Winnipeg family doctor accused of losing, mismanaging medical files in 'pig pen' clinic

A Winnipeg household doc is accused of mishandling, losing oregon delaying the transportation of aesculapian files, sometimes resulting successful delayed entree to aesculapian attraction — and successful 1 case, leaving a diligent connected the hook for thousands of dollars successful aesculapian bills astatine a U.S. infirmary due to the fact that the security institution didn't person the indispensable documents.

"I felt similar dying," erstwhile diligent Helena Friesen said successful an interview. "I sat and cried. I called my daughter. I said, 'What americium I going to do? I don't person that benignant of wealth sitting here.'"

Friesen is 1 of respective radical who told CBC astir their experiences with Dr. Christina Winogrodzka, a wide practitioner with Birchwood Medical Clinic successful Winnipeg.

In aggregate interviews, existent patients, erstwhile patients and erstwhile unit members described experiences with Winogrodzka that suggested recurring themes: mislaid oregon missing aesculapian files, diligent referrals that weren't sent, prescriptions that ne'er made it to pharmacists and an bureau filing strategy successful disarray.

Both Friesen and Christine Edwards, a erstwhile unit subordinate of Winogrodzka's, told CBC that they person complained to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, the self-regulatory assemblage for doctors successful the province. 

This is Friesen's 2nd effort to bash so. Years ago, the archetypal clip she tried to explicit her concerns astir Winogrodzka, she said that the assemblage told her that uncovering a caller wide practitioner would beryllium a challenge. She withdrew her complaint.

The assemblage confirmed to CBC that it is present "engaged" with the session and vowed to amended grip diligent complaints.

Edwards worked for Winogrodzka arsenic an bureau manager for six years. In April 2025, her employment was terminated.

She archetypal spoke to CBC successful precocious 2024, because, she said, "it's been a continual breaking constituent for galore years."

Patients were regularly "getting upset — radical were coming to the table and complaining and yelling and crying due to the fact that their things were not done, and they're disquieted astir their health," said Edwards.

"I'm hoping that those who are listening volition recognize … it needs to beryllium cleaned up."

Oncology referral not filed for a year

Edwards recalled 1 of the archetypal times she had to hunt for a missing file. A diligent contacted the bureau and asked Edwards to find retired what had happened to her referral to an oncologist.

"I was looking for this file, and I recovered it connected the left-hand broadside of the doctor's desk, astir astatine the bottom, and the stack of charts was astir apt 20 deep," Edwards said. 

"I showed it to the doctor, and I said that this woman was connected the telephone and she was waiting and wondering astir her referral to an oncologist. And the past clip that she had been determination was a twelvemonth prior."

Once Edwards recovered the file, the referral was sent in.

"And truthful I had to spell backmost to this diligent and archer her that it hadn't been done yet, but [Winogrodzka] was going to bash it today. I felt truthful badly. My bosom conscionable broke for her." 

In cases similar Helena Friesen's, the delayed transportation of her aesculapian files meant financial, arsenic good arsenic emotional, distress.

"It's rough," Friesen said simply, crying.

In February 2023, portion Friesen and her hubby were successful Florida, some contracted COVID-19 and ended up successful a hospital. Helena Friesen was discharged aft a fewer hours and aboriginal recovered.

Her hubby was yet medically evacuated backmost to Canada. He aboriginal died.

Initially, they believed their question security would screen the aesculapian bill. Later, their question security institution — TuGo — requested their aesculapian documents, to verify that neither had a pre-existing information that would person contributed to their illness, Friesen said.

By February 2024 — a twelvemonth aboriginal — contempt aggregate telephone telephone requests, in-person visits and emails from some Friesen and the security company, Winogrodzka had inactive not sent Helena's aesculapian documents.

That's erstwhile the security institution cancelled her policy.

A missive from the company, shared with CBC, said it was "unable to supply outgo for your aesculapian expenses incurred … since contempt our galore requests, Dr. Winogrodzka has not provided the required aesculapian wellness questionnaire (MHQ) to corroborate your aesculapian history."

Friesen present owed much than $6,000 US successful aesculapian bills for her three-hour infirmary stay. The infirmary forgave the indebtedness for her husband's attraction aft helium died, she said.

She hoped the security institution would reverse the determination to cancel her policy, and begged Winogrodzka to nonstop the documents, she said.

"Every appointment, I mentioned, 'Have you sent my records and aesculapian records?… Because they privation wealth from me,'" said Friesen.

Her girl accompanied her to an appointment, and besides emphasized however important it was to nonstop the documents and however overmuch wealth was owing, Friesen said, but to nary avail.

CBC asked Winogrodzka for an interview, but she declined.

Disability forms not filed: patient 

Linda Gies, besides a diligent of Winogrodzka's, lives with some crab and aggregate sclerosis.

Gies, who said her income past twelvemonth was conscionable $17,000, was astatine hazard of losing her disablement status, due to the fact that Winogrodzka delayed filling retired the forms required by the national government, she said.

"There's a disablement recognition — and I cognize it doesn't mean overmuch to immoderate people, but that bonus helps for bills," Gies said. "Groceries, nutrient connected the array for my family, things similar that. It makes a large difference, right?"

Gies received the disablement credit until this taxation season, erstwhile she was required to resubmit the paperwork confirming her aesculapian condition.

She said astatine first, erstwhile she asked Winogrodzka to assistance capable retired the required forms, the doc denied Gies was ever connected disability.

"She says, 'Well, who enactment you connected disability?'" said Gies. "I said, 'What bash you mean who enactment maine connected disability? You did.' She was, 'No, I didn't.'"

Gies said she recommended Winogrodzka cheque her files, but the doc inactive denied she had enactment her connected disability.

Eventually, Gies was capable to marque an assignment to spot Winogrodzka successful person, truthful they could capable retired the disablement signifier together. But erstwhile she arrived astatine the session for her appointment, Winogrodzka wasn't there, Gies said. She waited for hours and returned home.

Weeks later, she threatened to study Winogrodzka to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, said Gies.

Soon after, Winogrodzka filled retired the forms and submitted them, she said.

In total, CBC spoke to 11 erstwhile and existent patients and unit members. They described antithetic versions of the aforesaid themes, including delays successful accessing aesculapian records needed for either disablement benefits oregon aesculapian referrals, and delays successful accessing aesculapian results because, they allege, they were lost.

They described unsanitary conditions. Two described rust connected a aesculapian tool and a humor stain on an exam bed.

There are besides allegations of mislaid prescriptions. In April, Edwards, the erstwhile employee, got a telephone from Winogrodzka, who was astir to permission the state connected vacation. Winogrodzka had forgotten, Edwards said, to motion disconnected connected aggregate prescriptions connected behalf of her patients to the pharmacist.

It was near to Edwards to find which diligent was waiting for which prescription. Adding to the challenge, the prescriptions were not astatine the session itself — they were astatine Winogrodzka's home.

Unsanitary office: patients, erstwhile staff

Former unit and patients besides picture a cluttered, unsanitary and disorganized bureau space, with 1 erstwhile worker calling it a "pig pen."

Photographs supplied to CBC showed exam and retention rooms that were filled with stacks of diligent files, piled connected apical of each other. Some were piled connected the floor. Others were piled connected a desk, adjacent to a sink, a java mug and much cause samples.

"Files were perpetually misplaced. I was ever looking for files. Patients called and they needed results, and I couldn't find a chart," said a erstwhile employee, whom CBC has agreed not to name, due to the fact that she feared it could impact her employment.

"The patients were calling and they were getting huffy astatine america girls, and it wasn't us. It was Dr. Winogrodzka."

In different photos, cause samples appeared to be stored successful drawers and piled connected apical of each other. Many were retired of date, according to 2 erstwhile unit members.

"She had immoderate worldly sitting connected her support that was years outdated that she was inactive handing retired to the patients," said the erstwhile employee. 

Another photograph showed a specimen container with a specimen successful it, sitting connected the desk. Medical tools were besides visible, soaking successful the sink.

"Sometimes [the biopsies] were near sitting successful the exam rooms," Edwards said.

"We would beryllium showing patients in, and the illustration and the samples of immoderate it was that was removed from the diligent … were sitting determination for each to see."

Lindsay Sarrasin worked for Winogrodzka arsenic an bureau head from 2006 to 2008. She excessively described the exam rooms arsenic cluttered and disorganized.

"There were times [patients] were calling maine backmost 1 oregon 2 weeks later, saying, 'I inactive haven't got my referral,'" Sarrasin said. "She had truthful galore files successful her bureau that she didn't adjacent cognize what she was moving on."

She besides said the rooms were messy and dirty.

"As a female, I would not privation to person a carnal done successful that office, lone due to the fact that erstwhile I spell into a doctor's office, I privation clean," Sarrasin said. 

Patients said that they were reluctant to record a ailment against Winogrodzka due to the fact that medically, they're susceptible — they fearfulness it won't beryllium casual to find different doc consenting to instrumentality them on.

"It's not arsenic casual arsenic that," said Gies. "Like, if you spell to the market store and you don't similar what they person there, you spell to a antithetic store. You can't bash that with doctors."

Former diligent Friesen said aft dropping her archetypal complaint, she reached retired to the College of Physicians and Surgeons again successful June of this year. This time, she sent the regulator a elaborate email, listing her concerns regarding Winogrodzka. 

Edwards said she besides reported her concerns to the assemblage the aforesaid month.

CBC reached retired to the assemblage for remark astir the concerns regarding Winogrodzka successful June. 

Five days later, sources told CBC that files, boxes and aesculapian records were removed from Winogrodzka's Birchwood session premises.

After the archetypal petition for remark astir the diligent and unit concerns, CBC asked the College of Physicians and Surgeons for remark astir the grounds removals. Dr. Guillaume Poliquin, the college's adjunct registrar of complaints and investigations, provided a written response.

"We are alert of the concerns regarding Birchwood Medical Clinic. The session has been engaged successful our processes and for that crushed we cannot supply further details astatine this time," helium said.

In respect to Friesen's concerns astir her attempts to antecedently record a complaint, Poliquin said that successful July, the assemblage "will beryllium implementing changes that volition heighten our process for reviewing concerns and complaints submitted astir the attraction oregon behaviour of physicians."

"Media is simply a invaluable spouse for us; consciousness astir high-profile cases allows others who whitethorn person akin concerns to travel forward," helium wrote. 

CBC near aggregate text, telephone and email requests to Winogrodzka to remark connected the allegations. When reached by phone, she said she's been moving for 35 years astatine the aforesaid place and did not privation to comment.