| Complaint: | Complaint 20-114 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Ayman Wassef |
| Premises: | Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center of Northern Arizona |
The complainant tells us that she brought her cat to Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center of Northern Arizona for sneezing and coughing. She notes that some of the staff wore masks and others did not (this was during the coronavirus pandemic). The cat was taken back by a staff member. Two hours later the complainant says she visited the bathroom and found no toilet paper, no hand soap, and not even a bottle of hand sanitizer; she was concerned because she had to care for an elderly patient the next day. She became concerned about the hospital's ability to maintain infection control. She also notes other concerns including mops and buckets stored outside in hallways, lack of hand sanitizer, and sharing of pens contrary to coronavirus protocols. Wassef appeared with another veterinarian and discussed her cat's case, recommending an x-ray, a nasal swab, an eye swab, and a round of antibiotics for a total of $776. She says she agreed to all but the swabs because the cat would be seeing the regular veterinarian soon and it would take several days to receive the results anyway. She mentioned her concerns to the office manager and says the office manager apologized. The cat's x-ray results came back hours later and she met a technician (Krissy) outside to discuss. She asked about the results and allegedly the technician told her they had the results but "you don't want to know," to which the complainant said she did want to know but didn't feel comfortable coming back into the building. She asked that Wassef call about the results. She took the cat home and subsequently discovered the expected amount of antibiotics had not been dispensed. She called to discuss the matter with Wassef but never received a response (despite her claim she prepaid for a follow-up consult as part of the estimate). Her daughter called the clinic and was told that they only dispense half the amount with the remainder pending a follow-up visit. The complainant called back and was told that was in error, receiving a partial refund. The complainant concludes that she has concerns about the hospital's practices and public health measures.
Wassef's response again begins by thanking the Board for granting him more time to respond to the complaint (the same as in 18-62, 20-92, and 20-114). He says that the x-rays are sent off to Petrays (1st Pet also apparently uses them and one of their radiologists was targeted in complaint 20-05). He says that the clinic has a policy that all x-rays must be reviewed by a board-certified radiologist. He states the complainant was very belligerent to his staff and called every 15 minutes to ask about the x-rays. He also says that she used a restroom specifically marked as "Out of Service" (per an attached statement from Krissy Floding that we don't get to read). He states the "owner insisted to pick up the patient and refused to talk to me and go over the radiologist report" (couldn't he just call her on the phone given her health concerns?). He also claims the correct amount of antibiotics was dispensed on discharge and that the complainant should have noticed immediately if there had been an error; according to him two different people verify each prescription so an error on his side appears to be unthinkable. He believes the complainant was dosing the cat with twice as much antibiotic to avoid "super bugs." He also states that portions of the facility were still in construction as they had just moved to a new building.
The Investigative Committee said that they found no concerns with Wassef's conduct and that there was no evidence that an insufficient quantity of antibiotics had been dispensed. The Committee also doubled down on Wassef's claim that the complainant "refused to speak with" him. It appears that she requested she call him rather than have to go back into the clinic, particularly as she works with ill and vulnerable persons. Recall that many veterinary practices at this time were handling all client communication over the phone; one wonders how seriously the veterinarians on the Committee (Rai, Dow, and Sidaway) took the pandemic at this time.
| Source: | October 10, 2020 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Ayman Wassef | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Cameron Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | November 11, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Jessica Creager |
| Seconded By: | Darren Wright |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
The primary source for the above summary was obtained as a public record from the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. You are welcome to review the original records and board meeting minutes by clicking the relevant links. While we endeavor to provide an accurate summary of the complaint, response, investigative reports and board actions, we encourage you to review the primary sources and come to your own conclusions. In some cases we have also been able to reach out to individuals with knowledge of specific complaints, and where possible that information will be included here.