Hospital for Special Surgery Reviews 3

Medicaid Patients: HSS Administration is Blocking My Care"
"I am a Healthfirst Medicaid patient with a direct referral from my surgeon and a valid out-of-network authorization, yet HSS administration is refusing to sign the Single Case Agreement (SCA). They are steering me toward other providers to save themselves money, ignoring my medical necessity.
Do not bother complaining to the Department of Health (DOH). In my experience, they do not truly investigate these administrative steering tactics and they cannot force the hospital to sign the SCA. If you have Medicaid, HSS will treat you like a transaction rather than a person. Save your time and find a facility that actually values you.

Again, HSS Administration has proven they do not care about patient outcomes, even in the most extreme cases. I have a direct referral to an in-network provider and a valid, approved out-of-network authorization for a critical brain-to-nerve-to-bone limb salvage reconstruction (Triple/Plantar Arthrodesis).
Despite the medical urgency and official approvals, HSS is refusing to sign the Single Case Agreement (SCA) with Healthfirst Medicaid. They are effectively blocking life-altering surgery and steering me elsewhere simply because they value their bottom line over saving a patient's limb. If you are on Medicaid, be warned: HSS sees you as a financial transaction, not a human being in need of specialized care. They will abandon you at the finish line for the sake of money

This hospital is all marketing hype. The only competent doctors do not accept Medicare, in contrast to every other NYC hospital at the highest levels of professional achievement and competence. Even doctors who are marginal at best reject Medicare, the largest insurer in the country. I saw one of the doctors who accepts it but should never have been hired. I was left under that person's care with a life-long injury and chronic pain. There is competition between doctors that should be transparent to the patient, but takes on an ugly turn. US World News grants a high ranking but it you look at that website they admit there are only 2 adult specialties that they evaluated and considered. It's a stretch to extrapolate to #1 for every orthopedic specialty in the entire country, no less. It is rare to find any doctor who has anything remotely resembling a doctor patient relationship. No care is taken; a dismissive attitude is the default. This hospital causes harm for boasting on all media its excellence but is silent about the inferior care patients receive if not offering high enough paying insurance. It creates the assumption that no matter who they select they're in the best possible hands. This is wrong. Try searching online. HSS dominates every search for an orthopedic specialist, frustrating a search. Impossible to navigate its own website to find out who is who. Doctors dismissive, some outright unprofessional. There's a handful of top doctors in all but the small sampling of specialists who will see patients using high-paying insurance or self-paying. They make enough that all patients should have the option to benefit from those at least on a selective basis but this elitist hospital is intransigent. Hip patients do the best at HSS. I find it hard to watch the HSS miracle TV commercials. No compassion for the patient at HSS. Closing in on a year as my injuries worsen. Doctors rudely cancel appointments at will with no reason. Be aware that what drives a decision for a doctor to see a patient is money, not medical need. You will lose a lot of time given the few poor options a try. If not so limited, I would travel and pay lodging as experts are out there throughout the country who are dedicated to helping patients. This is not the focus at HSS. I have never seen such indifference and unprofessionalism in those with a degree to practice medicine. Hiring is indiscriminate without regard for patient experience. The marketing unrealistically raises patients' expectations. I used to boast the care because I believed the marketing which brainwashes, until I needed care. Doctors at other NYC hospitals are amazed at this little-known elitism inconsistent with the role of a doctor. Knowing the truth about this hospital, how political, how unresponsive is an awakening. And indeed there is some bad behavior. What can be said that is positive is the imaging work is excellent - which is not to say doctors at other hospitals do not disagree with the findings - and a selection of the physical therapists are exceptional, but even for rehab there it is a mix. Don't buy the hype. Don't limit yourself to one hospital or locale when searching for an orthopedic specialist.

The person who answer the phone for appointments at 833-477-7100 was rude and condescending. For now reason she suddenly started a pedantic attitude, I didn't start a fight or I was claiming anything, she just flipped and gave me s***.