wri903

12-03-2021

Services Used: Outpatient

A decent, ethical surgeon must be able to thoroughly provide realistic expectations, discuss risks, and must be able to assist you through any complications. Palumbo does none of these things. Instead he over promises benefits, does not explain risks, and refuses to see his patients once the surgery is done.
My friend received a partial knee implant from Dr. Brian Palumbo. He pushed the partial knee implant like it was a miracle cure. He declared it better than the total knee implant. He said not only do you heal much faster, but the implant is anchored to the bone instead of being cemented, which means it has a longer life span and you can have a more active lifestyle. He even said it was better than a total knee implant. After getting the partial implant, my friend didn’t heal. In fact, weeks after the surgery, the pain was worse than it was before the surgery. My friend was plagued with instability, needing a cane for stabilization.
How did Brian Palumbo correct this error? He cancelled all future appointments. He cancelled my friend’s appointment a week before forcing her to call back and reschedule and then a week before the rescheduled appointment he cancelled again. And again. The hold time on the phone to make an appointment is about 40 minutes. So now picture yourself in tremendous pain, and the only person who can help you, the actual surgeon, is doing everything in his power to avoid seeing you.
Her medical records he wrote that he went over the apparent risks of a partial knee implant, which include persistent pain and instability. He never did this at all.
After seeking the help of other doctors, they explained that a partial knee implant should never have been offered because the arthritis in my friend’s knee wasn’t localized. You can see it in the X-rays and MRI. Palumbo didn’t even remove all the arthritis, which means the surgery was for nothing.
Unfortunately, we didn’t learn until after the surgery, that Brian Palumbo had been sued for completing a partial knee implant on the wrong side of a person’s knee, and he had been sued for inflicting drop foot on some of his patients. These are mistakes that any astute and skillful surgeon would have avoided.
You can see a record of his lawsuits in the Florida Department of Insurance Regulation here: (https://apps.fldfs.com/PLCR/Search/MPLClaim.aspx). This is public knowledge.
As for Florida Orthopaedic Institute, they not only keep employing Brian Palumbo, but they offer no security for your medical records. They exposed the medical information of 150,000 patients. See here for more info: (https://www.classaction.org/news/florida-orthopaedic-institute-hit-with-class-action-over-april-2020-data-breach).
My advice is to avoid Brian Palumbo and Florida Orthopaedic at all costs. They only care about making money. Once your surgery is complete, they dispose of you.

• Date Visited 12-2021
• Overall Satisfaction
• Explanation of diagnosis and Treatment Plan
• Trust in Provider
• Procedural Skills