I could NEVER recommend anyone to this…
I could NEVER recommend anyone to this dermatologist or her office.
After a melanoma diagnosis, my diagnosing doctor wanted to perform slow Mohs which sounded too traumatic for me. I was referred to Sage Dermatology where during both a phone call and an in-person consultation, they confirmed they could perform Mohs surgery on melanoma with same-day pathology. In my consultation, they said they brought pathologists in on surgery days, and they could take care of my melanoma without slow Mohs. I scheduled Mohs surgery with Dr. Brimhall. She reassured me that I was in great hands. Nothing could be further from the truth.
On surgery day, while I was under extreme duress getting lidocaine injections, Dr. Brimhall came in and decided, before cutting out the melanoma, that she was going to do a skin graft. She immediately decided to take the host skin from a very visible part of my face. When I expressed concern that we didn’t talk about a graft in my consultation, she pushed ahead saying it was necessary and that taking the host skin from my face was the best option. I was very concerned but trusted that she knew what was best. When she started to apply the skin graft, my husband said, “I thought we were getting pathology results first. Don’t we need to know we got it all?” Dr. Brimhall told us she couldn’t get pathology results because it was Friday and she was confident she got it all because she took the recommended margins. When I expressed concern to her, she said they were making this “accommodation” of closing the wound for me. When I pressed her on how that was an accommodation, all she could do was apologize for what she called a “misunderstanding.” I was reeling! Even if she thought that was what I was asking for, a competent medical provider would NEVER have closed a wound without pathology results.
In addition to the lack of following appropriate standard of care for melanoma removal, my list of grievances includes:
-Sending me home with an Rx for a fatal dose of a narcotic; thankfully my surgical history allows me to know what a safe dose looks like
-Not giving complete post-surgical instructions
-Giving verbal pathology results that were inconsistent with the actual pathology report; I requested the written report 3 times and she never went over it with me in her office; she verbally told me they got it all except for one small spot, but the pathology report states that 3 of the 4 margins are STILL POSITIVE FOR MELANOMA. I learned from another doctor that my type of melanoma tends to extend much wider, causing me to question Dr. Brimhall’s knowledge of recommended margins
-Looking at my medical records, I found another patient’s medical records and diagnosis listed under my diagnosis
- The procedure I underwent was not Mohs, but a “wide local excision”; a surgery she never discussed with me in consultation
-The host site formed a painful hematoma, fistula, and big, ugly keloids; other doctors informed me they would never have taken the host skin from my face
This whole experience has been a nightmare!
I have now learned the credentials you want to look for in a Mohs surgeon are from the ACMS (American College of Mohs Surgery). This is the only fellowship for Mohs surgeons that requires rigorous 12-24 month training under a Mohs surgeon that has been practicing for 5+ years, and they must complete 650 Mohs cases including pathology. This is NOT the credential that Dr. Brimhall has. Her “fellowship-status” as listed on her website is through the ASMS (American Society for Mohs Surgery) which only requires 75 Mohs cases and a $350 fee. This back-door approach to credentialing is reprehensible. I feel completely violated by the misrepresentation exhibited by this doctor. I’m now facing months of treatment to fix Dr. Brimhall’s actions.
Please, if you get skin cancer, skip the so-called Mohs surgeons and go to Huntsman, or make sure whatever doctor you choose is credentialed through ACMS. Don’t let the same thing happen to you!