The following posts have been compiled from comments posted on this site and also on the Facebook page Support Dr. Kottemann:
I am a nurse and had the pleasure of working with Dr Kotteman when I lived in Lincoln. He treated his patients with upmost respect as fellow human beings and always had their best interests at heart. This is the current problem with health care. It isn’t about the patients anymore, they have taken a back seat to how much can be billed and reimbursed by insurance plans and the state. As a nurse of 33 years I feel medical care is going “south.” All about documentation, reimbursement and “covering your butt” and not about what it should be, LISTENING to the patients and doing your best to take care of them. Having Dr Kotteman no longer in practice is just one more big loss for the people. I don’t usually speak out like this, but felt compelled to do so, because this is just so WRONG! I hope you read this Steve and want you to know that I support you and are thinking about you. Linda Miller
Dr. Kotteman is the best Dr. anyone could ever ask for. He has treated me for as long as I can remember. I trust him and the decisions he makes regarding my health issues. He is very intelligent, patient, kind, and he doesn’t give up, he works until he figures out the problem when alot of doctors give up. I would be very disappointed if Dr.K is not re-instated and it would be a great loss to myself personally and the community!
I have never doctored with Steve Kottemann. I only know of his care through others. I work with the public. I can tell you from what I have heard from others over the years is that he is a great physician. One who truly cares. This, I can attest to from experience. A few years back, my brother-in-law was in serious to critical condition many times. Dr. Steve, even though he was not one of the attending physicians, came to the hospital to sit with the family and was on hand to answer questions we may have and to be “the go between” with the attending physicians and family. He did this on his own time and with his own heart. I am not sure of what the whole truth is to this circumstance, regardless, I do not believe he is being treated fairly.
How sad that a man, who has been nothing short of a wonderful doctor, has to be the victim of a “state of the art” system. Collateral damage of the bottom line: money. Dr. K. thank you for all the years of security you gave us, knowing that we had one of the best if we were in need.
Dr. Kotteman has been Steve & Linda Baker’s Doctor since Dr. Blaumn left the Medical Group. We are both around the same age as Dr. Kotteman. We felt very well cared for. You knew he considered your health as important to him and you did yourself. I appreciated knowing that we were considered important enough to spend the time needed to address any of our medical concerns. We want our Doctor back, he is a wonderful person as well as a great Doctor. We continue to have the utmost respect for Dr. Kotteman.
I am a nurse and worked at Family Medical Center for 7 years. I worked with several of the physicians there, but chose Dr. Kotteman as my own personal physician. So I KNOW how Springfield is running the show in Lincoln, and I also know that Dr. Kotteman is an excellent doctor. I continued to travel to Lincoln to see him even after I moved to Springfield for years. To do this to him is outragious!!!!! But working in the medical field I am not surprised at all. It’s all about MONEY. That’s all. MONEY and not the patients!!!
Dr Kotteman always gave me the time I needed and explained everything to me regardless of how long it took. Hello Springfield…people in their 50′s and up DID NOT GROW UP WITH COMPUTERS. IT TAKES TIME TO LEARN HOW TO USE THEM. BUT TO GET RID OF A DOCTOR BECAUSE HE IS BUSY TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE INSTEAD OF SITTING IN FRONT OF A SCREEN PLAYING YOUR GAMES! Are you KIDDING ME??? People of Lincoln, stand up! Don’t go to Memorial and don’t got to FMC. You can be sure that Memorial is NOT letting the employees at FMC comment. Again, I worked there and I know how this works!!! Very sad. You should be ashamed!!! Dr. Kotteman, you are too good for them!!!!!
I first met Dr. K when he finishing up his residency rotation at the ALMH ER when he was still at SIU Med School. He’s been my doctor since he came to Lincoln and I schlep back to Lincoln every time I need to see him.. In fact, until this happened, my instructions to my family is that if I get seriously sick, drive me to the hospital in Lincoln so I can be seen by my own doctor. This is such a loss.
Dr. Kottemann I have never had a patient/Dr relationship with any other doctor. You have kept me informed, calmed my fears, and gave me 2nd to none medical care. I know the biggest mistake FMC would ever make is letting you go. They will loose so many patients. Thank you for caring for me as a person and as a patient.
Recently when I called the Family Medical Center to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kotteman they told me Dr. Kotteman was on medical leave, so I’ve been patiently waiting for Dr. Kotteman to come back. Imagine how surprised I was to learn this morning in the paper that they weren’t being truthful with me. I really like everyone at the Medical Center where Dr. Kotteman worked. First rate group of caring folks you can really trust, but I do wonder about the organization that owns the Family Medical Center. It’s pretty obvious the bottom line is more important to the owners than their patients.
Dr. Kottemann has been my doctor for 33 years, since he came here to Lincoln. My concerns are not for Memorial Medical Center or the position Dr. Kasa seems to think hes in. The only thing that is relative here is the doctor/patient relationship. This relationship is built up over years with the utmost trust and dedication between both parties. It should be the choice of the patient to see a different doctor, not the bureaucratic officals that seem to envelope all of us to one degree or another. Isnt it bad enough when insurance companies tell us what tests we should or should’nt have. What medicines we can or can’t take. How many days spent in the hospital per illiness. It goes on and on. Leave our personal lives out of it, its the only thing we have left. Doctor/patient relationships are personal. I want
my doctor back.
Dr. Kottemann has been my doctor since he arrived in Lincoln in 1977,he delivered both of my children and I can’t think of anyone I trust more. When my son Billy Barton fell ill with cancer at the age of 5 years old,it was Dr. Kottemann who insisted that we be sent to St. Jude for his treatment. He also went with us to first appointment at the affiliate in Peoria. Know many doctors that would do that? Shame on FMC,esp for making remarks that make it sound like he has other problems such as indicated in the paper(performance concerns?) Dr. Kasa shame on you also for not standing up for a fellow doctor,has been there a few years? (referring to Dr. Kasa on youtube)How about 30 years.Maybe we don’t know every fact, but I know he is good and honorable man. Fmc should be so lucky to have a doctor who cares more about his patients then the almighty dollar. If he does not return I certainly will be looking else where for care–which will be hard to ever match! Pam Barton-Ridgway
When the computer system crashes or fails, who will take care of us then? What will happen next? We already have lost a lot of our choices, because of government, insurance, etc. Now we have a Dr. that is taken away because the system has failed him. We ALL need to step up and make this a big deal, because soon, there will be no choices for us.I’m not trying to be dramatic, it concerns me the direction that healthcare is headed. Patients need to be able to be cared for as people not a business.Just thinking….
yes we do NEED dr. Kottemann back!!! Does a computer sit down and take the time to hear our concerns? Does a computer have any empathy or compassion?? How can you put a price tag on such caring and respect that we all receive for dr. Kottemann!! You cant!! We demand to have our doctor back!! He should be treated with the humility and respect he deserves!! I need you dr. Kottemann! You were like a father to me….
You can add 6 more people to the Support Dr. K. campaign. My entire family has been cared for by him for over 30 years. He was there for us when my father was ill for so many years before his passing. He told my mother to call his home if she couldn’t get through to speak to him. He kept meticulous records for my dad during his illness that allowed him to see specialists without any problem. I have worked in the field of education for over 30 years and know how hard it was for me to keep up with technology in the classroom. I was fortunate to have sufficient training in these areas, but it takes a lot of time and effort on your own to become proficient. We would rather our physician do what he was trained to do…diagnose and treat illness…and let those who were trained to transcribe our records do so. I don’t want my records to or those of my family’s to be condensed into a “.checklist”. Dr. Kottemann we are behind you 100%! Cinda Dorgan
Dr. Kottemann is the epitome of the skilled compassionate physician. He is a man of highest character. Memorial Medical Center is off the mark here and needs to find a way to keep this doctor working in the community with the community. Something is VERY wrong if Dr. Kottemann’s career-long dedication culminates in this debaucle. People are NOT going to accept this…
Toni Bauer
Dr. Kottemann I wish you could just go into private practice. Yes this has 554 people supporting you, but in my case FMC would loose 3 patients plus 1 that will arrive in January.
Before I knew Dr. K was on leave. I had to take one of my kids for a check up so I saw the new dr. (at that time I did not know he was taking Dr. K’s place) I asked at that time when my dr would be back. I was told soon. My stomach had been in knots for several weeks thinking about how sick he must have been. My fear was that he was too ill and would never return. I am still sick at the lies MMC is telling.. respecting his privacy. What about the patient relationship that was ripped away leaving us to wonder how we will ever replace Dr. K.
I second the motion, Dr. Kottemann, start your own practice. We will follow! You did it once. I’m sure you could get volunteers to help until you were established. I would put in my time.
My family is also in complete support of Dr. Kottemann…so that is 5 more people willing to support him in any way. We are also committed to not having anything to do with the Memorial Health System until this whole thing is put right! It may mean going somewhere else to access hospital care, but we are willing to do that. Dr. Kottemann has always been committed to giving as much time as needed for his patients and their questions and concerns…that is always one of the committed things that set him apart and at the top of his profession!still sick at the lies MMC is telling.. respecting his privacy. What about the patient relationship that was ripped away leaving us to wonder how we will ever replace Dr. K.
Thank you to all who have had the courage to post your stories here and I don’t doubt that there are many more who have stories to tell. Keep ‘em coming. These stories are history being recorded right now. Our children and grandchildren may someday learn about how we all came together in 2011 to defend a good doctor whose only ‘mistake’ was in giving ‘too much’ time and excellent care to his patients.
