Does anyone here own a " America's Top Doctors" / "Castle Connolly " Book ?

[letsfixthis]

I was wondering if anyone here owned a  " America's Top Doctors" / "Castle Connolly " Book or website subscription.

This is a book/website that is suppose to tell you which doctors in various parts of America have stood out as being top doctors in their field.

I was wondering if anyone has invested in this information and if you thought it was worth while?

Thanks for your help.

[Paa_Paw]

I would tend to wonder just how objective the listing are. I would not accept such a list over the personal recommendation of someone that I know is impartial.

[letsfixthis]

I would tend to wonder just how objective the listing are. I would not accept such a list over the personal recommendation of someone that I know is impartial.

I have always been told that the best and only thing that you can do is find a good doctor.

I don't have any recommendations, in fact almost all plastic surgeons I have encountered seem to be in love with ultrasonic liposuction and it has been the advice on the doctors on this board that ultrasonic is being abandoned by most plastic surgeons and should not be trusted.

What tools do I have at my disposal? I have the internet, a few websites like this one, and possible a book like " America's top doctors", can make sure they went to school in the USA and not from an internet school out of Mexico and has the proper board certifications.

Most plastic surgeons have so much fluff on their website, you would think they are all sculptures of Greek/roman statues. Most will either have no before & after pictures or might have only 1 picture the size of a postage stamp so you don't even know what you are looking at.

I can't find anyone on this board who has ever had any successful gynecomastia surgery in my area. I need something to go by.

Why not let it be a list of so called " top doctors of America" by castle Connolly?

Lets say that you lived in N.Y. and looked up who was a top doctor in that area for plastic surgery and filtered it down to doctors experienced in gynecomastia, it would result with Dr. Jacobs.

Well, maybe I can find the Dr. Jacobs of my area( South Florida)

If anyone has a recommendation, I am all ears.

Otherwise, I need to find someone who has access to that database or a copy on that book.

Thanks.

[cduub]

Looks like you might have to give Dr. Pope a try,Im in South Florida also and hes in Orlando 3 1/2 hour drive. Probably need a hotel for 2days before and after surgery. We have no experienced gyno surgeons in our area,now if you want a breast lift their on every corner lol! The bright side is for this condition and the emotional stress that can come with it,a 3 hour drive to change your life can seem like a walk in the park. These Dr are on this site because they have experience with this particular surgery,at some point you have to go with your research and gut and trust it will all work out,thats what im battling right now and ready to take a leap.

[George Pope, M.D.]

I would tend to wonder just how objective the listing are. I would not accept such a list over the personal recommendation of someone that I know is impartial.

I have always been told that the best and only thing that you can do is find a good doctor.

I don't have any recommendations, in fact almost all plastic surgeons I have encountered seem to be in love with ultrasonic liposuction and it has been the advice on the doctors on this board that ultrasonic is being abandoned by most plastic surgeons and should not be trusted.

What tools do I have at my disposal? I have the internet, a few websites like this one, and possible a book like " America's top doctors", can make sure they went to school in the USA and not from an internet school out of Mexico and has the proper board certifications.

Most plastic surgeons have so much fluff on their website, you would think they are all sculptures of Greek/roman statues. Most will either have no before & after pictures or might have only 1 picture the size of a postage stamp so you don't even know what you are looking at.

I can't find anyone on this board who has ever had any successful gynecomastia surgery in my area. I need something to go by.

Why not let it be a list of so called " top doctors of America" by castle Connolly?

Lets say that you lived in N.Y. and looked up who was a top doctor in that area for plastic surgery and filtered it down to doctors experienced in gynecomastia, it would result with Dr. Jacobs.

Well, maybe I can find the Dr. Jacobs of my area( South Florida)

If anyone has a recommendation, I am all ears.

Otherwise, I need to find someone who has access to that database or a copy on that book.

Thanks.

You may a very good point.  It's difficult to know where to go to find the best docs.  I'll give you my opinion about listings like that:

Occasionally I will receive a letter from companies that congratulate me because I've made the list of America's Best Doctors, or Who's Who Among America's Doctors, or something like that.  They ask me to fill out a demographic form to ensure that my bio information is correct.  The next thing they do is try to sell me a copy of the hardback book, which literally has the names of thousands of doctors, who I'm sure have received the same letter and solicitation. And the book isn't cheap. Needless to say, I toss the letter in the trash.

So you really can't go by that.
IMO the best sources are Word of Mouth & Board Certification (Plastic Surgery).

Best of luck-
Dr. Pope, MD

[letsfixthis]

I agree that the " Who's who" is a scam because I have received them in business there are even ones that are focused on getting parents to get their children recognized in particular list which is also a big scam. However, I don't know about the castle's top doctor list being placed in that same category.

This site won't let me post a link even to other places on the same forum which is strange in my opinion so I will just have to do a copy and paste:

gynecomastia.org/smf/38/castle-connolly-top-doctors/msg134716/#msg134716

Yes, I am pleased and honored to have been among the Castle-Connolly Top Doctors since 2001.

"Top Doctors" are nominated by their peers -- other doctors who are familiar with and recognize the work of the "Top Docs."  It is not political and you cannot "buy into it."

I am also pleased to have been included in New York Magazine's "Best Doctors."

Recognition by one's colleagues is perhaps the best compliment that can be bestowed on a physician.

Dr Jacobs

"The doctors whose listings are included in Castle Connolly's Top Doctor listings were selected after peer nomination, extensive research and careful review and screening by our doctor-directed research team."  This is therefore an award of our peers in American Medicine.

Castle Connolly edits several different guides. They have:

    America's Top Doctors
    America's Top Doctors For Cancer
    Top Doctors: Chicago Metro Area  You need to have your practice in the Chicago Metro region to be listed.
    Top Doctors: New York Metro Area  You need to have your practice in the New York Metro region to be listed.


By Year: Each year they publish these guides. Who is in each new year's guide, can vary. Just because you get in once, does not mean you are still a "Top Doctor."  Once you get listed any year, online at least, you remain in their database. How or why doctors are not continued in a current guide is not something they discuss. Doctors that are in the current year, have a star published by their name.  
...... Michael Bermant, MD

In any event, what is the alternative place to start? The yellow pages, some publication you find in the street advertising doctors who do implants, some website that doctors pay a yearly fee to be listed as a featured doctor,etc...? My friends and family are not really the plastic surgery type. I do not run in those circles and I need to start somewhere to find the right doctor.

[Paa_Paw]

Years ago I remarried and my new stepdaughter had a painful knee. My insurance would allow me to self refer but I knew only one orthopedic surgeon. He and I were on the district council of the Boy Scouts so I was comfortable talking to him and trusted him. I explained  what I needed and he told me that most of his practice was joint replacements for older patients. He gave me a referral to a young surgeon who did arthroscopy. We followed up and this lovely teenage girl was soon pain free for the first time she could recall. That was 25 years ago and she still tells of how I worked a miracle for her. The truth is that I did nothing more than to ask a trusted friend.

Go to a professional that you trust and ask who they would go to.

The people who will have trouble are those who are trying to do everything in secret.

OK, so you don't know a surgeon, Someone you know and trust does, ask around.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

I was wondering if anyone here owned a  " America's Top Doctors" / "Castle Connolly " Book or website subscription.

This is a book/website that is suppose to tell you which doctors in various parts of America have stood out as being top doctors in their field.

You do not need to buy a book -- the info is free on the web.  Just search "Castleconnolly.com"

Dr Jacobs

[letsfixthis]

I was wondering if anyone here owned a  " America's Top Doctors" / "Castle Connolly " Book or website subscription.

This is a book/website that is suppose to tell you which doctors in various parts of America have stood out as being top doctors in their field.

You do not need to buy a book -- the info is free on the web.  Just search "Castleconnolly.com"

Dr Jacobs

Thanks for the tip but I can only get a limited sample for my area.

" 95 doctors match your search criteria, however, as a free searcher on the website, the detailed profiles of only 7 doctors will be available to you. To have access to the full profiles of all 95 of these Castle Connolly Top Doctors, join now as a Premium Member.
"

Since gynecomastia is such a rare specialty subset of a plastic surgeon, I think it would be best to filter down the 95 doctors in my area to perhaps the top 10 which have the most gynecomastia experience as well as don't use ultrasonic liposuction.

[letsfixthis]

Years ago I remarried and my new stepdaughter had a painful knee. My insurance would allow me to self refer but I knew only one orthopedic surgeon. He and I were on the district council of the Boy Scouts so I was comfortable talking to him and trusted him. I explained  what I needed and he told me that most of his practice was joint replacements for older patients. He gave me a referral to a young surgeon who did arthroscopy. We followed up and this lovely teenage girl was soon pain free for the first time she could recall. That was 25 years ago and she still tells of how I worked a miracle for her. The truth is that I did nothing more than to ask a trusted friend.

Go to a professional that you trust and ask who they would go to.

The people who will have trouble are those who are trying to do everything in secret.

OK, so you don't know a surgeon, Someone you know and trust does, ask around.

Thank you for the advice but I don't think it applies in this situation.


orthopedic surgeon are a completely different animal than Plastic surgeons who do gynecomastia.


I have identified the top Orthopedic surgeon in Colorado and the Best orthopedic surgeon in South Florida by something similar to what you said however I am clueless as far as a gynecomastia surgeon.

1. Orthopedics science is much more highly specialized and quantifiable than plastic surgery. The doctor I went to only specialties in shoulder problems and basically wrote the book on some of the procedures. He know the exact procedures and said he has performed them many times( that week!)

vs

Plastic surgery which you have dermatologist, ear, nose and throat doctors, and radically different backgrounds entering the field. Also, even the qualified plastic surgeons have spend very little to no time on the issue of gynecomastia. Its like you have to find a plastic surgeon who kind of learned on his own to perform the surgery. That is why so many different doctors perform the procedure so differently.  Different incision points, some doctors like Dr. Jacobs are even making up their own unique tools and instruments, etc.

The range of procedures range wildly different things from sex change operations(I can't believe this is even legal in the US), to dimple implants, collagen feet fillers, permanent makeup, to clogging of sweat glands, etc. I am sure there are worse out there. The point is the range of what plastic surgeons perform on people are a lot broader then what an orthopedics surgeon performs.

2. Many people have had orthopedics surgery and can more freely recommend a good doctor. My eye doctor was able to tell me who the best Orthopedics surgeon is in South Florida and was actually going in for a procedure the following month. I doubt my eye doctor could have told me the best gynecomastia surgeon.

vs

Gynecomastia has a lot smaller group of people who has done surgery and ever if they did, it would be something most likely kept quiet. When I was in Colorado, the waiters at the restaurants, people walking on the street, etc.. they all know the Doctor I was using and said he was the best. However,the same can't be said for Plastic surgeons.

3. Many reviews on orthopedics are more honest. People may have a non-functional leg or arm which is able to work again. However with plastic surgery, you have women who may be unrealistic perfectionist and expecting a miracle or are never satisfied with the result. So the ratings may not truly reflect the skill of the doctor.

I have asked doctors on this form if they know of any peer plastic surgeon who is good in South Florida for gynecomastia and came up with nothing. The forum users also have never been able to recommend anyone in south Florida for gynecomastia.

I hope you see that you are not comparing apples to apples when you compare plastic surgeons to orthopedics surgeons.  

This book is kind of like a paid version of the advice you were given by your friend doctor. It it a book of doctors recommendation of other doctors. Its a peer given review, just like the doctor from the boy scouts recommended that young orthopedics.

Thanks.


P.S.

Go to a professional that you trust and ask who they would go to.

One of the doctors on this forum actually got very upset with me for asking this.

[Paa_Paw]

In my example, the man I first went to was an orthopedic surgeon and he referred me to someone elsebecause he tended the needs of older people while I needed someone who dealt with sports injuries.

My family doctor refers me to a cardiologist when needed or whatever specialist I need. If I ask for a referral for a specialized procedure outside his usual practice I would shy away if he says "Oh I can do that." But, I know my Doctor would not do that, I would get a really good referral.

[letsfixthis]

In my example, the man I first went to was an orthopedic surgeon and he referred me to someone elsebecause he tended the needs of older people while I needed someone who dealt with sports injuries.

My family doctor refers me to a cardiologist when needed or whatever specialist I need. If I ask for a referral for a specialized procedure outside his usual practice I would shy away if he says "Oh I can do that." But, I know my Doctor would not do that, I would get a really good referral.

Are you suggestion that I contact a doctor in Florida and ask him who he would recommend I use for a gynecomastia surgery.

I asked the ER doctor for a recommendation on what to do with my shoulder injury and she said I needed to see a specialist. They had the world renown specialist of shoulder injuries in the same building and the ER doctor never brought up his name. I think your situation based on your area may be unique. This ER doctor did not know who was a good orthopedics surgeon for shoulders even though the guy was inside the same building.

I will give it a try but I don't have high hopes. I am going to asked in a general plastic surgeon forum for recommendation on who is the best doctor to see regarding gynecomastia and see how it goes.

I am betting they will respond by saying " I am" regardless of if they ever performed the surgery in their life or not. I am going to give it a try and see how it goes.

[letsfixthis]

In my example, the man I first went to was an orthopedic surgeon and he referred me to someone elsebecause he tended the needs of older people while I needed someone who dealt with sports injuries.

My family doctor refers me to a cardiologist when needed or whatever specialist I need. If I ask for a referral for a specialized procedure outside his usual practice I would shy away if he says "Oh I can do that." But, I know my Doctor would not do that, I would get a really good referral.

Ok, I asked the question and waiting for a response. I saw someone else asked a similar question and came up with the power answers:

1.

There are many good plastic surgeons in your area.  I would suggest checking with the American Board of Plastic Surgery  and do your due diligence to find a surgeon with significant experience with  gynecomastia  surgery.

This does not means the person is good at gynecomastia surgery. Its like recommending to someone in need of medical attention  " make sure the person is a medical doctors for a medical problem and not a witch doctor"  

2.

You can go to Gynecomastia.org for a referral.  This is a perfect site for finding a gynecomastia surgeon.

 Ok, this kind of brings me into a loop situation.

So much for a referral from another doctor. Just a bunch of vague generic answers without substance. Not even 1 doctor recommended.

I am starting to think that getting a list of Castle top doctor names and filter them down by ones with gynecomastia experience must get better results.