When I requested the medical records from Holy Cross in April, Lorna from the records office informed me that they were not complete because the discharge summary had not been received. Doctors have 30 days in which to complete this report. When it was still not submitted on May 6, 2003 the records were released to me and marked “incomplete.”

Doctor Nawaz finally dictated the report on June 19, 2003. The records office declined to provide it to me at the time because their policy is not to release reports prior to review and signature. The report was re-dictated on June 25, 2003, and on July 2, 2003 Ileana of the records office informed me that the signed report was now waiting for me to pick up. She told me that Dr. Nawaz had been placed on suspension that week for failing to file the report.

I walked in around 5:30 pm and the receptionist went to get the report. Moments later I saw Dr. Nawaz eyeing me from the back of the office. He came over and expressed his condolences saying he didn’t have a chance to call me. He asked me if there was anything he could do, and when I told him that I had serious concerns he simply turned and walked back into the records area before I could finish my sentence. He went to a cubicle where he was working on my father’s chart.

I told records officer Nancy Gross that I was here to pick up the report that Ileana said was waiting for me. Dr. Nawaz replied from behind his cubicle “I have it right here. I’m not touching that one, I’m correcting an earlier report.” He then got up and brushed past me without saying a word.

Nancy Gross provided me with the discharge summary as well as the earlier version that was stricken through.