Dr. Mohammad K. Hararah MD

Hands down the nation’s best for what my family was battling and I wish we had made the very, very long trip out here sooner. Dr. Athanasian, Dr. Tap, all of the nurses and the concierge team were really fabulous. There is a gift shop with good prices, the cafeteria food was healthy/yummy/affordable. Kids under 12 are not allowed in the recovery unit so make alt childcare plans. Obviously I highly recommend this hospital. Also love that the other best oncologists/surgeons in the nation also said this and place was the best.

No idea what these bad reviews are about because I have been treated with the best care I have ever had at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr Alice Wei and Dr Judge are ROCKSTARS in the type of cancer I had. I am very proactive in my own care, so some of the issues mentioned appear to be from people, who did not properly advocate, for themselves or their loved ones. I was seen and diagnosed immediately and had surgery within a couple weeks. I was placed in a beautiful VIP suite and looked after 24-7 by a bevy of fun and kind nurses, PT people, and maintenance folks. Because I tested positive for Covid after surgery, I was there a week so had tons of great nurses and physical therapists except for one recovery room nurse named Camille — who lied about me not wanting any painkillers (I just didn't want any highly addictive ones!) — and Tara, the last nurse in my room, who tried to rush me out of the room by taking my clothes and throwing them on a chair while I was in the shower. Since coming home, I have had phone calls almost daily checking on my recovery and whenever I ask a question in the portal, it is answered instantly with either a phone call or email back. There are some changes I would make. First, there was an incident where Dr. Wei outright lied to me when I requested a routine scan that is usually done prior to surgery for the type of tumor I had. She inexplicably claimed that the scan was too expensive and that MSKCC did not do them. This was just odd since neither thing was true. That made me a bit nervous at first. However, she saved my life, so I feel so grateful that I found her. Secondly, people need more than 2 days in the hospital after surgery. I was in so much pain there is no way I could've gone home in 2 days, which I would've had to do if I had not had Covid. Also, the pain meds need to be timed with the physical therapy visits so that the patient can actually do the walks/exercises that are required. My PTs kept coming so late that my meds had worn off. Then, I couldn't do the walks. And finally, the drain bags need to be smaller. It makes no sense for patients to have to wear a 600ml drain bag if they are only outputting 20-40ml. Having a smaller bag would be much more convenient for patients, who have to wear a drain for a long time. And finally, patients need a realistic estimate of how long recovery from surgery can be. I was told I would be ok in 2 weeks. But it was 4 months with 6 hospital stays due to complications. I kept returning to work then having to be out again. If I had had a realistic notion of how complicated the recovery could be, I would've just taken the full time off on disability to heal. That said, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is the gold standard and I am so glad I chose to heal with them. Like anything health-oriented, you need to do your homework and advocate for yourself. There is nothing scarier than cancer, NOTHING! So if you live in NYC, make sure you come here. Because it is the best.

My husband was diagnosed with bile duct cancer and the prognosis was frightening. A friend told him he should go to the best of the best, so he got an appointment at Sloan Kettering, which was a 2 day drive away. The care he received was above and beyond: kind, professional, thorough and most importantly the doctors are tops in their field. After thorough testing, the doctor said my husband didn't have cancer. We were in disbelief. The doctor explained how he understood the initial doctor's diagnosis, but explained why it was wrong. The doctor went on to say he uses my husbands case in teaching his students because it's an unusual case. This was 10 years ago. Thanks to Memorial Sloan Kettering, my husband did not have substantial surgery that was recommended by the initial doctor. Literally, a life changing experience

Thank you to everyone including non family/friends and my Heavenly family/friends for all your thoughts & prayers! My quick recovery from the surgery all my Doctors were highly pleased! . Sure it's still going to be a long road to a full recovery, but the first and most important step of recovery is done and I'm now back at home to continue. I also want to thank all the MSK team for their incredible care, caring , understanding & compassionate attitudes as well! God Bless me & God Bless everyone! Amen!! #BeatCancerTogether

On 6/28/2024, I accompanied a close relative to the IR center located at the main hospital. Prior to the scheduled procedure, it was evident that the nurse inserting the IV had not reviewed the chart because she was going to start the IV on the side of a limb restriction. Luckily I was there to tell her that she should probably place the IV in the other arm. She requested that the anesthesiologist insert the IV. I was not happy that the IV was placed in the hand (placement higher up on the arm is a more acceptable standard of care). I'd advised that it would be a good idea to place an ID alert on the extremity with the limb restriction. I'm not sure why I had to make these suggestions as they are almost always automatic, in most practice settings. Unfortunately, during the pulmonary biopsy procedure my relative's arm was injured. There was a deep/lengthy skin tear that was covered with tape. My relative told me that clinical staff attempted to move her while her arm was stuck through the side rail of the stretcher. This injury was not communicated to the family. The skin tear occurred on the side of the limb restriction. In addition, my relative was discharged with no fluids on a very hot day. She had been NPO for many hours. We had at least a 2.5 hour drive home. No fluids at all on a hot day, for a patient in her late eighties. Post procedure, I'd phoned the IR department at least five times over the course of two weeks. Each staff member including several nurses that I'd spoken with, passed right over this sentinel event - the injured upper extremity. One nurse mentioned that it was not documented. I assume there was no safety/incident report. No one returned any of my calls even though I'd requested to speak with the nurse manager. Finally, on day 14 a staff member phoned us. She was a patient representative, I assume from the patient experience department. I am a nurse educator/APN for 44 years. In all the years I've been working as a clinician, I have never/ever seen a patient injury/adverse event this serious occurring in an out patient department in an interventional radiology facility. After the procedure, I was told I could wheel my relative in the hospital wheel chair to the parking garage. Not one staff member mentioned to us that there were two steep hills/downward. If my husband was not with us and had not quickly assisted, my relative would have sustained another accident. The wheel chair had no safety belt and the chair almost rolled right down those steep areas. These patient safety issues clearly demonstrate a lack of follow-up and a lack of caring! Nothing was done to assess or follow-up on the skin tear. Shame on this facility! My advice: Train your staff in relation to Safe Patient Handling -- 'Safe' Lift and Transfer! Do not EVER discharge patients in a dehydrated condition! Inform your patient and their next-of-kin when you've injured them. Listen to your patients and their family member(s), inform them when they're injured while in your care, apologize when they're injured in your facility, and above all: demonstrate CARING behaviors!! Get an educator into that facility to do a thorough learning needs assessment and to implement an in-depth education plan -- including back-to-basics and communication! And remember: sentinel events are reportable! If you want to be a High Reliability Organization, then start educating your staff so they practice accordingly by following safe and acceptable standards of clinical care!