Spine Surgeons who are Physicians - Niantic, CT

"I write this review with great disappointment and dismay. Just over twenty years ago I fractured cervical vertebrae in a car accident and was skillfully treated by Dr. Halperin. My accident brought me within millimeters of being paralyzed and I have been both grateful to and in awe of him for his care - until today. Today I traveled from Manhattan to Franklin, CT for an appointment with him regarding the arthritis that he predicted twenty years ago. I thought it was worth the time and expense to take Amtrak out to Connecticut because he would have my films from my injury and would be most capable of recommending a treatment plan. Instead, to my surprise, I was seen by a physician's assistant. I assumed when Tom came into the examining room that his role was similar to the resident fellow who examines my knee prior to my consultations with my orthopedist at HSS in NYC. I was surprised when Tom was not aware of my history with Dr. Halperin or which cervical vertebrae I had injured. He had clearly not prepared for the consultation. Even worse, when he looked at my x-rays he questioned if I had fractured vertebrae. Had he researched my case, he would have known that the arthritis revealed in the films today was located where the fractures happened and I had spent months in a minerva neck brace. When he described what he saw in the films taken today he used elementary terms as if I had never gone through treatment for fractured cervical vertebrae, I found it odd but assumed that Dr. Halperin would be meeting with me and Tom was just doing the prep work. My frustration built as it became apparent that Dr. Halperin would not be making an appearance. I was seething as I told Tom how disrespected and deceived I felt to be trifled with given my purpose in traveling out to Connecticut. He left the examining room without providing an explanation or an apology. If I had wanted to be seen by a physician's assistant, there are ample opportunities for this in Manhattan. Rather, I had traveled specifically to see the surgeon who had treated my original injury. When I made the appointment I carefully explained my reason for needing to see Dr. Halperin and indicated that I was traveling from Manhattan, even asked for advice about how to best . The scheduler was well-aware and scheduled my appointment on a day when he would be in the office, as opposed to the Monday after Easter, when I had hoped to combine time with family in Rhode Island with seeing him on the way back to New York. I do not know if the message never reached Dr. Halperin or if he did not care, but I feel disrespected and deceived, and question if I received the proper level of care today. I was later told by an employee at Orthopedic Partners that it is a regular practice for orthopedic patients at the Orthopedic Partners to be seen by a physician's assistant. No one explained this to me when I made the appointment. Had I known, I would not have traveled three hours in each direction on Amtrak, then taken an Uber another half hour from the train station, particularly not during a pandemic. I should also mention the added risk of riding on Amtrak and in Ubers with maskless passengers and drivers. It was particularly shocking that Tom's surgical mask was gaping on all sides, basically hanging off his head, and he thought nothing of sitting a foot away from me to review the x-rays with me. While the staff was masked, there wasn't a hepa filter in sight - unlike my NYC dermatologist who has two in a waiting room half the size and one in each examining room. Orthopedic Partners does not seem to have much regard for the safety of its staff or patients. I am disappointed and furious about having spent the time and money and put myself at risk only to receive substandard, casual care. Dr. Halperin is not the same committed, caring physician he was twenty years ago. After this experience, I could never recommend Dr. Halperin or Orthopedic Partners to anyone. "