TLDR: their fiduciary responsibility to their corporate employer and insurance providers will always take priority over the well being of their patients.
My PCP referred me to Dr Hameed to see if I had fibromyalgia or a rheumatological disease. One of my major symptoms was joint muscle pain in near my elbows.
Dr Hameed did a good job with my questioning, physical exam, and the tests he ordered, and determined that I do have fibromyalgia. He also told me that the pain in my arms was related to the musculature use. I told him about the various duties I have at work as a baker, which involve a lot of lifting heavy objects, and he wrote me a referral for occupational therapy.
He told me, "if you keep doing things the way you've been doing them, it will eventually cripple you."
I took this very seriously and went to OT, which has been helpful. In my naivete, I assumed that, since we spoke about my pain in the context of my job, and that he told me if I "keep doing things" (i.e. the physical tasks associated with my occupation) "the way I had been doing them," that this would be reflected in the referral he wrote me for occupational therapy, and that therefor I would be able to get the occupational therapy covered under Workman's Compensation.
This was not the case. I told my Workman's Comp representative that in addition to information from my PCP, she should request records from Dr Hameed, as he was the one who made the determination that I needed to see an occupational therapist. My representative told me that the files she received said nothing about my pain being related to my occupation, so I called up the Rheumatic Disease Center.
I first spoke to a woman in their Records department. I explained the situation, and asked that the Center send over information stating that the reason I had been referred to occupational therapy was because of repeated strenuously lifted I do in my job, which I had discussed with Dr Hameed. She insisted that the Center could not send such a letter, as they "don't do anything with Workman's Comp." I explained the conversation I had had with Dr Hameed during my visit, and she said that even if we talked about my job that their office couldn't provide a statement saying that the reason I was referred to OT had anything to do with my job and tried to tell me that what I had was "general wear and tear," as if the wear and tear had literally nothing to do with my very physically demanding job and was just as likely to have resulted from typing at a computer. When I pointed out the ridiculousness of her statement and insisted that the entire conversation about my arm pain took place in the context of my job she transferred me to speak with Dr Hameed directly.
Dr Hameed told me the exact same thing - that they were not allowed to make any statement that had anything to do with Workman's Comp. I made it clear that the only thing I wanted was a written statement reiterating what he told me in person: that we spoke about the work I do, that he determined the pain was muscle related, and that he told me that if I didn't go to occupational therapy and kept "doing what I've been doing" that it would cripple me.
First he flat out denied ever having told me it would cripple me. I didn't imagine it, that's not the kind of thing you just forget, and I told multiple people about it shortly after the visit who can corroborate that.
He insisted that he could not make any sort of statement implying that he determined that it was job duties that were responsible for my pain, as per company policy. I asked him if he could make a statement saying what he told me in person, that if I didn't receive OT it would cripple me, and he categorically refused. I asked him why he referred me to both PT and OT if my job had nothing to do with it and he explained that OT specifically deals with middle arms down. You know, that part most used in lifting heavy things.
He then attempted to mollify me by saying it had been an unfortunate miscommunication but insisted that he could only attribute my pain to general wear and tear, despite what we discussed in our visit - he was not allowed to make any kind of determination.
So now I may be on the hook for 8 weeks of OT, which I only went to because he told me if "if you keep doing what you're doing it will cripple you," and both he and the Rheumatic Disease Center refuse to take professional accountability for this medical advice by simply writing a note verifying that this was the advice I was given.
If this is the case then I will be seeking legal counsel to determine what my options are and if a malpractice suit is called for.
Logan Q. | Sep 24, 2025
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