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CNN Live Today

The Waiting Room

Aired August 01, 2003 - 11:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: When you go to the doctor you reach for a magazine because you know it's coming. We are talking about the long wait. But a Las Vegas man who waited for almost four hours got so frustrated he took his case to the courthouse. Telly Belavilis sued, and he won $250 in damages against his doctors. The doctor says he is appalled the courts would do such a thing. He's promising to appeal. But for now Telly Belavilis has made his point with legal victory. He and his wife Sandra join us this morning. They are in New York.
Belavilis, good morning. Thanks for being with us.

Telly, let's go ahead and start with you. Take to us the day in the waiting room and how what was going to start as a bit of a wait kept going and going and going.

TELLY BELAVILIS, PATIENT PLAINTIFF: Yes, it was a 2:00 appointment, but they told me to come about 1:30 for preparation. Ten minutes to 3:00 they took me in and they inserted an IV in my arm. 3:00 the nurse came in and she says that the doctor will be late about an hour. I complain about it. I say I'm already one and a half hours over here and I don't believe it's right. He said well there's nothing we can do. We cannot reach the doctor. He comes. He will be here by 4:00. I say OK. The next thing I know 4:00 the doctor did not show up. I asked the nurse again, he said he is on his way. He will be here within the next 20 minutes. The next 20 minutes passed, I started worry being it, because the procedure is two and a half hours, they close at 5:30.

KAGAN: Telly, let me just jump in here for a second, just a little bit of background here. You were going because you had back pain.

BELAVILIS: Correct.

KAGAN: You were going on a trip, and you were concerned about all that travel with this back pain. The doctor said he was doing you a favor in squeezing you in what was already a busy schedule. You kind of weren't supposed to have the appointment on that particular day.

BELAVILIS: This is not true.

KAGAN: You had a scheduled appointment?

BELAVILIS: I had a scheduled appointment 12 days earlier, and I scheduled with a doctor, but his secretary, who she gave me the different days. I desired to take a day before, because the epidural they told me it only lasts seven to 12 days for the first time, and I was going to be about 12 days in Europe.

KAGAN: All right, Sandra, let's bring you in here. Your husband finally gets treatment, comes home. He was pretty ticked, wasn't he?

SANDRA BELAVILIS, TELLY'S WIFE: Yes. Actually I was in the waiting room with him the whole time, because he needed to have...

KAGAN: You were stuck there, too.

S. BELAVILIS: He needed to have somebody there after the procedure to drive him home. So we both were waiting. But, yes, he was mad when he left. He was extremely mad.

KAGAN: Let's talk about this, how you get to the decision of we have all had frustrating situations in the waiting room, but you had it up to here, and you decided to sue.

S. BELAVILIS: Yes, it wasn't we were just upset, it was even though we had informed the doctor we were upset with this, his only comment was just let them go, he didn't care. He had no compassion, and the judge even lectured him on lack of compassion.

KAGAN: Well, he has said he was going appeal. Some other comments from doctor Ty Weller, who said he was trying and all day long he was trying to catch up. He said even more important than the money that he is upset about now he says he has to worry other patients will sue him if he runs behind. So, as he appeals, you guys will continue with the legal fight?

T. BELAVILIS: If he appeals. I don't understand. I think this gentleman only cares about money not what he is supposed to do, help people. The $250, if he is going to get the $250, if he would pay the $250, let's put it this say, how he will avoid all this bad publicity against him, and that's what our point is, they have to stop some day what they are doing what they are doing.

S. BELAVILIS: And that's what the judge's point was, is that he has to stop and think about the patient, and not run everybody through the conveyor belt.

KAGAN: And just, Tell, real quickly, how is your health, how are you feeling? And have you switched doctors?

T. BELAVILIS: I have a wonderful doctor, Dr. Lanckosky (ph), which has given me the epidural. I'm pain-free right now, and I appreciate it.

KAGAN: That's the utmost important of all. We wish you continued good health.

Telly, thank you, Telly and Sandra Belavilis, thank you for joining us.

We appreciate you sharing your story of fighting about being stuck in the doctor's waiting room.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired August 1, 2003 - 11:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: When you go to the doctor you reach for a magazine because you know it's coming. We are talking about the long wait. But a Las Vegas man who waited for almost four hours got so frustrated he took his case to the courthouse. Telly Belavilis sued, and he won $250 in damages against his doctors. The doctor says he is appalled the courts would do such a thing. He's promising to appeal. But for now Telly Belavilis has made his point with legal victory. He and his wife Sandra join us this morning. They are in New York.
Belavilis, good morning. Thanks for being with us.

Telly, let's go ahead and start with you. Take to us the day in the waiting room and how what was going to start as a bit of a wait kept going and going and going.

TELLY BELAVILIS, PATIENT PLAINTIFF: Yes, it was a 2:00 appointment, but they told me to come about 1:30 for preparation. Ten minutes to 3:00 they took me in and they inserted an IV in my arm. 3:00 the nurse came in and she says that the doctor will be late about an hour. I complain about it. I say I'm already one and a half hours over here and I don't believe it's right. He said well there's nothing we can do. We cannot reach the doctor. He comes. He will be here by 4:00. I say OK. The next thing I know 4:00 the doctor did not show up. I asked the nurse again, he said he is on his way. He will be here within the next 20 minutes. The next 20 minutes passed, I started worry being it, because the procedure is two and a half hours, they close at 5:30.

KAGAN: Telly, let me just jump in here for a second, just a little bit of background here. You were going because you had back pain.

BELAVILIS: Correct.

KAGAN: You were going on a trip, and you were concerned about all that travel with this back pain. The doctor said he was doing you a favor in squeezing you in what was already a busy schedule. You kind of weren't supposed to have the appointment on that particular day.

BELAVILIS: This is not true.

KAGAN: You had a scheduled appointment?

BELAVILIS: I had a scheduled appointment 12 days earlier, and I scheduled with a doctor, but his secretary, who she gave me the different days. I desired to take a day before, because the epidural they told me it only lasts seven to 12 days for the first time, and I was going to be about 12 days in Europe.

KAGAN: All right, Sandra, let's bring you in here. Your husband finally gets treatment, comes home. He was pretty ticked, wasn't he?

SANDRA BELAVILIS, TELLY'S WIFE: Yes. Actually I was in the waiting room with him the whole time, because he needed to have...

KAGAN: You were stuck there, too.

S. BELAVILIS: He needed to have somebody there after the procedure to drive him home. So we both were waiting. But, yes, he was mad when he left. He was extremely mad.

KAGAN: Let's talk about this, how you get to the decision of we have all had frustrating situations in the waiting room, but you had it up to here, and you decided to sue.

S. BELAVILIS: Yes, it wasn't we were just upset, it was even though we had informed the doctor we were upset with this, his only comment was just let them go, he didn't care. He had no compassion, and the judge even lectured him on lack of compassion.

KAGAN: Well, he has said he was going appeal. Some other comments from doctor Ty Weller, who said he was trying and all day long he was trying to catch up. He said even more important than the money that he is upset about now he says he has to worry other patients will sue him if he runs behind. So, as he appeals, you guys will continue with the legal fight?

T. BELAVILIS: If he appeals. I don't understand. I think this gentleman only cares about money not what he is supposed to do, help people. The $250, if he is going to get the $250, if he would pay the $250, let's put it this say, how he will avoid all this bad publicity against him, and that's what our point is, they have to stop some day what they are doing what they are doing.

S. BELAVILIS: And that's what the judge's point was, is that he has to stop and think about the patient, and not run everybody through the conveyor belt.

KAGAN: And just, Tell, real quickly, how is your health, how are you feeling? And have you switched doctors?

T. BELAVILIS: I have a wonderful doctor, Dr. Lanckosky (ph), which has given me the epidural. I'm pain-free right now, and I appreciate it.

KAGAN: That's the utmost important of all. We wish you continued good health.

Telly, thank you, Telly and Sandra Belavilis, thank you for joining us.

We appreciate you sharing your story of fighting about being stuck in the doctor's waiting room.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com