Doctors in South Florida

[LBH]

Hi,

I'm curious if anyone has found a good HR doctor in Florida to recommend who has done more than 100 procedures? I have a feeling that there are not too many? Has anyone had any experience with Dr. Ratterman in Tampa? I live in Miami and am considering HR and would love to stay in state if possible. I also know about Dr. Gross in South Carolina, and Dr. Rogerson in Wisconsin, both great.

Thanks,

LBH  Miami

[Pat Walter]

Hi

Welcome to Hip Talk.

You have 3 surgeons in Florida with 200 and 300 hip resurfacings on their record.

Dr. Vincent A. Fowble
300 Hip Resurfacings to date
Palm Beach Orthopaedic Institute
3401 PGA Blvd. Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
1411 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
2055 Military Trail, Jupiter, FL 33458
For Appointment phone 561-694-7776
PBOI Website


Dr. William Kennedy, M.D.
300 Hip Resurfacings to date
Dr. Edward Stolarski
100 Hip Resurfacings to date
Kennedy White Orthopaedic Center
5741 Bee Ridge Road, Suite 280
Sarasota, FL 34233
941-365-0655
WRK@kwoc.net
PA: Mark Shiffner
Kennedy White Orthopaedic Center

Dr. Stephen Raterman, MD, FACS - BHR Trained McMinn December 2005
200 Hip Resurfacings to date ***
14547 Bruce B Downs Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33613
813-979-0440
2nd office location 38107 Market Square
Zephyrhills, FL 33542
813-780-1555
sraterman@floridamedicalclinic.com
Website


If you don't get a good feel for those surgeons, you certainly can't go wrong going to Dr. Gross.  He is very experienced and really not too far from you.  I have a lot of Dr. Gross stories on my Hip Stories Page.

Pat

[LBH]

Thanks Pat,

I have these docs from your website, but thought maybe someone out there experienced someone in Miami. I will follow up with the ones you mention and report back on my progress.

I'm still trying to go to Dr. Rogerson in Madison, WI since my brother lives out there and his wife was under his care when she went to Dr. De Smet two years ago. It's all a matter of insurance and what kind of follow up care I can get here in Miami after, if I run into any problems. Any thoughts on follow up care if getting surgery in another state. What did you do when you came back from Belgium?

Best, lbh 

[Pat Walter]

Hi

Most of us who travel overseas don't need follow up when we return. We stay the required time with the oveseas doctor in their rehab and then we are turned lose.  I stayed 9 days after surgery. 7 at the Holiday Inn.  Now people stay at the Villa.

When you use the really experienced doctors, there is no reason for follow up.  There are almost no problems anyone has had after their surgeries with De Smet or Bose that I know of.  I had one stitch to be removed and I went to my family doctor. My husband could have removed it, but I let my doc see me incision.

They usually don't recommend any fancy PT after you get home.  I was very stiff and sore at 6 weeks and decided to do some water therapy.  Water walking with stretches and exercises.  I asked Dr. De Smet if it was OK.  The overseas doctors are always available by email for questions.  If I need anything medical, I would have just had my doctor talk to De Smet.  But there are few problems after hip resurfacing surgery.

By the time you fly home, you are pretty ready to be on your own.

Dr. Rogerson I believe has a similar set up to Dr. De Smet.  He isn't as experienced since Dr. De Smet has done over 2700 hip resrufacings, but he is very committed to hip resurfacing.  You can always ask what follow up care would be required by the doctor you are considering.

De Smet patients send an x-ray to him at 1 year post op.  If you had a problem, you could send one earlier.  If I need a revision or had a big problem, I would get on the plane and return to De Smet.  I just have faith in him and don't want to use the less experienced docs.  Many people don't mind and use the newer docs and have had fine surgeries.  There have been many more post op problems with the new US docs.  There have been a lot of lose acetabulum cups on the Yahoo Surface Hippy Group. There have been 10 over the last few years. None from the overseas doctors.

I just never worried because I talked with so many other De Smet hippies and knew how their recoveries were.

It is alway best to ask questions of your doctor. Get the answer right from the expert.

Pat

[e047278]

I can personally vouch for Fowble who operates at the Jupiter Medical Center about 2 hours to the north of Miami.  Had my right hip resurfaced with a Wright Conserve plus 56mm on Oct. 1 and doing great so far. 

Fowble has been practicing in Jupiter about 2 years after working under Amstuz from the JRI at UCLA where he got the majority of his experience.  He has approx 350 HRs under his belt and is a JRI fellow.  Fowble has a relaxed bedside manner and spends all the time you need answering questions however is a true perfectionist and is tirelessly working the Jupiter Medical Center staff into top shape. 

Looked into HR with Kennedy but he is no longer doing surgery which is now conducted entirely by his partner who has over 100 HR.

For me the convenience factor of being able to stay close to home and family with a reasonably experienced OS outweighed the advantages of traveling to the far more experienced doctors and hospital staffs but this is of course your decision.

Best of luck

Graham Webb

[Jim M]

I am considering making an appt with Dr Fowble in Palm Beach. I noticed he uses Wright Conserve hardware. I am not sure the device has been approved by FDA. If not, how do insurance companies deal with the approved procedure but using hardware that is not approved yet.

[Pat Walter]

Hi

THey doctors were using the Wright C+ here for many years before the FDA approved the BHR.  Many doctors in Europe also use it when they can't get the right size of BHR for a patient.  If they don't use the right sized ball, then your leg could end up too short or too long.  Dr. De Smet often uses the Wright C+ for proper sizing.

The doctors in the US that have used the Wright C+ for years somehow put 2 different components together that are FDA approved. Since I never had one, I don't know the particulars, but many people have had their Wright C+ paid for by insurance.

Maybe a Wright C+ person could tell us more.

Pat

[Orthowiz]

Hi,
You might want to try Dr.Richard Steinfeld in Vero Beach. I dont know how many he has done but, He is an extremely good surgeon.

Richard Steinfeld,M.D.
Orthopedic Center Of Vero Beach
772-778-2009
1285 36th st. Suite 100
Vero Beach,FL 32960
www.orthocentervb.com

[Vicky]

I recently met and spent some time with both Dr. Raterman as well as Dr. Rogerson.  I am extremely impressed with both of them.  They are both approaching 250 resurfacings each, very talented surgeons and they also really believe in the procedure.  I asked them numerous questions as I did with all the doctors I met while at the conference and they answered all of my questions to my satisfaction.  And I can be pretty tough at times.   

You would not go wrong with either one of these docs.  Please say hi to them for me if you do see them.  They really take resurfacing seriously.

Vicky
LBHR Dr. Bose Dec 01 05

[Suzanne]

Hi!  I am two weeks post op with Dr. Raterman.  I live in New Mexico and traveled to Tampa for surgery and am certainly glad that I did.  Dr. Raterman has now done more than 270 procedures.  He did a resurfacing on my right hip and I will return to Tampa in March for resurfacing of the left hip. Resurfacing is one of his favorite things to do and he has a really good team that he works with all the time.  I went into the hospital on Tuesday and was discharged on Thursday.  I stayed in a hotel for 5 more days and they set it up for the physical therapist, who was excellent, to come to me at the hotel. My greatest surprise is how much better I feel already.  The hardest thing is to hold myself back from doing things that are too strenuous too soon.  Dr. Raterman is the team doc for the Tampa Bay Lightnings hockey team and wants all of us to "get back out on the ice" as soon as possible.  I was out of bed the same day as surgery, walked 200 feet and 250 feet the next day, 250 feet the day after that, and then was discharged. The first couple of days in the hospital were the most uncomfortable and the situation has improved daily ever since.  If you are looking for a good doctor in Florida, I do not hesitate to recommend Raterman.  By the way, flying to Tampa and back was no big deal, even from as remote an area as New Mexico, so don't be intimidated by traveling for the surgery.

[Jim M]

I saw Dr Fowble in Dec 08 about resurfacing. I felt very comfortable after spending about an hour with him and talking about the procedure. I am putting the procedure off until Sept 09 for several reasons, including my job. I will have the right hip done and then the left approx one month later. I see that he has over 350 over his belt. Is there anyone else who has used him and can advise success. How is the Jupiter Medical Center staff, rooms and rehab?

[Jim M]

forgot what year were in. surgery planned for Sept 08