Feedback Requested on Choosing a Doctor

[iceman]

Hi,

I am looking for feedback on choosing the best doctor for my hip resurfacing surgery. I currently reside in the Orange County, CA area and have narrowed it down to the following.

Thomas Schmalzried, MD - Los Angeles, CA
Joshua Hickman, MD - Salt Lake City, UT
Peter Brooks MD, FRCS(C) - Cleveland, OH
Anton Plakseychuk MD, PhD - Pittsburgh, PA

Many of these choices are based on the # of surgeries completed and in places that I have family and/or friends for support for the initial few weeks after the surgery is completed.

Can I have opinions on which ones you feel may be the best option? And why?

Thanks!

[jd]

Hi Iceman,


Have you emailed, talked on the phone, or had an in person appointment with any of them?


I'm also in SoCal and had an in-person appointment with Dr Schmalzried. Even though my insurance paid for things, the billing for that consult was insane and turned me off a little -- otherwise I was mildly positive on him. I also had a free email consult based on my x-rays with Dr Brooks whom I was very happy with. I don't have any experience with the other two.


I also did the free phone consult with Dr Gross and was impressed enough that I decided to make the trip to SC to have him do it. You would need someone to go with you to SC but you will be there less than a week (he advises you book a flight home 2-3 days post-op, and you need to have a pre-op visit 1 day pre-op). As long as someone can accompany you for 4-7 days, you shouldn't have any issues with the recovery. My wife went back to work on my 5th post-op day and by that point I was perfectly capable of looking after myself in most ways.


My advise is to at least take advantage of Dr Brooks' email consult and Dr Gross' phone consult, then you might as well see Dr Schmalzried since he's close. See how those go and what you think then!

[iceman]

Thanks for the feedback.

I have met with Schmalzried and Plakseychuk. I was a little green on what to ask, so I am following up with both to collect additional information.

For Schmalzried, I have an ethical concern based on this litigation:
http://www.kcrlegal.com/truth-about-doctor-schmalzried-vail-nevins.aspx

I am originally from Pittsburgh, so I am going to consult with Brooks from the Cleveland Clinic. It's a 2-hour drive from Pittsburgh and a logical option.

Thanks as well on the info on Dr. Gross. I will reach out to him too.

[chuckm]

I don't see a problem with Schmalzried. The article says he was a co-inventor of ASR. And I don't think he had any problems with his own implantations. Had he accepted a deal to use someone else's device then I could see a real conflict. He is a good surgeon who made a poor business decision where no one could anticipate that other surgeons would have such trouble implanting that device.

Chuckm

[jd]

Since you mentioned royalties, Dr Gross does receive royalties from Biomet (as he designed or was at least involved in the design of the implant he uses), but not for his own surgeries, or any others performed in South Carolina.


Importantly, he does also publish his results in peer-reviewed journals, and they are very good.

[blinky]

I am preop and a woman, so my situation may not be the most helpful, but here is my 2 cents. (Women have fewer choices than men right now.) I will have HR with Dr Gross very soon.


I did consider location, but there was no OS close by who would resurface a woman, so that went out the window. I suppose location continued to play a role in that I am originally a southerner and was attracted to the small scale and gentleness of SC. Everything would be closer together, the airport would be easier, hotels cheaper, etc. I decided I would rather go there than a big city.


I liked Dr Gross and, before the withdrawal of small BHR devices, Dr Brooks because they published their results. I liked being able to see what their complication rates were and which groups of patients were more vexing. Both had a high degree of responsiveness to questions, all kinds of questions. Dr Gross and his staff continue to be wonderful as I get closer to my date.


Another factor for me was that Dr Brooks was at the Cleveland Clinic and my in laws had a wonderful experience there when they were dealing with a serious heart issue.

[iceman]

Thank you for the feedback.

I am relieved to hear about the positive info on Schmalzried. He was extremely informative and patient when providing information. Also, I received a follow up letter and phone call from his staff. A reference to another one of his patients was provided too that is in my age bracket and very active. When I saw the info on the lawsuit it was confusing since my experience was very positive.

This forum is excellent place for getting feedback. I feel very fortunate for all those that have provided their feedback.

I will have to continue my research and make the choice that I feel most comfortable.