Dr. Patrick S. Chaftari MD

I was diagnosed, went through treatment, and continued to go for therapy. This is an amazing facility, from treatment to technology to staff. You are treated very respectfully by all staff, appointments are prompt without waiting. They have a unique ability to function extremely efficiently. When I drive up to arrive for an appointment or check-up, I feel comfort and relief, knowing I am at one of the best treatment and research centers in the World.

My wife has a rare brain cancer called Glioblastoma. She was getting treatment from an excellent hospital system, but we switched to MD Anderson because they are supposed to be the best. Our experience with MD Anderson has been awful. They do not offer patient-centered care. Appointments are scheduled last minute. As a caregiver that still works full-time and has a family to care for as well, this is beyond inconvenient. For some reason they can’t make note of where the patient lives and they schedule appointments at satellite offices that are not near the patient’s home. Communication would be nil if it wasn’t for one nurse on the team that tries to keep us informed of the circus going on. There is a specialist for every single part of the treatment. That sounds great, right? Well, it would be if it wasn’t for the fact that there is also a copay for every one of them. I know, that’s how medicine works. My wife just opted to not treat anything other than the cancer. All the other terrible stuff that happens because of the cancer will go untreated. MD Anderson has cost us three times what the other major hospital system cost and they have created three times the headache. In summary, it sucks to be dying and dealing with MD Anderson at the same time. Go somewhere else.

Wednesday evening we had an emergency. Went to emergency. I went in expecting someone would get a wheelchair and come out and help me get her inside. NO. I got flack for being parked in emergency (not the ambulance lane). I got her in to the check in desk and went to park. She was put in an ER room. I went to be with her there. The only chair provided in the room was a metal frame with little to no padding. Chair was my problem because I have arthritis and it hurt to sit in the chair. I left at around 4 a.m. staff that attended my daughter were very nice. Until time to check out. My daughter calls me Friday morning about 9:20 a.m. and says they're releasing her. It's an hour drive for me to get there. I pick her up. We drive the hour to her house. Then she gets a call that she has to come back, right then. THEY FORGOT TO PUT THE MONITOR ON HER. WE, she's unable to drive there, have to turn around and go back and it hast to be today (Friday afternoon) an hour each way, WHY . WERE THEY IN SUCH A HURRY to RELEASE HER WITHOUT THE VEST?.?? My daughter is sick. Who was responsible for getting the monitor (vest) on her? They were in too big of a hurry and didn't pay attention. What else might they might not be paying attention to??? Thursday at shift change, young man comes in and is concerned because she has not pooped that day. She told earlier staff that she had diarrhea. No one documented it till p.m. staff came in. This is funny/pathetic. They brought her some diapers that were big enough for several people to fit into at the same time. She put one on had to hold it on. I hate complaining because some of the staff were great but then there were those that need to pay attention or find another job.

After two surgeries here, I am searching for a different facility. MDA doesn't care to treat post-op pain sufficiently. I was sent home last time with NO pain meds.

If trying to save you might make their numbers look bad, they will drop you like a rock. Your life isn't worth the possibility of tarnishing their stats.