Immeasurably Disappointing

Words cannot begin to express my disappointment about the post-operative care provided by Dr. Norman Rowe. The last time I saw Dr. Rowe was when I was waking up from anesthesia in the operating room and he said, “I will see you tomorrow morning in the office.” Those words were so untrue. It is so unethical to perform a surgery on a patient and never see the outcome of that surgery. He is running a factory, not a plastic surgery practice. I was scheduled for a 2PM breast lift/reduction surgery. The surgery started at 5PM. I was his third surgery scheduled that day. He has his assistants in place for the post-op visits. You will never see him again after he performs the surgery. I don’t know if this is the standard practice for patients who pay out of pocket, but if your insurance is covering your surgery, you are better off going to a surgeon who will provide more personal, hands-on post-op care.
What he communicates by not seeing his patients after the surgery is that he ultimately does not care about the results and patient satisfaction. How can an assistant who is not a surgeon, who was not present during the surgery explain the incisions that were made? How can she explain why my nipples are two different shapes and sizes? How can she be the one to talk to about the additional scars ( due to an allergic reaction to the surgical tape used on me) I have around the vertical incisions on my breasts? As lovely as his assistant Elizabeth is, she was not the one to do the surgery!
I had to have a biopsy done before my surgery because a lump was found in my left breast. Dr. Rowe said a pathology report would be done on the breast tissue. When I asked about the results of the pathology report, his assistant had nothing to show me. She simply said it was not yet available.
I have been back to his office on 75th and Park Avenue three different times since my surgery in July. I have never laid eyes on him. As lovely as his receptionists and assistants are, they are not surgical experts and have nothing to do with your surgery. His practice charged my insurance $86,000 to perform a simple breast reduction. Insurance ultimately paid $48,000 to a doctor who does not care about the results of the surgeries he performs and his patients’ satisfaction.