My dad was sent to Honor Health Osborn for the tre...

My dad was sent to Honor Health Osborn for the treatment of blood clots. He died suddenly as I was taking him home from the hospital, which was a deeply traumatic experience. It's worth noting that he died as soon as we arrived at higher elevations, in Payson. (My dad lived in Lakeside but the hospital is in Scottsdale.) Afterwards, I was told by several people that a person with blood clots should never be moved to higher elevations due to the risk of blood pressure change, which can cause death if the change in pressure causes the blood clot to move. This appears (to me) to be exactly what happened. I was unaware of this, but would assume any doctor/hospital should have known this and warned us of the risk. They were aware he lived in the mountains.

Honor Health informed me they would investigate whether anything was done wrong and get back to me within two weeks. All of this started on May 26. I received their letter yesterday, August 14. Honor Health's Chief Medical Officer, Brian Sidoti, appears to be unaware of the dangers associated with sending blood clot patients to higher altitudes. His letter says, "We do not feel that the change in elevation would have had any material impact on the oxygen levels in his bloodstream." As if oxygen levels were the issue rather than blood pressure...

Perhaps my dad would be alive today if Honor Health had put as much effort into caring for him as they have over the past months into figuring out a way to answer the elevation question without taking accountability for their failure. Their letter concluded with expressions of condolences that feel as empty as their promise to provide the best care possible.