Open letter to KH Wolfratshausen

Dear clinic management,

In November and December 2023, I was a patient at your hospital for practically an entire month. Unfortunately, contrary to other agreements, you billed for 1:1 care, even though you neither provided nor can provide it. The nursing care was provided almost entirely by my own nursing service.

As you had already settled my care costs with my health insurance company, the AOK subsequently refused to cover the costs. Now I have to pay around 35,000 euros in care costs out of my own pocket. Even for the days on which you illegally transferred me to a normal ward against my will, where trained staff would not even have been available in theory.

If I wasn't at the end of my tether in terms of health and nerves, I would sue. Not just for the money. Heads would roll in your organisation for my illegal transfer of a fully ventilated ALS intensive care patient to a normal ward without monitoring and without qualified staff.

Despite all this, I only asked you for one thing. I expect to receive a doctor's letter.

To date, I only have a provisional letter with many handwritten notes, in which there is no mention of the transfer to a normal ward. Whoever thinks this is bad is a rogue. Neither my health insurance company nor my hospital daily allowance insurance will accept it. There is also no mention of the fact that the second two-week stay was only necessary because they didn't do a thorough job at the first appointment, completely overlooked the actual problem and sent me home with the words "it'll be fine". Or the fact that my stay was delayed even further because the wrong cannula had been inserted and I therefore needed another change with a corresponding observation period. Or what about the stitches on my tracheostoma, pufi and toe that had to be surgically removed because you had forgotten to remove them? Which is why my stoma was fully scarred and granulomas grew at three, six, nine and twelve o'clock, which had to be removed under general anaesthetic during a third hospital stay in January?

We have asked countless times in person, by telephone and in writing for a doctor's letter. After five months, I have now given up hope. As the debt collection agency has threatened to take legal action, I have now been forced to pay all the costs myself and don't even get anything back from my private supplementary insurance for such cases.

In view of these circumstances, I am sure you will understand that I am cancelling the planned check-up appointment in a fortnight' time and further treatment by the district clinic.

There is one thing close to my heart that I would like to mention. I was incredibly happy with the medical care and the respiratory therapists. The nursing team, who I spoke to from time to time, were always incredibly nice. I wanted for nothing during my four weeks with you. I would love nothing more than to come to you for a check-up every three months for the rest of my life. But I can't afford it. My account is empty.

I am well connected and write a lot about my experiences on my blog. Exaggeratedly open, honest, direct and indiscreet. At the end, I'll include a few links to reports from my time with you. I have never praised a hospital so highly. Never before. My experiences before Kreisklinik Wolfratshausen were all so bad that I refused to attend my last check-up appointments for almost two years. I doubt that I will find another hospital in my lifetime where I feel so well looked after and where I am prepared to keep coming back for the check-ups, which are already stressful for me because of the complicated patient transport.

I have always shown myself willing to talk. But nobody from your organisation is talking to me. This is the only reason why I have chosen the form of an open letter.

It's a shame that my hospital stay, which was so wonderful in itself, has been so spoilt afterwards. Maybe we'll hear from each other at some point. You should never give up hope.

Kind regards
Patrick Ruppelt

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