Looking for Surgeon in Orlando or Tampa area

[jay26783]

Can anyone recommend a good surgeon in the Orlando or Tampa, FL area who specializes in or otherwise has a lot of experience performing gynecomastia surgery? And their typical costs, if known? Free consultation would be a big plus. My case isn't too severe, but I plan on getting it fixed in the next few months because it is definitely noticeable, so I'm looking for help identifying where to get it done. Any info would be much appreciated!!

[303MattS4]

Dr. Pope is in Orlando.

https://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php?topic=21277.0

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Dr. Pope is in the Orlando area -- he has substantial expertise in gyne surgery.  Well worth a visit!

Dr Jacobs

[jay26783]

Any idea of whether he offers free consultations?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Re Free consultations.

Many guys look for this from doctors and unfortunately, some docs do offer a "free consult" as a means of luring a patient into an office.  But please understand what a free consult really is.  You get to spend 5-10 minutes with a nurse (if you are lucky) or a patient coordinator.  No-one takes a medical history to assess your suitability for surgery.  And then you may meet the doctor, who places his hands on your chest (if you are lucky), spends 3 minutes with you, doesn't explain anything and just says "Yes, you have gynecomastia -- schedule your surgery with my assistant."  And then he is gone -- no possibility for questions, etc.

To me, this is not the way to practice medicine.  I personally spend 30 minutes or more with a patient, taking their medical history, examining them, making recommendations, diagramming the proposed operation, explaining everything about the surgery and answering all their questions. Then they will spend another 15-30 minutes with my patient coordinator, looking at photo albums and asking multiple questions.  And then, if surgery is recommended, they have a choice as to proceed or not -- no pressure at all from me or my staff.

For all of this information and care, I charge $150 -- not a lot in today's world.  And I bring to that time spent with the patient, 4 years of medical school education, 7 years of residency education and training, and 30 years of surgical experience during which time I have seen almost everything there is to be seen.

I deserve to be paid for all of this.

Now the bottom line:  if you go to work even for 15 minutes, would you want to work for free or would you want to be paid for your work?  Why would you expect a doctor to provide you with free care and information that he has spent a lifetime in accumulating???

The very bottom line:  You get what you pay for.

Dr Jacobs

[jay26783]

Well, let me say that generally I agree with the points you make, Dr. Jacobs, but I must also say that you sure set up some big strawmen in order to make them...

I was just curious if he offered free consultations; not out of a sense of entitlement to the Dr.'s hard-earned, qualified opinion, but simply as a matter of curiosity.

And in any case, you rightfully pointed out that some free consultations are abbreviated and uninformative. Left unsaid, however, is the truth inherent in the other side of that statement, namely that other free consultations may be every bit as engaging as your own.

And what about the truth inherent in the inverse of your assertion as well? Namely that the payment of a fee for a consultation does not necessarily provide certainty that it will be any more thorough or satisfactory than a free consultation.

Moreover, we both know that in the end, nothing is actually "free." The cost of a consultation- one that actually has a cost, i.e. a 'good' consultation- provided for "free" to prospective clients, will just be tacked on to the back end in the form of surgeon's fees, etc (and I am more than willing to bear that cost if sold on the front end). So, realistically, to charge or not to charge for consultations is nothing more than a marketing and cost-benefit issue, and as in any business it will just vary based on preference and estimates, and sometimes even from client to client, and therefore does not necessarily reflect on the quality of the surgeon.

Thus my initial (and mere) curiosity, which still remains.

Does Dr. Pope offer free consultations?

[George Pope, M.D.]

My consultations are $100, and if you book your surgery within 6 months of the consultation, that amount is applied to the surgery fee as a credit.
And I agree with Dr. Jacobs' logic.

Dr. Pope

[jay26783]

Makes sense, Dr. Pope. Thanks for the response! I will probably be in touch after the holidays!