Geisinger Health System review: Dr. Seth fisher - cardiologist

On June 19, 2019 I took my mother to see her Cardiologist, Dr. Seth Fisher, at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (in Wilkes-Barre, PA) because she was complaining of burning chest discomfort. She had been going to this physician for fifteen years since she had a heart attack. During the appointment, Dr. Fisher was extremely arrogant, nasty and condescending. He told my mother, in a very sarcastic tone, "you are always complaining of some sort of chest discomfort". She told him this was different pain. He snickered. He asked if it was like the pain she had with her previous heart attack and she said "no" that this was a "burning pain". I am a former nurse and asked him to order an Echocardiogram. He said in a patronizing manner, "For what? She had one two years ago. And if it shows something what are we going to do? A stress test or a cath? Would she agree to that?" I said "That was two years ago and things change. And if it shows something then that will be a decision my mom will make but at least we will know what is going on." He refused to order that test, or anything else. He kept saying in a very annoyed-sounding manner, "So what do you want me to do? Why are you here?" He was trying to rush us out of the office because he kept saying he was "very busy because there is a hospital audit going on" and he "squeezed her in" for this appointment. He said "Just take more of your Prilosec and Zantac. It's probably your reflux or your stomach". Then he rushed us out of the exam room.
On June 28, 2019 my mother went to the Emergency Room at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center via ambulance. She was suffering extreme abdominal and bloating, as well as chest pain. She was admitted to the hospital. She was seen by Cardiologist, Dr. Eileen Rattigan, while in the hospital. They did a lot of tests on June 29-30, 2019, including an Echocardiogram. She was then scheduled to have a cardiac cath on July 1, 2019. Dr. Rattigan said that the tests' results (including the Echocardiogram) showed that she had a heart attack seven to ten days earlier. She said she now "has significant heart muscle damage and damage to the valve because so much time has passed and time is of the utmost importance with a heart attack." But they were going to try to see what could be done by doing a cardiac cath. I said that was right during the time when I was with her in Dr. Fisher's office and what transpired during that office visit. She said "Yes, I saw the office notes. That is unfortunate." She said "If this had been found and treated on June 19, the outcome would likely have been different. She could have had a cath and maybe stents without there being so much heart muscle and heart valve damage."
On the evening of June 30, 2019 a nurse from the hospital called to say that they had called a Rapid Response Team event on my mother because she took a turn for the worse. Her abdominal pain became more extreme. She was sent for a CT Scan and a surgeon was consulted. They were planning to take her for emergency surgery that evening. When we go to the hospital, a Cardiology Fellow told us that the surgeon would be up to talk to us but that it was very grim and nothing could be done. He said the cardiac cath scheduled for the next day was cancelled because it would be of no benefit because of the damage done to the internal organs because the heart valve was not pumping enough blood to the intestines and liver and those organs suffered irreversible damage. The Surgeon and a Surgical Fellow talked to us and showed us the CT films. She said there was intestinal ischemia and a huge amount of free air in the abdomen and around the liver. She said that no surgery could be done. The only surgical option would be to remove the entire intestines and a liver resection but that because of the severe heart damage, my mother would not survive the surgery so the surgeon could not do it. The surgeon said that if the heart valve was not damaged, this would not have happened because there would not have been blood flow loss to the organs.
My mom was then moved to an ICU-type room. Over the next two days, several doctors told us that nothing could be done and that she likely had only two days to live. We decided to take her home with hospice care. She was discharged from the hospital on July 2, 2019. Over the next six-plus weeks, my mother was unable to eat at all. She was on around-the-clock pain medications for severe pain. She deteriorated over these weeks. She lost a tremendous amount of weight (and was already thin to start) because she could not eat. She was cared for at home and then at an inpatient hospice facility. On August 14, 2019 she passed away at the inpatient hospice facility.

My mother's (patient) information:
Lillian Bartosiewicz (decesased)
52 Nafus Street
Pittston, PA 18640
DOB: 1/29/30

My Contact:
Bernice Marshall (Executrix)
731 Iris Lane
Media, PA 19063
[protected]