told he has ‘[Gov. Scott] Walker Pneumonia.’ Upon putting down his real name, and stating he wasn’t sick and that did “didn’t want to get in trouble,” with cameras filing the scene, one of the alleged doctors became suspicious and demanded that the cameras be shut off.
BigGovernment.com blogger Christian Hartsock and prominent Madison-based blogger and U of W law professor, Ann Althouse chronicled the mass fake doctors note sign-ups, as well.
On Sunday, the Teachers Union backed down and told its members attend class on Tuesday.
The University of Wisconsin says any doctors who signed notes did so on their own behalf — and without the approval of the university.
The Atlantic talked with the head of Wisconsin’s Center for Bioethics:
After viewing the videos at my request last night, Dr. Arthur Derse called me up exclaiming, “Holy mackerel! It’s much worse than it looked in the paper. I’m stunned, absolutely stunned.” Dr. Derse is the Director of Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities a the Medical College of Wisconsin. “When all’s said and done, it’s really the profession of medicine that has the black eye in this case,” he says.
There is no question these doctors are masking political opinion in the white coat of the medical profession, Dr. Derse believes. “The videos are pretty damning.”
It’s sad, but what puzzles me most is how in the world three of the four physicians I can identify from these videos and other media reports are faculty members of UW’s Family Medicine department, and one is a senior resident in that same department. It’s a good training program, committed to providing sorely-needed primary care doctors to the state of Wisconsin. It teaches professionalism, and its faculty are supposed to model integrity. What were they thinking?
They’ve managed to belittle a public trust between physicians, employers and patients. A doctor’s sick note is a serious document. It represents an employer’s desire to verify through a respected, independent, medically qualified third party the fact of an illness and the true need for convalescence. In the videos now circulating online, we witness multiple members of a noted family medicine department trash one of the well-recognized rights and privileges of their profession, with little forethought as to the consequences.
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141 Comments
Sounds like someone just threw their medical future career under the bus.
Oh no. That can't be good for the union movement. Doctor's AND teacher's name on the same document. I wonder if any of 'em will be stupid enough to actually use it.
Think about what lesson this is for school kids. I would bet playing hooky, like giving a Lewinsky, will be on the rise – no pun intended. All of these things are for the children…right!
Contempt of Citizenry.
Fire the AWOL labor lemmings.
Impeach the AWOL Senators.
Prosecute them all criminally, whenever and wherever feasible.
Yes, they will be cooking fries for the next 30 years.
These doctors need to be brought up on ethics charges and fired NOW!
Providing there's no internal cover up, figuring out which doctors signed notes, providing they're turned in, should be pretty straight forward…
The only question is, what will be the punishment that fits this crime…?
This just keeps getting worse.
Now it's not only the "teachers" of our kids that are committing fraud, but the "teachers" of our doctors too.
C'mon obama, get on TV and tell us all that this is an "assault on physicians."
And the consequences will be???????
"We really don't want to do anything, but we have to look tough on this, so stick out your hand so I can slap it (Don't worry it won't be tooooo hard). There see, we don't put up with these shenanigans. We're tough on problems like this." – University of Wisconsin medical school Dean
-OR-
"We will have an internal investigation into these matters (and it will take as long as the St. Loius investigation into the SEIU beating of Gladney or until everyone forgets about this matter, whichever is longer)." – President of the University of Wisconsin medical school
No doubt the participants will just say this is a form of civil disobedience, and claim some kind of exemption from normal standard of behavior 'cuz they're viiiiictims.
AB can turn his in, and at least he has an excuse "undercover investigation". The doctors under investigation, on the other hand, have no excuse for professional malfeasance.
Don't forget about the fraudulent "physician notes"!! These "Dr.'s" need to be banned from practicing medicine, and fined heavily.
This is fraud. It's signing your name to a falsified document.
The richest irony in all this is just how horrendously hideous the neo-Communists look to the world outside the Wisconsin State Capitol. For proof of just how badly this is backfiring, one need look no further than how far Uhhhbama's net-positive RCP job approval average has slipped during the past month:
01/29/2011: +7.5 percent
02/07/2011: +5.0 percent
02/14/2011: +4.4 percent
02/21/2011: +3.5 percent
Bear in mind that this is a trailing average, so the damage has just begun. Don't be too surprised if those 3.5 percentage points vanish in a week or so.
I am sure they will get a Psychologists note!
Keep them cameras rolling.
The criminal left continues to engage in lawless disregard for ethics unabated, is it any surprise the kids coming out of these corrupt public schools and colleges are so messed up in the head…???
One thing that makes the authenticity of these doctors suspect is Doctors in medical school today are facing an administration that is out to destroy medicine in it's current state so they can control the profession and dictate how much Doctors get paid and what proceedures are approved for payment. Most doctors who have experienced the government programs like medic-aid and medi-cal hate them. They're sure to hate Obamacare.
Hopefully!
Yes!
Dunno about any of you but I do not want to see these people getting a slap on the wrist. I want to see their licenses revoked. Time is over for p*ssyfooting around and working things out. People need to understand there are consequences for their actions. The doctors handing out fake… FRAUDULENT sick notes need to lose their license and anyone in receipt of said notes need to be fired since they were in breach of their employment contract as a state employee.
Those in attendance counter protesting in support of Gov Walker keep the cameras going hold the line….. http://www.savingtherepublic.com
and since they seem this unethical it should trigger an investigation into any medical billing they have EVER done to a government program. The whole of the left liberal Democrats seem to be just one gigantic Pigford scam.
Most liberals are sick.
What's the problem?
I liked the one doctor sipping his skinny latte trying to bully the guy with his camera with "Are you trying to get in betwen the Dr Patient Privilege"? BS Here's a newsflash for ya Skippy, you are on such flimsy ground you had better make sure the ground is still there. You, nor your patient, have any reasonable expectation of privacy in public…… Sure, if you told them to stop by your office and pick up their fraudulent, all expenses paid, (by the taxpayers) get out of work free ticket, you might be able to claim privilege.
Were I the Wisconsin Gov. I'd collect the Doctor excused absence notes and have my States Attorney and staff call each Dr. , say I am stopping by the office to discuss the medical problems and that I want to review the medical files for a given person. I think there is enough probable cause to have search warrants issued. Cause them some concern.
A whole new can of worms was just opened up,you know with the republicans in control now they just might do that.
Let's give em hell…
Wisconsin Medical Examining Board
Department of Regulation and Licensing
Tom H. Ryan, MPA, JD, Bureau Director
1400 E. Washington Ave.
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-2112 / Fax:(608) 261-7083
Complaints Toll Free: (877) 617-1565 http://www.drl.state.wi.us
John B. Van Hollen, Wisconsin Attorney General
Wisconsin Department of Justice 608-266-1221
Wisconsin Department of Justice
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707-7857
Fax: 608-267-2779
Here's a list of the names:
Dr. Louis Sanner
Northeast Family Medical Center – 3209 Dryden Drive — Madison, WI, 53704 — (608) 241-9020
Dr. James H Shropshire MD –5001 Monona Drive–Monona, WI, 53716-2636 – (608)222-8779
Bernard F. Micke, MD
UW Health Odana Clinic — 5618 Odana Road –Madison, WI, 53719 – (608) 274-1100
Hanna Keevil, M.D. UW Health Odana Clinic — 5618 Odana Road — Madison, WI, 53719 – (608) 274-1100
Job title: Clinical Assistant Professor
Email: holly.keevil@uwmf.wisc.edu
I am a doctor who currently practices in Madison. I am very disheartened by the actions of my "colleages" and feel these docs who are signing fake sick release forms are committing fraud. If you agree and want something done about it, go to the WI dept of medical regulations. The instructions are as follow: type "Wisconsin Board of Regulation and Licensing" in google, and go to drl.wi.gov. Click the "complaints" tab on the left, and then click "Instructions for Filing a Complaint."
“Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.” – Lenin
The Doctors say they are shocked at the uproar over them giving out fake excuses…Let's give em hell…
Wisconsin Medical Examining Board
Department of Regulation and Licensing
Tom H. Ryan, MPA, JD, Bureau Director
(608) 266-2112 / Fax:(608) 261-7083
Complaints Toll Free: (877) 617-1565 <a href="http://www.drl.state.wi.us” target=”_blank”>www.drl.state.wi.us
John B. Van Hollen, Wisconsin Attorney General
Wisconsin Department of Justice 608-266-1221
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707-7857
Fax: 608-267-2779
Here's a list of the names:
Dr. Louis Sanner
Northeast Family Medical Center – 3209 Dryden Drive — Madison, WI, 53704 — (608) 241-9020
Dr. James H Shropshire MD –5001 Monona Drive–Monona, WI, 53716-2636 – (608)222-8779
Bernard F. Micke, MD
UW Health Odana Clinic — 5618 Odana Road –Madison, WI, 53719 – (608) 274-1100
Hanna Keevil, M.D. UW Health Odana Clinic — 5618 Odana Road — Madison, WI, 53719 – (608) 274-1100
Job title: Clinical Assistant Professor
Email: holly.keevil@uwmf.wisc.edu
This was an illegal act, are these so-called doctors above the law in Wisconsin?
Nice work Andrew ! these so called Doctors are going down.
On another note, looks like with all the out of state protesters flooding Wisconsin ,
a much needed boost to the capitals economy ? Thanks again for the boost, Unions
how will ANY of those teachers refuse an obviously forged note from a parent, when they TAUGHT the class that sort of behavior is ok???
I dont think this will be going away for these Doctors any time soon
Medical School is still academia. And Academia is owned by the left. The left has infiltrated science, as shown by the whole global warming scam, so why wouldn't they infiltrate medicine? There were doctors, including the AMA, who got on board with Obamacare. The left is the same no matter what their career, their intention is to destroy America. They are everywhere.
Haha I hope they get fired and their licenses pulled. Then the prosecutor can take over.
This is getting good !
Thank you. Here's a quick link everybody: http://drl.wi.gov/category.asp?linkcatid=16&l...
I bet the resident is gonna be in a large pile of mung { a nasty thick liquid of unknown origin and smells really bad} Even if his Chief is sympathetic it will be hard to not drop the hammer on him
' They’ve managed to belittle a public trust between physicians, employers and patients.'
Trust is earned. Distrust is bought and paid for by actions like these. Revoke licenses, forbid the offenders to earn a living in their chosen profession, the one they spat upon by their actions. And, for God's sake… do not let them teach 'ethics' to anyone! They obviously have none.
What do you think the odds are that their medical malpractice insurance will go up or be suspended. Isn't there negligence here, besides the fraud?
It's a house of cards.
union cards – http://snyders.ws/alan/blog/wp-content/uploads/20...
We would hope but I want to see all those protesting in favor of unions fired at this point. Are we crazy or something we reward people for breaking employment contracts, setting horrible example to the kids "they care so much about" because of the unions. If anyone here left their job over similar issue who wasnt in a union you would be fired period. No questions no arguments you would/could be canned.
Reward bad behavior meanwhile punishing those like myself from even being able to find a job.
The parents of school children in Wisconsin need to ask all the principles of there schools which teachers turned in fake doctor excuses and these teachers need to be fired on ethics violations.
No, they'll be hired for Obama's death panels
Sure gives the kids a good excuse to bring in phony 'sick notes'.
It really doesn't matter if the notes are turned in or not they were issued!
PI 34 Administrative Rules in Wisconsin concerning teachers.
9) The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effect of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
(10) The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support pupil learning and well being and who acts with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner.
Sometimes it is difficult to believe how stupid people (these docs) can be……or maybe it's arrogance and not feeling the need to check out reality before acting. Whatever the reason is, the actions these doctors chose is shameful.
Here is a quick link for filing the complaint against these immoral docs: http://drl.wi.gov/category.asp?linkcatid=16&l....
PI 34 Administrative Rules in Wisconsin concerning teachers. also
1. A license may be revoked for immoral conduct if the state superintendent establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the person engaged in immoral conduct.
With all due respect, Dave. What good is a note written that is not turned in…?
Is there an issued note counter I'm not aware of?
Complained yesterday and this morning this was my reply from the university. Color me reassured.
Thank you for your concern and communication. We will be thoroughly investigating these allegations, and take appropriate actions as indicated.
Valerie Gilchrist MD
Chair, Department of Family Medicine UW SMPH
Thanks for the info Brenda !
Same here, and here was my reply:
Thank you for your email in response to media reports that some protesters at the Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin, have received medical excuse notes from physicians associated with UW Health.
Any UW Health physicians who may be distributing such materials are doing so of their own accord and do not represent UW Health on this issue.
We will thoroughly investigate these allegations, and take appropriate actions as indicated.
If you wish to comment further on this matter, please submit your comment via email to publicaffairs@uwhealth.org.
Write the superintendent a letter if you find out your teachers handed in fake doctors excuses,here is the process: 1. The state superintendent shall, at his or her initiative or upon receipt of a written complaint, make inquiries necessary to determine whether to conduct an investigation which may lead to license or permit revocation.
2. The state superintendent shall acknowledge, in writing, any written complaint and notify the complainant whether an investigation is being conducted which may result in the subsequent revocation of a person's license.
Understand where your coming from but my point is the doctors have already committed a fraud. As far as the counter it would be the same one used to haul them into court if it was a prescription for meds given to a cop but never turned into a pharmacist.
Think of any kind of fraud or conspiracy. The act doesn't have to be completed to be criminal. All that's required are significant steps toward the commission of the crime. I'd say steps were taken…on film.
That's nice.
You should respond with:
Thank you for your response and assurance. We will be thoroughly focusing on your investigation, and sharing our observations with public officials as needed.
Reassures you that one person can make a difference doesn't it? Very encourageing
Well . . . Obviously a doctor's note doesn't mean squat any longer, unless the medical community wants to demand that their good name be upheld and these doctors are punished for lying. If I were an employer, I would not accept a doctor's note as proof of anything starting today.
OH boy, I bet the University is in a real hurry and is desperate to find out that their employees are committing malpractice and then publicize it. I am sure it will be as thorough an investigation as the Senate Ethics Committee looking into Charlie Rangle or Obama's DOJ prosecuting the New Black Panthers. But then again you never know; they may be as serious as Nancy Pelosi getting to the bottom of the S.E.I.U. beating of Kenneth Gladney. Or the Federal Election Commission looking into all the $2.50 donations to Obama's Campaign Committee from Foreign Sources that are not required to be reported. Thank God Obama has set such a high example of transparency and brought such profound change to the way things are done in D.C.
oh,since the medical school is part of the University it falls under these rules,these so called doctors are teachers also.
Hopefully not but I do understand how cynical we have become these days. I try to remain Optimistic, always have but these days reality keeps getting in the way.
Write the superintendent a letter if you find out your teachers handed in fake doctors excuses,here is the guy you need to contact: http://dpi.wi.gov/
Guess we should have known they worked for a university!
Doubt they're worried about any consequences.
That is the question; do doctors want to be looked at in the same manner as we look at lawyers, the MSM?
With out tangible evidence, what point is there? You can proclaim that Doctor X issued XXX notes to XXX people, but to what avail…?
Your counter answers you own question in so far that someone has to receive the "note" for it to be a "crime"…
No note, no crime. So if the "teachers" are gonna hand their "notes" in…Who are the teachers gonna hand the notes in to?
Interesting predicament to say the least…
Good point RandyL2,
Now I understand why Obama wants universal healthcare so much. He Does know, as you have stated, that most liberals and everyone he knows is sick and needs help.
I am calling on the United States Congress to stop funding of the medical school involved to the exact amount of the salaries and benefits of the Doctors involved. Also, I want the doctors and teachers using the notes fired. We pay their salaries.
Silly conservative! When the advancement of socialism is at stake, laws are for thee, but not for me!
;-D
People who are in charge of that state university now face a republican majority,which are their bosses,things don't look so good for the left in Wisconsin right now.
Very Good work indeed BrendaC. You get the esteemed Patriot of the day award. Thanks.
You would have to hold everyone in attendance to the same measure if that were the case.
What would separate those who didn't write notes from those who did, with out tangible evidence?
"It’s much worse than it looked in the paper. I’m stunned, absolutely stunned.”
Stunned that NEWSPAPERS LIE?
Really?
Yep, little sponges. They learn more from obsevation than all the books.
An investigation by the Med School means NADA. Want some bite ? File a complaint about the individual doctors with the Wisconsin Licensing Board…. Here's the link >>>> http://drl.wi.gov/category.asp?linkcatid=16&l...
These photos prove that unions are in the crapper. Low life freeloaders.
They could actually lose their medical licenses over this. At the very least they should be fined and fired. They do not realize how much they are in trouble.
I guess you and I disagree. You feel if the notes are not turned in there is no crime, and I feel there is the possibility of two crimes here. Oh well that is life lol
Isn't this fraud being done by the doctors? Shouldn't the AMA be investigating?
I'm thinking the Nobel Prize for Medicine.
Ya think! Their boss is the Governor,this is a state run university,DUH!
No, you're assuming too much.
Yes, I think it's wrong they're writing the notes, turned in or not. And Yes, I think something should be done about it. But what are you going to do to someone, an individual, unless you can prove anything? Just because we see it on the news doesn't make it a crime! If that was the case then most of Obama's cabinet would be in prison, and Obama would be deported back to Kenya…Just saying.
If we don't enact by in which the laws are set, then we too are as guilty of a crime for judging with out confirmation. I'm not saying that these 'doctors' are doing anything right, I'm just saying that we have laws, and it's important to make sure they are enforced. Just trying to be fair…
The University of Wisconsin is one of the most Liberal in the country. I say nothing will happen to these dirtbags.
I said this same basic thing at:
http://21stcenturyteaparty.wordpress.com/2011/02/...
A lest Union Workers have jobs to be excused from unlike Tea Party welfare cases like Joe the FAKE Plumber.
Unfortunately, if obamacare becomes a reality, we will be so desperate for doctors that even those who played one on TV will be enlisted to practice since medicine will no longer be a profession to which our best and/or brightest aspire since they will be handcuffed by the government as to what and how much care they are allowed to give patients based on what Kathleen Sebilous and her ilk think is financially worthwhile.
Set me up a prescription for Percocets for my "Walker Pneumonia"… it's a pretty serious case, I may need a refill.
Why not? The "Doctors" here have basically admitted they'll commit fraud for political gain; I'm assuming for minimal financial gain they'll commit more fraud… why would I assume otherwise?
I lived in "Mad City" during the 60s for a while and was a student for a short time during 1972. I worked as a volunteer in Nixon HQ there. Bags of urine and feces were thrown at our door. NOTHING these people do, or the lengths they would go to, surprises me. They feel any means is justified to achieve the ends. My dad always called Madison, "The Midwest Chapter of the Kremlin." Some things never change.
I hate to say it, but I'm willing to bet that very little of any consequence will happen to these doctors.
Yes they can!
I'm sure the Teacher's Union will protest loudly for the rights of these physicians when they lose their licenses and their jobs. I'm sure the Teacher's Union will pull together and help these indebted doctors pay back their student loans. I'm sure the Teacher's Union will do everything in its power to help them.
Nah.
Awesome, remove their licenses permanently.
As a physician, I find this disgusting. Aside from the obvioud, this would violate HIPAA regulations. Plus, the vast majority of MD's are conservative.
There's going to a gnashing of teeth when these professionals lose out, and end up clerking at Wal-Mart, or hustling burgers at McDonald's.
Wow! Nice work Andrew! This should be an illegal false claim since these doctors knew the fake sick notes would be used to obtain money from the government (paid without losing leave). That's actually a criminal act.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Hey fake petty officer, what's an "A lest"? Is that some term that 20 year petty officers use when they can't make chief? Kind of like "A lest we get retirement even though we were completely incompetent in our jobs". What's your current income source again, other than the pension that you receive from the Navy that you don't deserve?
No they wont get away with this, the medical board is under the governor, all ready complaints are pouring in to the medical boards office
BA DA BING! lol
Excellent suggestion.
Done! Now we wait…like a cat for that mouse to poke his nose out of his hole.
I bet you are one of the good teachers Vox
Don't forget the fact they claim, it's for the cheeeelllldrrrreeeennn….
Well Wisconsin U has every reason to do that but unfortunately, by association, the ill considered actions of their Family Medicine students has shown a light on the American Academy of Family Medicine AND their Family Residency Programs Standards and Practices.
In short, somebody told daddy and nobody likes it when DADDY finds out what they've been up to. This won't fade away unless FPs all over Wisconsin and America LET IT. And trust me, they have NO reason to let it. In fact, other Wisconsin Universities have EVERY reason to keep this one cookin as do all the competing residencies…..
and we haven't even MENTIONED THE EGO FACTOR.
Doctors + bad publicity + egos = ACTION. SWIFT AND CLEAR, COMMA, CRYSTAL.
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