1. Medical Whistleblower
Premier Issue
Volume 1 Issue 00
Medical Whistleblower’s
Canary Notes
Inside this issue:
Bridging the Gap 2-3
Bridging the Gap —
Guiding Principles for
Communication
3 Communication Across Professional Disciplines
We, as citizens, must demand open
Relationship Traps 4
discourse regarding problems in the
medical community of Medical Fraud,
Abuse and Neglect. The civil liberties
of Medical Whistleblowers should not
become casualties. We must not pun-
ish the “Truth Sayers” but instead
create laws to protect their right to
provide timely accurate information.
Our government and medical commu-
nity should acknowledge mistakes
rather than seek to conceal them.
We need to learn to value human ex-
pertise and analysis of information.
“Tell me and I'll We need to build a better a better network of communication between the Medical Whis-
tleblowers and those whose help we need. Our partners in this struggle to expose
forget. Show me and Medical Fraud, Abuse and Neglect come from many professional disciplines – law en-
forcement officers, legislators, social workers, therapists, patient advocates, the media
I'll remember. and attorneys.
Involve me and I'll
We must as medical professionals understand our own professional culture and the pro-
understand.” fessional cultures of those other agencies and individuals we need to interact with. Of-
- Confucius ten our own professional biases places limitations on our ability to understand and re-
spond to law enforcement, legislators and attorneys.
All medical professionals might benefit from learning
“Whenever two good
more about the role of law enforcement and opening a people argue over
more meaningful communication on areas of common principles, they are both
interest. It is my belief that cross training between law
right.”
enforcement and the medical community would reap
benefits to both, and add to our overall understanding of Marie Ebner von
how to address prevention, detection, and response to Eschenbach
Medical Fraud, Abuse and Neglect. Medical Profession-
als are often unaware of their vulnerability to organized
crime and have a strained relationship with law enforce-
ment over drug enforcement. But increased reporting and response might benefit both
the medical and law enforcement communities.

2. Page 2 Medical Whistleblower’s Canary Notes Volume 1 Issue 00
Bridging the Gap
We need to address cultural differences between organizations and governmental agen-
cies. Medical Whistleblowers need to cultivate cooperative sharing between organiza-
tions and learn to bridge the differences between them. We must understand how to
initiate change in the system, most importantly cultural change. While government and
medical community leaders say that they are open to the issues of change, few are able
to translate that understanding into successful action.
Knowledge is power. The greater the Truth, the more psychological obstacles, people
and organizations may have to overcome, before accepting it. This highlights the need
“The relationship is the to strengthen free speech protections for those who raise alarms. It is a sad fact that
sounding the alarm has usually resulted in punishment, not reward for Medical Whistle-
communication bridge between blowers. This reaction to unwelcome truths persists even when the urgent concerns are
people.” discretely expressed through proper channels. It is important to our nation’s public
health that we not let restrictive measures weaken the already tenuous free speech pro-
-Alfred Kadushin. tections of Medical Whistleblowers who have the critical access to field knowledge.
They must be acknowledged as being our first line of contact for gathering information
about criminal activity, medical malpractice, human rights violations and even terrorist
threats.
Our national decision makers must replace long-term thinking over short-term thinking.
Decision makers often want the rewards, but do not welcome the challenging process of
changing their orientation in order to successfully integrate the information given by
Medical Whistleblowers. This information is often a double-edged sword that must be
handled with maturity, for the bare truth is not always easy to face. Politicians or execu-
tives may fear the Truth that the whistleblower brings especially if it threatens their own
career plans. It is best to approach with humility the change necessary to bring mean-
ingful insight of a problem to a government or organization.
“The truth isn't the truth
until people believe you, Government officials and corporate executives need to know where they are headed.
Those with coherent goals and a willingness to adapt to new information will gain the
and they can't believe most. Developing a responsive community or organization is as much a psychological
you if they don't know as an analytical or logistical process. The challenge is not just about acquiring valuable
information but also about rethinking the organization's accepted beliefs and practices.
what you're saying, and Both go hand in hand.
they can't know what Accepting the lessons
learned from Medical
you're saying if they Whistleblowers re-
don't listen to you, and quires learning how to
learn.
they won't listen to you if
you're not interesting,
and you won't be
interesting unless you
say things imaginatively,
originally, freshly.”
- William Bernbach

3. Medical Whistleblower’s Canary Notes Volume 1 Issue 00 Page 3
Bridging the Gap
Developing an effective organization to serve Medical Whistleblowers is therefore about
building an organization of learners. Becoming an intelligent learner is not only about find-
ing valuable information, but also being open to new ideas and concepts. Equally impor- “The problem with
tant, is understanding the limitations of one's own cultural or professional framework, communication ... is the
transcending one's biases, and recognizing the value of best information sharing practices
across cultures. By integrating these practices we will redefine the world in a new way, as illusion that it has been
a consequence of recreating our relationship to it. Different beliefs lead to different atti- accomplished.”
tudes and practices, which, in turn, create different abilities and disabilities. Professional
cultures evolve, that foster or inhibit intelligence. Often these professional cultural influ- George Bernard Shaw
ences are powerful and are shared across religions, levels of education, social networks,
companies and agencies. Despite the sophistication and size of the medical community,
there is still the tendency to “Group Think.”
Each individual's cognitive process is dominated by different affinities and avoidances.
Every person, and by extension every organization, has a natural affinity for certain con-
cepts and ideas. While some persons or organizations are fact- oriented, others prefer to
use their intuition. Some may be satisfied with creative approximation, while others may
need specific details. Preferences and avoidances along key ideas and concepts reveal a
person's or organization's approach to the analysis of information.
Because in any bureaucracy there are limited resources, medical bureaucrats, like man-
agers of any type, strive to please their policy bosses and often have a narrowness of per-
spective. Creative analysis of whistleblower information often requires “Out of the Box”
thinking and a willingness to accept change with all its inherent risk.
Creating a culture of change requires continuous integration within the organization. Such
meaningful change finds its power in people, not in logic. It rests on a shared emotional
understanding and so there is a deep human side to social change. It connects and
unites people, offering them something larger than themselves to be part of. It gives them
the chance to build something important and to do it with others. Emotions and intuition
play a large role. This can be a constructive or a destructive force. We need a better,
more robust, efficient social network. We must face the obstacles that divide us and build
those bridges to better understanding. Communicating information is most valuable to the
public interest when it constantly educates policymakers in a compelling manner.
Guiding Principles for Communication
♦ Trust is easier to destroy than build.
“The most important
♦ Both sides are always accountable in communication.
thing in communication
♦ Focus on influence not control.
is to hear what isn't
♦ Be constructive and give away credit.
being said.”
♦ Use your own passion to ignite relationships.
- Peter F. Drucker
♦ Institutions are the way individuals reach their full potential.
♦ The quality of the founders determines the potential size and influence of the
organizational network.
♦ Quality in the communication protocol is important to its sustainability.

4. Medical Whistleblower
The information contained through the Medical Whistle-
blower Canary Notes Newsletter is provided for general
information only. The information provided by the Medial
Dr. Janet Parker Whistleblower Canary Notes does not constitute legal or
P.O. Box C professional advice nor is it conveyed or intended to be con-
Lawrence, KS 66044 veyed in the course of any adviser-client discourse, but is
Phone: 360-809-3058 intended to be general information with respect to common
Fax: None issues. It is not offered as and does not constitute legal or
E-mail: MedicalWhislteblower@gmail.com medical advice or opinion. It should not serve as a substitute
for advice from an attorney, qualified medical professional,
social worker, therapist or counselor familiar with the facts
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MedicalWhistleblower.googlepages.com to seek additional information and resources before making
any decision. We make no warranty, express or implied,
concerning the accuracy or reliability of the content of this
newsletter due to the constantly changing nature of the legal
Supporting the Emotional Health of All Whistleblowers and medical aspects of these issues .
and their Friends, Supporters and Families.
Relationship Problems
“Insecurity” Lack of self confidence
“Narcissism” Focusing on what you get out of the
relationship as opposed to mutual benefit. Superfi-
cial relationships.
Websites
“Benign Neglect” Ignoring the personal side of the relationship, instead focusing on the
of Interest
problem exclusively.
Www.coopcom.org
“Booby Traps” Hidden resentment expressed through passive aggressive actions.
Www.workteams.unt.
edu “Use or be Used” Manipulative, lack of trust, submissive behavior to authority
Www.oxfordchallenge “Holding Back” Refusing to give people autonomy so that they can be participants in
.org their own way.
Www.pon.havard.edu
“Falling Short of Scale” Burn out and collapse due to depletion of energy.
Www.openbookmanag
ement.com “You messages” Focusing on oneself, blaming others for problems.
“When we have the courage to speak out – to break our silence – we inspire
the rest of the "moderates" in our communities to speak up and voice their
views.”
Sharon Schuster