Hi Hipsters!
I'm new to the surface hippy site, but not new to hip pain. Have been considering hip resurfacing for a few years and it's time. I live in TN and my insurance will allow me to go out of town and it's considered in network. I have researched and have narrowed my search to Dr Gross and Dr Raterman. Can anyone or everyone please chime in on how I can determine which one of these Dr to use?
Thank you in advance.
Welcome to the site! This is a great place to do your research. The main thing you want with a surgeon is experience, a continuing commitment to the procedure (do many per week), and skill.
The first two can be measured in a fashion by looking at the number of procedures that they have done (experience), by how many they do per week (commitment).
The third, skill is much more difficult to gauge, since we are not experts on this and can't really tell whether something is being done correctly. You can look at secondary cues like who they trained with, with several top surgeons around the world training very good surgeons. You can also look at their results - how many of their HRs were revised, whether they have the confidence to handle and be successful with higher risk patients, and ultimately, word of mouth.
In a way the last is incomplete, since many hippys are happy to go on with their life and should do so. So they are not available to tout their surgeon. There are, though surgeons that have many happy patients who will post in sites like this, so that in itself has value.
In the end, you have to take the tools that are on here and other sites and use them to make what is a very personal decision. I think you'll find people here who have had very good experiences with either Dr. Gross or Dr. Raterman. One thing that you may want to do is to talk to both and see for yourself if you like one better than the other.
There is a list of questions that you can ask a surgeon when you speak with them that Pat put together that is very helpful. It is here: http://www.surfacehippy.info/questionsfordoctor.php (http://www.surfacehippy.info/questionsfordoctor.php)
Both doctors have done many resurfacings, with Dr. Gross at 2200, Dr. Raterman 1500.
Dr. Raterman did a chat on this web site, here:
http://www.surfacehippy.info/raterman-chat-aug-2012.php (http://www.surfacehippy.info/raterman-chat-aug-2012.php)
Good luck on your decision, also you should consider the hospital and the aftercare in the hospital itself. I think either is a good choice, with Dr. Gross having more experience.
Dr. Gross did mine a few months ago. I have no reservations recommending him. I don't believe I have ever seen anything negative written about him, ever. Check out his website, he really makes an effort to lay it out all out there.
I'm not very informed about Dr. Raterman so can't comment intelligently (though I suspect he would also be a fine choice).
Check out the different devices they offer. I know Dr. Gross does not use the BHR, and for some maybe that's a dealbreaker (it wasn't for me). See if in your heart you have a definite preference for one device over the other. If you don't, contact one or the other, set up a phone consult (Dr. Gross does them for free, calls you up like clockwork a couple of weeks after you mail in your documentation) and see if there is a comfort level there. If not, call the other doctor. My hip resurfacing was not a special case so I felt no need to contact multiple doctors, especially after talking to Dr. Gross and knowing pretty quickly that he was the guy i wanted doing carpentry inside me.
Location matters [all other things being equal]. I flew from Boston to Charlotte and then drove to Columbia SC for my surgery with Gross. I would not have done that if I had an option as good as Dr. Gross within driving distance. Traveling home from Columbia was not fun, the TSA is terribly incompetent. It wasn't the end of the world, but if I had two options I was completely comfortable with, i would take the driving/closer option. Not an expert, and Tennessee is a wide-ish state, could you drive to Columbia? You wouldn't drive to Tampa, I should think.
Mike
Personally, and yes I am very prejudiced towards Dr. Gross I would choose him again and again.
Dr. Gross helped design the cementless biomet device, he's had fantastic results with the device. Dr. Gross's staff is top notch, the hospital is small and easy to get around, the nurses are all nurses that are extremely up to date on Dr. Gross's patients, in fact I think the floor that you are on post-op are mostly all populated by Dr. Gross patients.
We have lots of Dr. Gross happy patients on this forum, ask away, but as others have said talk to both doctors before making your decision.
I'm a 4 year patient of Dr. Gross, I've fallen on ice on my operated side and recently I fell down 15 steps and my hip survived it.
Chuck
Ditto on Dr. Gross. There is nothing, from the time you first go in, to the time you leave, that does not operate like clockwork.
I remember going into the pre-op consult, armed with my list of questions. One of them was, "If you're half way through and need to change to a THR, what device....". Lee Webb didn't let me finish the sentance. She just said, "We won't. You'll have a resurfacing." I truly believed her. Their confidence is totally backed up by their experience. It is quite possible that Dr. Raterman has similar accounts from his patients. But I can 100% endorse Dr. Gross, and will go back to him when I need my other done someday.
Good luck with your decision!
Andy
Im 7 days post op from having Dr. Gross do my surgery,I flew from Albuquerque to see him. My experience has been very good, it was what I expected from what I heard from other people and by talking to Dr. Gross. I highly recommend him. Take your time and talk to as many doctors as you need to. ..lyn
I would highly recommend Dr. Gross. He did my right hip Feb of 2009 and I have been very happy with it. The care I received in the clinic from Dr. Gross, NP Lee Webb, and nurse Nancy was excellent! I also received outstanding care in the hospital from the staff there, and I had very little pain after the surgery! My husband and I travelled by car all the way from SW Minnesota and back, and it was worth it.
The choice if a personal one, but I can say that my experience with Dr Gross and all of his staff was first class from beginning to end. Everyone at every step of the way was kind, caring, and supportive. Dr. Gross has dedicated the past ten years of his life to developing the prosthetics and the surgical procedure for resurfacing, and the dedication really shows. Also the hospital and nursing staff are first rate, and everyone there is kept up to speed on Dr Gross and his protocols.
Both are excellent doctors with plenty of experience. Have you looked into Dr. Brooks at the Cleveland Clinic?
He is easily at 1400+ resurfacings to date. When I chose him for my surgery back in 2010 it was his carefully considered, and highly detailed responses to Pat Walters' questions that sealed the deal for me. Unlike many doctors who like to give lay people short, perfunctory answers to medical questions, he did the opposite. He studied with both Tracey AND McMinn, really believes in resurfacing and I believe has had only one failure (femoral fracture on his 6th surgery - patient was lifting leg weights at 6 weeks) in all of his surgeries. Needless to say, he forbids weight lifting at 6 weeks post op.
Hey BLT.......have you decided (not that it's our business)? Just curious.
By the way, your name sounds delicious!
Thanks to all that replied. This website has been valuable in helping me make hip decisions. I have decided to go with Dr Gross and I'm scheduled for surgery on November 14. Excited and nervous at the same time. Can't wait until this pain is gone.
Again, thank you all for the insight.
Good luck BLT.
I think that the most important decision you can make is to choose the right surgeon - one who has lots of experience and knows exactly what he doing in every case. From what I can see Dr Gross is one of the best on your side of the Atlantic. Good choice. I'm sure you won't regret it.
Hey BLT - I am right there with you....same doc, same day. See you in recovery!
-Patrick
Good luck blt and patrick - looking forward to getting stereo reports.