Bean counter

I recently had some dealings with SB and was very unimpressed with the result. In fact I have been going back and forth since last July (2013), and my complaints of pain in my abdomen have been mostly ignored. I got the same story about how a fill was now $200, and assorted reasons why TLBC no longer existed. I also cannot find my contract, I can find every other piece of paper associated with the procedure, including the receipt that I was issued. I am a very detail oriented person and misplacing my contract would not be something I would do, and I cannot recall ever signing one. During my recent dealings with SB I asked for a copy of my contract which they said they did not have, because SB is not TLBC and as such had no obligation to assume the contracts entered into by TLBC, nor were they obliged to treat any patients from TLBC. In fact the person I spoke with said that SB had "graciously taken on Dr. Yau and his patients." They also said that they kept NO files from TLBC. I called my lawyer, he researched it, said that neither SB or TLBC was registered by industry Canada. If you go to: https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html?crpNm=Slimband&crpNmbr=&bsNmbr= You can search Slimband, Slimband Inc. etc and nothing comes up. This may mean that Slimband Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of another company. Keep in mind that originally, TLBC was The Prince Arthur Medical Clinic Inc, that also owned the financing company that you could use to fund the surgery. "Slimband" is a registered trade mark. So if you search the trademark database: http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/opic-cipo/trdmrks/srch/vwTrdmrk.do?lang=eng&status=OK&fileNumber=1395712&extension=0&startingDocumentIndexOnPage=1 The current registrant is Slimband Inc. and the old owner is The Prince Arthur Medical Clinic Inc. Slimband is not registered with the Better Business Bureau, but if you search them there, you will find: http://www.bbb.org/kitchener/business-reviews/physicians-and-surgeons-weight-reduction/slimband-in-toronto-on-1188653 And that the business was started in 2006. As well, the BBB rated Slimband as a D-. There is no obligation to register with the BBB. In a further call to SB I was told that if I wanted to see Dr. Yau, I would have to have a referral from my regular family physician, so I asked for a copy of my file to give to my GP. Earlier they said they had no files, on this call I was told it would cost for copying etc. Ultimately I paid about $40 for my file. In my file was the 9 page document that I did sign called "Laparoscopic Banding Surgery" which had me acknowledge and sign off on all the risks and that Dr. Yau had explained same to me, etc etc. The contractual part of this document discusses the issue of self pay because the procedure was not covered by OHIP. There is no discussion of after care in any of the documents I was given. However, while I was waiting for my file I spoke to a Slimband representative and I asked her specifically for a copy of the SLA (service level agreement) that was in place. She told me that there was no SLA in place in 2007. I was not given a copy of the current SLA, even though I asked for one. I have repeatedly asked for a copy of the current SLA and have been ignored each time. Your results may vary, but in my discussion with my lawyer, because there is no service contract in place, and neither I, nor the clinic have any type of contract/ document discussing after care, it would be a case of he said, she said. Further he advised me that usually, in Canada to sue (not just doctors), one must be able to prove economic/financial loss. At this point, I have no loss, and I may be out $200 if I need a fill. That would be a matter for small claims court. I would need to have a whole lot of fills before hiring a lawyer would be worth the cost. If I had to pay for a revision, it might be worthwhile to pursue. When I was banded I was told that if I need to convert to bypass (the sleeve was not an option back then), I would be responsible for paying for the anesthesiologist but not the surgery. Currently gastric bypass is covered by OHIP, so I would assume that if I needed a revision, it might be covered. If I ever do need a revision, I will research all of my options before deciding to go forward. Having said all of that, I am disappointed with this current news, and I hope that the new doctors will take over where Dr. Yau left off, time will tell. As an aside, I did have an ultrasound, and a barium xray that indicate that I had a very slight dilation of the esophagus. I had a 0.5 cc defill and will have a follow up xray in a few weeks.