I am a former Internal Medicine/Hospitalist who worked at UPMC Altoona between 2013 and 2016. I interacted with Dr Amy Swindell on a number of occasions and wish to warn anyone who is willing to listen about the dangers of this doctor taking care of your family members who may be terminally ill.
Circa 2015, I was starting my first day of my work cycle as a Hospitalist. I had an elderly man who was a known case of intra abdominal cancer who had been admitted to the hospital with excruciating abdominal pain. His pain had been rated at 10/10 intensity and as a result he had been admitted with Palliative Dr Amy Swindell consulting.
I had seen the patient on the morning of my first day rounding and his abdominal pain due to the cancer had eased with morphine. He told me he wanted to stay in the hospital another day because his abdominal pain caused by the cancer had eased slightly but not resolved to the point where he was willing to go home.
While I was writing a progress note in the patient’s electronic chart, Dr Amy Swindell approached me and told me that the patient was stable for discharge and should be sent home. I explained to her that I had already started writing the progress note for the day and that would make discharging the patient more difficult, as we Hospitalists are only meant to write discharge summaries on patients the day we discharge them and not progress notes. But my next action was to tell her I would ask the patient if he wanted to go home that particular day. I told her I would discharge the patient if he wanted to go home and was willing to be discharged.
I invited Dr Swindell to the patient’s bedside and asked him if he wanted to be discharged the same day. The patient claimed his pain in the abdomen had eased since admission but he would prefer to go home the next day as he felt the level of pain was still high and he was not comfortable being discharged that day.
I accepted this wish on the part of the patient and told Dr Swindell I would honor the patient’s wishes to be discharged the next day.
Around an hour later, while rounding on my other patients, I received a phone call from my supervisor. He accused me of telling Dr Swindell I refused to discharge the patient in question simply because I had started writing the patient’s progress note for that day. This was a lie Dr Swindell had told my supervisor as a ploy to get this elderly cancer patient discharged prematurely at a time when his abdominal pain was only partly controlled.
I had told Dr Swindell my having initiated the progress note for the day for the patient would have made the process of his discharge more difficult. But in the next breath, I told her I could discharge him if he was willing. I had escorted her to the bedside to ask him if he wished to be discharged the same day or the next, mindful of his pain level. My decision to keep the patient in the hospital another day was consistent with his wishes. She distorted my words, contacted my supervisor and FALSELY claimed I refused to discharge him simply on account of my having started writing his progress note for the day.
My request to anyone with a terminally ill patient in their family is to NOT allow Dr Swindell to participate in your family’s care unless you wish for a lying and manipulating Palliative Medicine doctor to unsafely discharge your relative at a time when their pain has been inadequately controlled. You have been warned.

Submitted May 28, 2022

Refused to treat a serious infection after i requested my records.

Submitted Nov. 12, 2008

Very friendly. Listens well. Compassionate.

Submitted April 5, 2008

This doctor is very knowledgeable and a real sweetheart. She listens, yes listens, to your problems and lets the patients help decide what is best for that patient. Her staff is very pleasant. Her nurse makes you feel very comfortable and is very friendly.

Submitted Dec. 13, 2006