Kaelen

Hi Bill. This is a great discussion... and the only place where Dr. Friedman's name is mentioned on this entire site. So now I'm even more concerned... and looking for the trutht. If some has practiced for over 20 years... there has to be some trail... so input you can give me. Thanks... Kaelen

Originally posted by Bill:

Great discussion!

 

The purpose of this post was simple, to provide information and encourage open and transparent discussion. I believe this post accomplished its purpose as evidenced by your well thought out responses.

 

Like Pat said, I support any efforts to set higher standards for physician testing and education. I believe the ABHRS is making great efforts (generally speaking) to accomplish this.

 

However, many physicians who are ABHRS certified diplomates are a farcry from meeting our high level of patient driven standards for recommendation which centers around consistent results and public accountability. Hair Bound and Pat named a number of them.

 

Additionally and unfortunately, many physicians misuse their "board certification" in order to promote themselves to patients when most patients don't know what being board certified in hair transplantation really means!

 

The ABHRS is a group of physicians evaluating physicians, but who is going to evaluate the evaluators? This is where YOU come in!

 

As Pat pointed out, the beauty and necessity of this patient driven forum community is public accountability and transparency. This applies both to physicians, and its publishers (Pat and myself).

 

Physicians who can't meet our high level of standards often have a problem with patients creating standards for recommendation, many of which have either been rejected or removed from the Hair Transplant Network based on your feedback.

 

We will press on by recommending only those surgeons who we believe perform state of the art hair transplant techniques and will be publicly accountable for their actions.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

Hi Pat. I'm just trying to get information about Dr. Friedman in Scottsdale. This discussion thread is the only place where I can find his name... and someone named Hairbound has indicated the you have removed... or blocked Dr. Friedman from this site. I'm just trying to find out what is true... and anything positive or negative about Dr. Friedman. I think this site has some great information... and has probably helped many people avoid bad HT's. I'm also starting to understand that the industry seems to have some turf wars... and this is about money and marketing. I just want to get whatever information I can about Dr. Friedman... who has practiced HT's for over 20 years. What can you tell me. If you can't post it on this site... give me a way to contact you privately. Or you should have my personal email... since this is your site. Thanks... Kaelen.

Originally posted by Pat - Publisher of this Community:

I certainly support any efforts to set higher standards for physician education and testing in the hair transplant profession. God knows it's long over due.

 

However, I also know that many of the physicians who have passed the ABHRS exams, as Hair Bound has pointed out, would not meet the standards for recommendation on the Hair Transplant Network. In fact, many of them have been rejected or removed over the years from the Network.

 

As Dr. Feller pointed out, many hair transplant physicians do not want to be evaluated publicly by patients and held accountable to standards set by patients. They would rather create their own seal of approval. But unfortunately this is much like the police policing themselves.

 

For example, Dr. Mangubat in Seattle, who was a past President of the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery), has for years created grafts by mounting dozens of razor blades next to each other and then forcing them into the donor strip to create dozens of 1mm wide chunks of tissue that he calls grafts.

 

He marketed this "Mangubat Wacker" to many hair transplant physicians on the basis that it saved time and the expense of having staff trim the donor tissue into grafts. In my opinion this device would be more accurately called a "Mass Transection Wacker" or "Follicular Genocide Device".

 

Yet Dr. Mangubaut is ABHRS certified. I would like to see his answers to the part of the test related to graft dissection.

 

Dr. Mangubat coincidently has over the years attacked this patient based community privately behind the scenes in an effort to discourage his colleagues from participating. However, recently he seems to have lightened up since even he realizes that patient based discussions can't be banished.

 

I also do agree with Dr. Feller that representing this testing/certification as "board" certification over sells its true legitimacy since it is not actually a board recognized by the AMA.

 

Where I do not agree with Dr. Feller is his assertion that the dues paying club known as the IAHRS (International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons) has any real public accountability.

 

This pseudo non profit group, which was cleverly crafted by the self proclaimed "patient advocate" Spencer Kobren, does not operate in a transparent manner and is not held publicly accountable by a patient based forum like the one.

 

Frankly, this patient based forum community keeps all of us accountable - not just the doctors but me. If a physician does not consistently perform it will typically be public knowledge on this forum in short order. At that point the issue must be investigated and resolved. If the physician is found to not be meeting the standards for Coalition membership ( see Coalition Standards) then they will be promptly suspended. All potential new members and recommended physicians are also presented to this community as a part of their evaluation process. Many of these clinics have also been visited by me, which includes observation of their actual surgery and technique and inspection of their clinics ( see visits to Leading Hair Transplant Clinics ).

 

 

Spencer Kobren and the IAHRS are free from this public accountability since they got rid of their discussion forum. Therefore Spencer Kobren is free to promote his paid members, many of whom would not be able to operate in a transparent and publicly accountable environment like this patient based forum.

 

This lack of public accountability and scrutiny may make some of the IAHRS members and Spencer Kobren comfortable. But in my opinion this profession/industry does not need more logos and slogans to hide behind. It needs real public accountability and transparency.

 

Many of the members of the IAHRS have been rejected from this community and certainly would not be granted membership in the Coalition. Those who know the history of this forum community and who view the IAHRS membership list can attest to this.

 

When all is said and done, logos and mission statements mean nothing if they are not substantiated by consistent and verifiable patient results and public physician accountability. I encourage the members of this forum to continue to expect and demand high standards and results from the physicians recommended on the Hair Transplant Network and from those who publish this community.

 

Onwards and Upwards,

 

Pat

Hello Hairbound. I have been looking for any information about Dr. Shelley Friedman in Scottsdale Arizona... and this list you produced is the only information I could find. Is there any additional information you can provide me... about Dr. Friedman... thanks Kaelen

Originally posted by Hair Bound:

Bill, you seem to be supporting the ABHRS and it's standards. A big switch from past Hair Transplant Network attitudes. Below is a list of current ABHRS doctors who have been banned, blocked, negatively reviewed, or outright thrown off the Hair Transplant Network by Pat.

 

Do you really feel that the people on this list are, in your words, "... ethical physicians work(ing) to improve their skills and establish educational standards for state of the art hair transplantation." ?

 

If you do support this kind of membership and the organization they represent, why the change of heart? Are Drs. Brandy, Goertz, Hitzig, and Puig to be the next Coalition members?

 

Do you really believe this organization is striving to improve the hair transplant field?

 

 

Dominic A. Brandy

Robert V. Cattani

John P. Cole

James B. DeYarman

Edwin S. Epstein

John Frank

Shelly A. Friedman

Brian Goertz

Gary S. Hitzig

Matt L. Leavitt

Robert T. Leonard, JR.

Victor V. Loria

E. Antonio Mangubat

Marc A. Pomerantz

Carlos J. Puig

Marla Ross

Neil Sadick

Richard C. Shiell

Randall Sword

Craig L. Ziering

Michael W. May

Dr. Feller... I apologize... this is the discussion thread where I got the list of banned or blocked doctors. Someone named Hairbound produced the list as part of this discussion... and Dr. friedman's name is on that list. So now I need to know if Dr. Friedman is banned or blocked... or thrown off... and for what reason. So once again I apologize. Your name was in this discussion a few times... and I must have erroneously made the connection. I suppose I need to contact Patrick... the publisher to get at the truth.

Originally posted by Dr. Alan Feller:

"Public accountability of doctors" is the key phrase that describes the best way to gauge an HT doctor's abililities.

 

Other things like academic testing also help, but only after a general and consistent consensus of "good" or "acceptable" has been establihed by the public. In the past this was, for the most part, impossbile and the "public" had to rely on the learned opinion of other doctors for valid referrals. But this is, as Pat already mentioned, the police policing the police-a clear conflict of interest that we've all had to live with.

 

Now, however, the internet has made it very easy to publish patient results and for the public to have access to updated information on a REGULAR BASIS. If a doctor and his patients aren't publishing their results, then there is clearly something wrong. If a doctor isn't ENCOURAGING his paitents to post their results, then again, there is clearly something wrong.

 

No matter how much information is published online about a general surgeon or internist, the layman will never be able to form an accurate picture because they lack the training and experience necessary to gauge these doctors abilities.

 

However, ANY layperson can look at a cosmetic result of an HT doctor and ACCURATELY gauge success or failure. After all, the purpose of cosmetic surgery is to satisfy the COMMON eye as well as the professional eye. So in this rare instance, surgery may be more accurately judged by the public rather than professional collegues.

 

Sites like HTN allow the common person to judge, whereas ABHRS ONLY allows the SELF-APPOINTED "professional" to judge.

 

If the ABHRS had a forum in which it's member doctors were compelled to post photos and take criticism from the public and other collegues, then I would apply to take the "test" immediately and hopefully join. But such is not case, and until it is, what's the point of joining?

Hello Bill. I appreciate the attempts to find out about Dr. Friedman. Since he's been in business over 20 years... It's hard for me to understand this disconnect. Perhaps Dr. Friedman is not a computer guy... perhaps he is so busy he doesn't care about your coalition... perhaps he doesn't do the best work. I don't know. He is running a 20 year anniversary special.. and because of the special... is considerable less expensive than Dr. Alexander. I may go to Dr. Alexander anyway... just because I want the nicest hairline. But I have to admit... this forum is starting to make be believe... that this is just all about politics and money and marketing. You or someone out there... must have something to say about Dr. Friedman. He claims to have taught... several of the Doctors recommended on this site. His 20 years must have left some trail. I used him for HT over 15 years ago. I realize that much has changed in the past several years... so I need to know if Dr. Friedman is any good... or just hanging on to a 20 year practice. Thanks for whatever help you can give.

Thanks Jason. I do feel good about Dr. Alexander... and Dr. Friedman. I haven't met Dr. Keene... because she's in Tucson and I'm in Mesa. I'm now just a little curious why no one seems to have any information about Dr. Friedman. I've consulted with him... and also feel comfortable with him. He's not computer savvy like other younger doctors... and he's not a member of this group. So my curiosity got aroused... as to whether this forum is simply about marketing certain doctors... or really about giving honest transparent recommendations. I just want to hear someone give me some insight into Dr. Friedman. After 20 years... and supposedly training many of the doctors on this site... I thought I would get some positve... or even negative feedback. Thanks... Kaelen.

Thanks Aaron... that is the first response I've gotten that directly addresses my question. Everyone else (over 30 responses) just mentions something about other doctors... not Dr. Friedman. You didn't say that you would use him. I understand that Dr. Alexander is part of this group and comes highly recommended. Now I'm just trying to figure out if I should give Dr. Friedman a chance... or not. You've at least mentioned him directly... and your personal experience... and I appreciate that. Would you go to him. He's had his own practice in Scottsdale for over 20 years. I have consulted with him... twice. We've talked about this internet site... and the politics of what's going on in the industry. I've also consulted with Dr. Alexander... twice. I'm 50 years young... with lots of long hair. I'm just wanting to have the front hair line done... to be more full and natural. I had some HT 15 years ago with Dr. Friedman... and it was fine... but it was the old days... apparently... when techniques were different.. and density possibilities were different. Now I have to determine if Dr. Alexander or Keene is a better choice. Thanks for whatever you can tell me. Kaelen

Thanks for this website... and the information it provides. I want to find out about Dr. Shelley Friedman of Scottsdale Arizona... and yet there is nothing listed. It's hard to believe that someone in practice for over 20 years... wouldn't have some good and bad things said about him. Why is there nothing... and does anyone have any information about Dr. Friedman. Kaelen

Originally posted by Pat - Publisher of this Community:

Welcome to our forum - Hair Restoration Clinics - where you can share your frank opinions with others about the quality of work by various physicians.

 

To search for posts about a particular surgeons, click on the "Find" function at the top of this page and enter the surgeons last name. You will then get all the posts regarding this particular surgeon over the past four years.

 

The field of hair transplant surgery is largely unregulated (i.e. buyer beware). But if we put our collective bald or formerly bald heads together we can help each other find our way into the hands of those surgeons who truly do great hair transplant work.

 

So please share your experiences and exercise your right to free speach and name names.

 

I've done my best to bring together the names, photos, and info about some of the very best hair transplant surgeons at the Hair Loss Learning Centerand the Hair Transplant Network.

 

But the physicians recommended are not a definitive list. No one person can possibly have all the answers about who is the best in all states and all countries.

 

So help me and help other find the best and avoid the worst by sharing your informed opinions regarding hair transplant surgeons and clinics.

 

Thank you - Pat editor and "Recovered Bald Guy"

I'm considering some graphs with Dr. Shelley Friedman in Scottsdale AZ. He has been doing hair restoration for over 20 years... and has some impressive credentials. He says that he even taught some of the top names listed on these posts. yet I can find no information about him... other than someone saying he's on some list of banned surgeons... or negatively reviewed surgeons. I get the impression that since Dr. Friedman is not a member of this organization... he is being left out of any discussions. That doesn't help me... or any of the hundreds of people who go to his clinic in Scottsdale. If we should know something... it would be helpful. Thanks... Kaelen

I'm considering some graphs with Dr. Shelley Friedman in Scottsdale AZ. He has been doing hair restoration for over 20 years... and has some impressive credentials. He says that he even taught some of the top names listed on these posts. yet I can find no information about him... other than someone saying he's on some list of banned surgeons... or negatively reviewed surgeons. I get the impression that since Dr. Friedman is not a member of this organization... he is being left out of any discussions. That doesn't help me... or any of the hundreds of people who go to his clinic in Scottsdale. If we should know something... it would be helpful. Thanks... Kaelen

Hello JOBI... I don't know if I'm seeing your entire posting... but what I do see... doesn't help me at all. I don't even know what it means. Can you be more clear as to what you're trying to tell me. Kaelen

Originally posted by MrJobi:

Hi K

 

Welcome to the forum.. if you read my post below, you will know what to do

 

Good luck

Hi, I'm getting some graphs done soon... and I've narrowed it down to Scott Alexander or Shelley Friedman in the Phoenix area. Can anyone tell me a reason not to choose one or the other. I noticed there is nothing written about Dr. Friedman on this site. Is it because he is not a member... or is there another reason. Thanks... Kaelen

Hi, I'm getting some graphs done soon... and I've narrowed it down to Scott Alexander or Shelley Friedman in the Phoenix area. Can anyone tell me a reason not to choose one or the other. I noticed there is nothing written about Dr. Friedman on this site. Is it because he is not a member... or is there another reason. Thanks... Kaelen