As eight Florida families can attest, be careful about what you write on social media. It could cost you more than you think, NBC 2 reported.
Approximately two weeks ago, one member of Supportive Moms of SWFL — a closed Facebook group with thousands of members — wrote a post highlighting the negative experience she'd had at Fort Myers, Fla.-based Island Coast Pediatrics. Sarah Rubio, another mom in the group, posted a comment about a similarly off-putting experience she'd had at Island Coast, where she's taken her kids for seven years.
A week after that, she got a letter saying her children had been dropped from Island Coast. "We find it necessary to inform you that Island Coast Pediatrics is withdrawing further medical care for your family... This decision is final and will not be discussed further or reversed under any circumstances," the letter read, according to the report.
Josefina Echeveste, Katie Gustafson and five others received similar letters. Ms. Echeveste added that she'd also posted positive comments about Island Coast pediatricians.
"I would like other mothers to know what we're all going through because of what we posted," Ms. Rubio said, according to the report. "An honest review turned out to be a disaster."
Currently, the American Academy of Pediatricians doesn't have any regulations that address situations like this, according to NBC 2.