OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Weeks after KFOR reported on problems at the Oklahoma Institute of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Clinic in Edmond, patients are still reporting problems with appointments, billing and basic communication from the office.
Brandon Williams said he still showed up for his regularly scheduled allergy treatment, but has concerns that the center will close down.
“This treatment’s not cheap [and] I’ve invested six months and thousands of dollars into this,” he said, adding that he relies on allergy injections every couple of weeks.
The physician at the center now faces a million dollar lawsuit from a pharmaceutical company along with allegations that the so-called cyber attack on patient health records was really a cover up for unpaid bills.
“She [Dr. Darter] canceled the new company. So obviously she had planned on not having an EMR system set up for patients records,” said one former employee who spoke with KFOR by phone.
“[The company] turned her off and then she has not paid the new EMR company,” she added.
Former patient Elizabeth Justice now drives to Tulsa for her treatments.
“That [Tulsa] office has requested my medical records but were not able to get any,” she said.
“I would call this patient abandonment [but] she has the responsibility ethically, legally [and] professionally as our physician,” Elizabeth added.
” If you ask for them, they say, ‘we don’t have records to give you,’ and I believe that’s a huge violation as a medical provider to lose records. And or if they have records, they’re refusing to give them over,” added Brandon who has concerns his treatments may be interrupted.
KFOR has been in contact with a representative for Doctor Darter’s office, who confirmed they’re working to get those phone lines back up and running.
As of Tuesday, employees also appear to be posting messages to patients regularly on the doors to the allergy clinic.
The station is still waiting on a formal response to the concerns about the patient health records system.