VIDEO: A Hairline even a Cyborg could love- Dr. Feller/ Dr. Bloxham Great Neck, NY

[Stig]

Your pompoms are showing.

 

Weak weak WEAK argument. The problem isn't that Dr. Bloxham was doing any of the work. The problem is that (supposedly) this was not discussed prior to surgery. Dr. Bloxham wasn't even mentioned on the website until the past few days when this became an issue so I can see how this would be a surprise.

 

Agreed, although I would also go as far to say the problem extends to the stubbornness of Feller to not even give the patients a choice. 1) Professor claimed that once he realized what was taking place, he specifically asked Feller to take over at that point to which Feller allegedly told him too bad and that's not how it works in his clinic. 2) Dr Feller himself admitted that the patient has absolutely no say in which surgeon does what. He arrogantly called himself the only chef. No disrespect to Dr Bloxham, but a patient must be completely out of his freakin mind to pay the Dr Feller market rate for a newly qualified apprentice to practice and learn his skills on that patient's head. I expect a significant discount would be offered for any patient to agree to that. It makes absolutely no sense to me, and anybody that pays a market price for that must be a complete idiot. Yes only a complete and utter idiot agrees to pay full price to have an apprentice master his skills when you can pay the same or similar price for a top surgeon like Shapiro or Rahal or Hasson. 3) we even had someone claim they traveled all the way to Feller's clinic for a consultation with the man, only to be dissapointed and get Bloxham instead. Finally, as Dr Bloxham is not yet a recommended surgeon, and Dr Feller has himself admitted that critical aspects of the surgery can and do get performed by Dr Bloxham combined with the fact that no patient can specifically request only Dr Feller perform those critical aspects, I feel that Dr Feller's recommendation by this website is seriously undermineded until such time that Dr Bloxham earns his own recommendation or Dr Feller performs the critical aspects of the surgery by himself when specifically requested to do so by a patient. Dr Feller earned his recommendation by the work performed by himself, and now we know that work is split between himself and a surgeon who has not yet earned a recommendation, thereby putting the quality of the results at risk. I'm sure that Dr Bloxham is a great surgeon, but after only 6 months that surely can't be supported yet. We also know that top surgeons became great by learning from their mistakes, are we know saying that Dr Bloxham won't make his own?

Edited January 14, 2016 by Stig

[Melvin- Admin]

Agreed, although I would also go as far to say the problem extends to the stubbornness of Feller to not even give the patients a choice. 1) Professor claimed that once he realized what was taking place, he specifically asked Feller to take over at that point to which Feller allegedly told him too bad and that's not how it works in his clinic. 2) Dr Feller himself admitted that the patient has absolutely no say in which surgeon does what. He arrogantly called himself the only chef. No disrespect to Dr Bloxham, but a patient must be completely out of his freakin mind to pay the Dr Feller market rate for a newly qualified apprentice to practice and learn his skills on that patient's head. I expect a significant discount would be offered for any patient to agree to that. It makes absolutely no sense to me, and anybody that pays a market price for that must be a complete idiot. Yes only a complete and utter idiot agrees to pay full price to have an apprentice master his skills when you can pay the same or similar price for a top surgeon like Shapiro or Rahal or Hasson. 3) we even had someone claim they traveled all the way to Feller's clinic for a consultation with the man, only to be dissapointed and get Bloxham instead. Finally, as Dr Bloxham is not yet a recommended surgeon, and Dr Feller has himself admitted that critical aspects of the surgery can and do get performed by Dr Bloxham combined with the fact that no patient can specifically request only Dr Feller perform those critical aspects, I feel that Dr Feller's recommendation by this website is seriously undermineded until such time that Dr Bloxham earns his own recommendation or Dr Feller performs the critical aspects of the surgery by himself when specifically requested to do so by a patient. Dr Feller earned his recommendation by the work performed by himself, and now we know that work is split between himself and a surgeon who has not yet earned a recommendation, thereby putting the quality of the results at risk. I'm sure that Dr Bloxham is a great surgeon, but after only 6 months that surely can't be supported yet. We also know that top surgeons became great by learning from their mistakes, are we know saying that Dr Bloxham won't make his own?

 

You're just a peanut in a peanut gallery, there can only be one chef, never forget that, in fellers practice you pay top dollar for 20+years experience and a proven track record, and if you so happen to get practiced on by a surgeon with less than a year experience and 0 track record well than I say to you "that's just the way things get done here period. signed The Chef"

[lakes9925]

I remember my HT with Dr Seager after about %80 of the transplant was complete we ran out of grafts so he let his apprentice remove some of my staples and cut out some extra grafts from my donor from on the right side about 3inches wide, there was a big difference in scare from what Dr Seager extracted and what his apprentice extracted (the scare was more visible on the right side).... I was A little upset but overall everything was ok.

[home1212]

At what point do patients' get to dictate to the surgeon exactly what or what they're not supposed to be doing during a specialized procedure that they perfected? When you're going in to have heart surgery - I assume the cardiologist does the primary work - but there are a team of surgeons around him assisting. Do we as patients get to say, well this doctor can't do this or that? or do we leave it in the primary cardiologist's skilled and experienced hands? They do have an ethical and fiduciary duty to their patients - but some of the criticism on this thread seems over the top in terms of attempting to dictate to a surgeon how to run his practice and essentially the business that he's built! If you don't like it - go elsewhere! just my opinion...

[Stig]

At what point do patients' get to dictate to the surgeon exactly what or what they're not supposed to be doing during a specialized procedure that they perfected? When you're going in to have heart surgery - I assume the cardiologist does the primary work - but there are a team of surgeons around him assisting. Do we as patients get to say, well this doctor can't do this or that? or do we leave it in the primary cardiologist's skilled and experienced hands? They do have an ethical and fiduciary duty to their patients - but some of the criticism on this thread seems over the top in terms of attempting to dictate to a surgeon how to run his practice and essentially the business that he's built! If you don't like it - go elsewhere! just my opinion...

 

You are missing the point Home. This is not a debate between what work a surgeon performs versus what a technician does. That is a completely different aspect. This topic is about Dr Bloxham performing the most critical aspects of the surgery that would otherwise be performed by Dr Feller. I take no exception to this practice taking place, and agree that it should take place in order to properly develop the surgeons of the future. However, what is asinine with this clinic is the complete and utter disregard to the wishes of the paying patient who may prefer to have these critical aspects of the surgery performed by Dr Feller and not Dr Blake. In addition, as has been pointed out, the website up until a few days ago made absolutely no mention at all about Dr Bloxham. I think we can all summize that any patient researching Dr Feller will arrive at the clinic with the expectation that Dr Feller will be performing the critical aspects of the surgery. After paying that non-refundable deposit of $2,500 and already at the clinic ready to get the procedure is when patients (up until a few days ago) most likely discover the reality of the situation.

[home1212]

I'm not missing the point at all, I think you are - no one is forcing you to have surgery with Dr. Feller since you know and don't like that fact that he has a younger partner sharing surgery responsibilities - go elsewhere! You have no right to tell him how to run his business - I'm sure he's regulated by NYS Medical Licensing Board, if his practice is unethical or somehow violates the patient's interests - I'm sure they would have something to say about it ..

[esrec]

I'm not missing the point at all, I think you are - no one is forcing you to have surgery with Dr. Feller since you know and don't like that fact that he has a younger partner sharing surgery responsibilities - go elsewhere! You have no right to tell him how to run his business - I'm sure he's regulated by NYS Medical Licensing Board, if his practice is unethical or somehow violates the patient's interests - I'm sure they would have something to say about it ..

 

"If you dont like it go elsewhere"--Correct. The issue is, without transparency into Dr. Feller's unorthodox and convoluted setup, the patient is blind to this process in the first place.

 

Dr. Bloxham wasn't even listed as an operating surgeon on the day of the patient's surgery. He never saw or met him prior. If critical aspects of the surgery are going to be shared, that must be communicated beforehand so the patient can make an educated decision. That never happened. The guy was duped.

[home1212]

"unorthodox and convoluted setup"???? by whose standards? yours? what medical qualifications do you have to make that statement? and if you believe its unethical behavior - then it should be important enought to report to the medical board

[Stig]

I'm not missing the point at all, I think you are - no one is forcing you to have surgery with Dr. Feller since you know and don't like that fact that he has a younger partner sharing surgery responsibilities - go elsewhere! You have no right to tell him how to run his business - I'm sure he's regulated by NYS Medical Licensing Board, if his practice is unethical or somehow violates the patient's interests - I'm sure they would have something to say about it ..

 

Home, I am not telling him how to run his clinic. I completely agree that he can do whatever the hell he wants, I am just providing my own opinion and am questioning why any reasonable patient would ever pay so much money to the Feller clinic and potentially have a surgeon in training be the one to perform critical aspects of the surgery without any form of discount when there are better surgeons out there who you know will perform those critical functions at the same cost. Its greater risk for less reward in my opinion.

 

I also agree with Esrec that Dr Feller's website, a critical source of information for prospective patients, had deceptive information up until a few days ago. I would also bet you that the consent verbiage of this practice is buried in small print amongst pages of consent forms that would probably be missed my most peanuts. I personally did not put too much into Professor's unsubstantiated and withdrawn allegations, but in light of the admissions by Dr Feller himself, I think we can all agree that there is more credibility to those allegations, and even though he signed the consent forms, he was still expecting Dr Feller to perform the incision making process. That misunderstanding is a major problem, and second point is that I think it was completely disgraceful that Dr Feller never even bothered to accommodate Professor's request and take over. Based on Feller's response to Bill, there wouldn't have been another surgery on the go, so I don't see any reason other than his stubbornness and arrogance not to take over when asked. I said it before and I'll say it again, you would have to be a stupid idiot to pick Dr Feller now after reading this thread - a complete and utter idiot.

[esrec]

"unorthodox and convoluted setup"???? by whose standards? yours? what medical qualifications do you have to make that statement? and if you believe its unethical behavior - then it should be important enought to report to the medical board

 

Unorthodox: No other top surgeon in the world has this setup.

 

Convoluted: No other top surgeon in the world has this setup.

 

Not my opinion, just a fact.

 

And I fully agree he can do whatever the hell he wants despite this, so long as he's transparent and forthcoming BEFORE the procedure.

[home1212]

LOL - you know the practices, procedures and setup of every top surgeon in the WORLD - that is pretty funny!

[Stig]

"unorthodox and convoluted setup"???? by whose standards? yours? what medical qualifications do you have to make that statement? and if you believe its unethical behavior - then it should be important enought to report to the medical board

 

Sorry Esrec, I would have to agree with Home on this. I think its a stretch to go so far to call the practice unorthodox and convoluted. Its more his arrogance, stubbornness and attitude that rub as all the wrong way. I'm on the fence regarding the behavior being unethical. Dr Feller can allow Dr Bloxham to do whatever he wants, but the manner in which Professor was treated - there is an argument for that to fall into the unethical catergory regardless of the signed consent forms.

[esrec]

LOL - you know the practices, procedures and setup of every top surgeon in the WORLD - that is pretty funny!

 

You seem pretty cavalier about something so serious. Maybe you're just here for yourself, but I believe the forum and its members are here to help and educate people out of their own way. You don't seem to feel the same.

 

Feel free to twist my words for your convenience, you seem to enjoy it

 

Yes, I've consulted with the majority of those who would be considered the top surgeons in the world. That's good enough imo to make such a statement. The fact that its under review by the mods would only validate this point further.

[esrec]

Sorry Esrec, I would have to agree with Home on this. I think its a stretch to go so far to call the practice unorthodox and convoluted. Its more his arrogance, stubbornness and attitude that rub as all the wrong way. I'm on the fence regarding the behavior being unethical. Dr Feller can allow Dr Bloxham to do whatever he wants, but the manner in which Professor was treated - there is an argument for that to fall into the unethical catergory regardless of the signed consent forms.

 

Fair enough. To me, its clear bait and switch and therefore unethical--he went in expecting one doctor, and got another. It really upsets me when people are taken advantage of.

Edited January 14, 2016 by esrec

[home1212]

esrec - you shouldn't make assumptions and judge people that you don't even know - like me .. or like you do with Dr. Feller.

 

first off, this forum helped me immensely to make my decision to have a HT with one of the elite docs in the industry, because of my good experience, I continue to be on here and answer tons of questions of newer members who have basic questions, anxieties, and misinformation about the HT procedure, so in my own little way, that's how I give back.

 

What I don't do, and apparently you do, is attack recommended surgeons like Dr. Feller with things you know nothing about - consulting with some of the best docs in the HT industry and having gone through procedures with them are 2 completely different things - you know NOTHING about their individual practices, procedures, if they use techs or other docs in their surgeries, etc. and for you to even state that you do clearly demostrates how moronic you are ..

 

I've wasted enough energy on this thread - my original point stands - Dr. Feller uses a younger partner to work on surgeries - no one is forcing you to go to him - no one is saying that its an "unethical" practice - you have a CHOICE to go to whatever doctor you'd like - you DONT have a say in how a surgeon runs HIS practice.. now let's move on and get on with our own business

[home1212]

esrec - you shouldn't make assumptions and judge people that you don't even know - like me .. or like you do with Dr. Feller.

 

first off, this forum helped me immensely to make my decision to have a HT with one of the elite docs in the industry, because of my good experience, I continue to be on here and answer tons of questions of newer members who have basic questions, anxieties, and misinformation about the HT procedure, so in my own little way, that's how I give back.

 

What I don't do, and apparently you do, is attack recommended surgeons like Dr. Feller with things you know nothing about - consulting with some of the best docs in the HT industry and having gone through procedures with them are 2 completely different things - you know NOTHING about their individual practices, procedures, if they use techs or other docs in their surgeries, etc. and for you to even state that you do clearly demostrates how moronic you are ..

 

I've wasted enough energy on this thread - my original point stands - Dr. Feller uses a younger partner to work on surgeries - no one is forcing you to go to him - no one is saying that its an "unethical" practice - you have a CHOICE to go to whatever doctor you'd like - you DONT have a say in how a surgeon runs HIS practice.. now let's move on and get on with our own business

[esrec]

Agree to disagree. The point of the forum is to raise awareness which is what we're doing. The topic warrants debate, not silence.

 

My original point stands: a patient consulted with and selected one doctor, and received another. Bait and Switch.

[LondonHTseeker]

"unorthodox and convoluted setup"???? by whose standards? yours? what medical qualifications do you have to make that statement? and if you believe its unethical behavior - then it should be important enought to report to the medical board

 

You seem to have a lot of faith in medical regulating authorities. I certainly don't, and that's informed by plenty of experience with them due to past experiences.

 

The fact is we just don't know how ethical the Feller/Bloxham setup is without actually reviewing their consent forms and getting sufficient feedback from patients regarding how much they were informed as to Dr Bloxham's involvement.

 

They have been pretty secretive and sly on here about their setup. It took the recent post by "professor" for this issue to even be raised, after months of them posting videos on here as the Feller/Bloxham partnership.

 

Even Bill is surprised by the extent of Blake's involvement! That is symptomatic of very slippery behaviour, in my opinion. Not that I'm surprised.

Edited January 16, 2016 by LondonHTseeker

[newbie33]

Seems there are two basic points here. One about how Professor was treated and another about how in general surgeries are performed at Feller & Bloxham.

 

On the first point: have we actually verified what Prof said is how it happened? I remember the gist of the allegations, but seeing as he took them down before he was banned, and I can't recall reading anyone confirming them, difficult to know how to treat it. Shocking if true, yeah. But that is if it is true.

 

Second point: as ever, if it's up front and you know what you're getting into (or rather don't know who will do what in your operation) and you're fine with that, happy days.

 

As a one-time aspirant medical student, I have sympathy for a senior doctor taking responsibility for the overall operation, in which he decides how much is performed by juniors - everyone has to learn. But as Stig points out (and this might be a peculiarly British perspective, where we tend to think of general medicine as 'free' because of the NHS), if I was paying top dollar for an elective procedure, my instinct would be for the senior to do everything from writing my prescription to tucking me into bed at night.

[Stig]

Seems there are two basic points here. One about how Professor was treated and another about how in general surgeries are performed at Feller & Bloxham.

 

On the first point: have we actually verified what Prof said is how it happened? I remember the gist of the allegations, but seeing as he took them down before he was banned, and I can't recall reading anyone confirming them, difficult to know how to treat it. Shocking if true, yeah. But that is if it is true.

 

Second point: as ever, if it's up front and you know what you're getting into (or rather don't know who will do what in your operation) and you're fine with that, happy days.

 

As a one-time aspirant medical student, I have sympathy for a senior doctor taking responsibility for the overall operation, in which he decides how much is performed by juniors - everyone has to learn. But as Stig points out (and this might be a peculiarly British perspective, where we tend to think of general medicine as 'free' because of the NHS), if I was paying top dollar for an elective procedure, my instinct would be for the senior to do everything from writing my prescription to tucking me into bed at night.

 

Newbie, I would say Feller's own comments on this very thread pretty much makes those allegations believable. Go back and read Feller's words and then imagine the Professor situation taking place in front of your very eyes, especially the part where Professor asks Dr Feller to take over from Dr Bloxham and Feller tells him too bad, that's not how we do things here and walks out. Not so unbelievable anymore is it?

[newbie33]

Newbie, I would say Feller's own comments on this very thread pretty much makes those allegations believable. Go back and read Feller's words and then imagine the Professor situation taking place in front of your very eyes, especially the part where Professor asks Dr Feller to take over from Dr Bloxham and Feller tells him too bad, that's not how we do things here and walks out. Not so unbelievable anymore is it?

 

 

Sometimes I imagine - even believe - I am a handsome, intelligent, charming man with a full head of hair. Alas, what I can imagine or believe is not necessarily true.

 

I think what we can say from Fellers's posts are: patients are informed of a lead surgeon and that others will participate. They have no say in how much participation and by whom.