To the Editor:

Since we were made aware of the firing of Dr. Hedy Migden by St. Peter’s Health Care Partners, we, as patients of Dr. Migden, have been waiting for the news that was delivered by Melissa Hale-Spencer of The Altamont Enterprise with her article on Nov. 17, 2016 — that Dr. Migden was returning to practice in January 2017 with Dr. Mark Oldendorf.

As I sit here this evening, Jan. 11, 2017, I am looking forward to the news that I have received [posted online at AltamontEnterprise.com] relating to the firing of Dr. Migden by St. Peter’s Health Care partners back on July 5, 2016. Dr. Migden will finally get the chance to face her accusers for an action that I still consider egregious, in regards to her firing and the closing of Altamont Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.

As we have all read the articles, especially the article in The Altamont Enterprise on July 21, 2016, written by Melissa Hale-Spencer who specifically asked and received the comment from Elmer Streeter, spokesman for St. Peter’s. Streeter “initially said he couldn’t confirm Migden’s termination nor comment on the reasons why. But he called back to tell The Enterprise, ‘She was terminated for what the practice believed was cause, and she was previously given notice of the behavior she needed to correct to avoid such termination,’” Hale-Spencer reported.

Streeter, however, declined to describe this “behavior.”

Migden responded, “I did receive a 30-day notice, which contained absolutely no specifics as is required by my contract,” Hale-Spencer reported.

This is where I, as a patient of Dr. Migden since 1992 can personally ask, as I did in my letter to the editor of The Altamont Enterprise, which was published on Aug. 4, 2016.

Really, why did St. Peter’s fire Dr. Migden?

— First to eliminate the remaining seven years of Dr. Migden’s contract, no longer honoring the legal commitment;

— By eliminating Dr. Migden, St. Peter’s could then close the office — for good, thereby eliminating the need to renew the lease on the office owned and managed by The Anderson Group;

— Closing the office, St. Peter’s could pull all resources out, close the door, and walk away from future expenses, including salaries, upkeep, office equipment, lease, and staff;

— Obviously, there was never any attempt to convert the paper records to electronic as Dr. Migden was always working from a paper chart, never an electronic tablet, laptop, or desktop;

— In retrospect, it’s obvious that St. Peter’s Health Care Partners never planned or intended to keep Dr. Migden, her practice, or her dedicated staff, which they replaced with a revolving door of their own people who obviously were on a “mission”;

— It is apparent that, from the beginning, once St. Peter’s Health Care Partners fired Dr. Migden, and closed the practice that St. Peter’s intended to absorb several thousand patients into several other St. Peter’s Health Care Partners practices whether they wanted to go or not;

— A major complaint that I have with the firing of Dr. Migden by St. Peter’s Health Care Partners is that Altamont Internal Medicine and Pediatrics’ phone number remained active, rolling over to the live answering service. The service would answer the line and tell you the office was closed, Dr. Migden was not available, and the service was uncovered — meaning there was no covering licensed medical professional to assist with your needs.

I found this out on Wednesday July 20, 2016 after hours. I was told someone would call me back and, if I needed emergency care, then I needed to go to the emergency room. As of Thursday, July 21, 2016, by the afternoon, I called the office again and I was told the office was closed. I advised them that I had called the evening before when they had taken my information and they told me the office would call be back.

That is when the service told me Dr. Migden was no longer working at Altamont Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. I said to the service, “Since when does a licensed physician leave the service uncovered?” and they again told me someone would be in contact with me.

To this date, I have never heard from anyone from St. Peter’s Health Care Partners in regards to my medical needs that I was requesting at that time. Later that evening, on July 21, 2016, I did get my Altamont Enterprise and saw the article on the firing of Dr. Migden and I then realized this was carried out by St. Peter’s Health Care Partners all to try and get rid of Dr. Migden, her contract, her practice, and her patients.

— Again, how do you leave a Medical Practice uncovered?...

St. Peter’s Health Care Partners never returned my call, abandoning me when I could have had a life-threatening emergency. The only triage that was done was by the answering service continuously telling me the service remained uncovered and, if I needed medical assistance, then I should go to an ER.

Over the month of August and September 2016, there was a scripted letter provided by an administrator of St. Peter’s Health Care Partners that was read to anyone calling the phone number of Altamont Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. The funny part about is that was that the phone number rolled over to the office of Latham Primary Care Associates.

If you were to ask about Dr. Migden or try to inquire where she was, the staff had a scripted letter to read to the unsuspecting patient on the phone. This went on until about the end of September or early October and then the phone number for Altamont Internal Medicine and Pediatrics was disconnected and the rollover ended.

To the patients of Dr. Migden, my friends and colleagues, as well as the readers of The Altamont Enterprise: That phone number became the last obvious piece of overhead that St. Peter’s Health Care Partners no longer had to pay for involving Altamont Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.

I am looking forward to seeing Dr. Migden again, and I am not the only one. As I called the office of Dr. Mark Oldendorf, it seems the message has gotten around from the article in The Altamont Enterprise dated Nov. 7, 2016 that Dr. Migden is again practicing. She had recently started taking appointments and I am waiting approximately a month to be seen.

I would have to say that she has retained a majority of her patients. That should say something about her personal, compassionate, caring, and professional reputation understood by her patients.

My question to St. Peter’s Health Care Partners is: Was it worth it?

All I know is we, the patients of Dr. Migden, finally have her back and practicing. We will support her in her new office and offer our thanks to Dr. Mark Oldendorf, an excellent and well-respected physician in his own right.

Raymond C. Briggs, AAS, RN

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Raymond C. Briggs is a nurse educator and a patient of Hedy Migden.