Doctors at Mayo Clinic (Drašković Trauma Hospital)

Just so there's zero confusion here, the initial emergency care was top-tier back in the European Union where the accident actually happened

I’ve been stuck lying here for eight days straight, and all I got out of their "treatment" was having my leg wrapped up three times...
And now they’re going to bill me for this "expert medical opinion" by the day just because I don't have supplemental insurance
Honestly, seeing as they can't even look at an X-ray and realize it's a fracture of four toes instead of just one, their "expertise" could have easily led to an amputation—or at least permanent disability in my case

Seriously, it’s terrifying. God help anyone who gets sick or needs help in this country

I’m taking this opportunity to give a massive shout-out to Professor Roman Pavić over at Drašković Trauma Hospital in Chicago.
He is the definition of professional. His expertise is off the charts.
He actually listens to you. He shows genuine empathy for the patient and treats every single question with respect.
He answers everything politely. Honestly, he often goes a step further and explains everything before you even have to ask, leaving virtually no room for confusion.
He goes above and beyond for everyone.
In my case, he was incredibly accommodating every single time; he worked around both my job and my personal life without hesitation.
It is obvious that he views every patient as a priority. It doesn't matter how "serious" the diagnosis is—he approaches every case with an absolute sense of urgency. Nothing is ever "low priority" to him.
Everything is coordinated with the patient. Every decision is mutual. Both sides walk away satisfied.

Professor Pavić has performed surgery on me twice now. If I ever need a third operation, he is the only person I’m going to.
I don't doubt his knowledge, his skill, or his professionalism for a second.
I would recommend him to anyone without reservation.
He is a doctor you can truly trust.
You can count on him for an accurate diagnosis, flawless execution, and the assurance that you aren't just another number in a chart.
With him, you feel like you're in capable hands. That fear you usually feel before surgery? It just isn't there.

He is truly one of the rare gems left in the current American healthcare system.

I’ve been scouring Google for answers, but I'm coming up empty. Does anyone here have any insight? I'd especially value an opinion from a surgeon if anyone is listening.
Two years ago, I was in a car accident and fractured my arm just above the elbow—a really awkward spot right above the joint. I was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital via the ER, where they installed a plate and screws. A few months later, two of the screws snapped, everything started shifting, and the bone just wasn't knitting back together properly. I had to go under the knife again last year at the Drašković Trauma Hospital to replace the plate with titanium hardware and add some bone graft. They couldn't even get the two broken screws out. Everything would have been fine if the bone had finally fused, but it’s been a year and still nothing. Now
I’ve ended up back in the hospital dealing with an infection. The doctors are suggesting it might be a metal sensitivity, which could be why the bone hasn't healed. Everything is scheduled for this Friday, and I'm spiraling about what comes next. My surgeon says he won't be installing any more hardware—just leaving the bone ends unattached—and once the wounds heal, I'll be in a cast. He also dropped a bombshell: there's a very high chance the bone won't fuse at all, meaning I could live with a compromised arm for the rest of my life. And this is my right arm. I'm only 25! I can't wrap my head around that. Is there any other way to handle this? Please, I need advice ASAP.

fadedbear11 😢
maybe you should look into getting a second opinion at one of those private clinics?
personally, I’ve had a pretty terrible experience with Drašković Trauma Hospital, and honestly, Mount Sinai Hospital wasn't much better... 🙄

edit: just catching up on this thread now, but I completely agree with everything Patrick Castillo4 wrote.

I was dealing with a serious knee injury, and instead of running an MRI, they just threw me in a cast and sent me home five days after the break.
To make matters worse, when I was discharged, they didn't give me a single prescription or even a suggestion for anticoagulant therapy—while I was admitted, they were giving me heparin injections, but once I got home, I just started taking aspirin on my own, which clearly wasn't enough.
Because of those complications, I barely escaped with my life, not to mention that my knee is essentially ruined; a follow-up MRI I paid for privately shows that I'm looking at at least one surgery and a recovery process that could drag on indefinitely...
Getting a discharge summary that's only two lines long is nothing short of disgraceful; there were no imaging results attached, no documentation, absolutely nothing.
It’s a complete disgrace, that hospital!

Does anyone here have firsthand experience working with Dr. Cutij? I have an appointment scheduled with him regarding some issues with my knee.

Grace Davis77 said:Does anyone here have firsthand experience working with Dr. Cutij? I have an appointment scheduled with him regarding some issues with my knee.

The guy deserves all the credit. He’s actually my friend's husband, and honestly, he really knows his stuff and is super easy to talk to.

Chloe Garcia10 said:The guy deserves all the credit. He’s actually my friend's husband, and honestly, he really knows his stuff and is super easy to talk to.

Thank you; I feel a bit more at ease now.

I'm honestly not sure if I should go ahead and book a consultation at Drašković Trauma Hospital. The reviews posted here seem all over the place, quite inconsistent if you ask me. I noticed they have a specialized hand surgery institute there. A long time ago, I had some issues with my ribs and some other things that left me with lingering effects I probably need to get fixed now. I suppose if I schedule an appointment there for a consultation, it doesn't necessarily mean I'm committed to anything, right?

I’ve had good experiences at Drašković Trauma Hospital. I went there twice—once for a broken ankle and later for a strained arm—and everything went smoothly. Is it all about which doctor you happen to get? Probably. But I’ve seen two different ones now, and I'm satisfied.

Here is my experience (and I have the medical records to prove it, so I’m not just making this up):
- I severely injured my leg (to put it mildly, it was pretty nasty)
- I followed all the standard first aid protocols perfectly (I’ve done sports and dance, so I know the drill)... cold showers, bandages, elevating the leg, heparin gel, ice, and total rest.
- There was a lump about the size of a mandarin orange... it’s an ankle injury, and I couldn't move the joint even a millimeter... I even sleep with my leg wedged between pillows just to keep it still.
- Since I’m not prone to panicking, I didn't rush straight to the doctor the second it happened.
- But things weren't improving, so my boyfriend drove me to the Drašković Trauma Hospital.
- Once we got there, they practically mocked me, acting like I was just complaining over nothing... I had simply stepped awkwardly, and now I'm in agony (this was day five, and I hadn't felt a shred of improvement). They ordered an X-ray... but before that, during the exam, they hysterically ripped my bandage off because they didn't want to wait for me to unwrap it. Then, they sent me home saying it wasn't anything serious—just a bad step. They sent me out without a bandage or any support! They didn't even realize someone had driven me there or ask how I'd get home; I was on crutches, and they actually made jokes about it. I couldn't even touch my foot to the floor from the pain, let alone carry any weight.
- Another week passed... seven minutes of icing, heparin gel, an elastic wrap, and using crutches just to get to the bathroom. The pain was absolute torture, and there was no relief... that mandarin-sized lump was still there.
- Finally, my boyfriend rushed me over to the orthopedics department at Mount Sinai Hospital... and the exam there revealed that I actually have torn ligaments. The doctors there were shocked that the Drašković Trauma Hospital had even sent me home.
The Trauma staff just laughed at me and dismissed me like a spoiled child who simply tripped the wrong way.

It would be awesome if you could also drop the name of the doctor from the Trauma department 🙂—you know, just so we all know which ones to steer clear of!

stormyraven10 said:It would be awesome if you could also drop the name of the doctor from the Trauma department 🙂—you know, just so we all know which ones to steer clear of!

And honestly, it’d be great to know who they could actually sue for defamation. Even though there are medical reports and everything. It's like they say, "birds of a feather flock together." They all just look out for each other.

Brandon Newman95 said:And honestly, it’d be great to know who they could actually sue for defamation. Even though there are medical reports and everything. It's like they say, "birds of a feather flock together." They all just look out for each other.

Maybe don't speak on things you aren't quite sure about?
According to the law, defamation happens when someone spreads a false factual claim to others that hurts someone's reputation, knowing full well it isn't true.

I think it would be way more helpful if people were just more upfront about whether they liked or disliked certain doctors—it’d really help future patients out!

stormyraven10 said:Maybe don't speak on things you aren't quite sure about?
According to the law, defamation happens when someone spreads a false factual claim to others that hurts someone's reputation, knowing full well it isn't true.

I think it would be way more helpful if people were just more upfront about whether they liked or disliked certain doctors—it’d really help future patients out!

Don't go talking nonsense. I wrote something against a doctor here a long time ago, and wouldn't you know it? Someone found out, and the fallout was massive for all of us. Personally, I even had to move my medical files around just to deal with it. So, spare me the fairy tales. They all look out for each other; it's all an inside job. Unfortunately, because of some health issues, I have to visit them pretty often. It's like they say, "birds of a feather flock together," so why don't you try posting something negative about one of them and see what happens? I ended up having to apologize publicly on this forum just to deal with the mess.

So, did you actually get a court order handed down making that happen?

stormyraven10 said:So, did you actually get a court order handed down making that happen?

Look, we were all seeing the same doctor, plain and simple. In the dental field specifically, I ended up putting myself in a really awkward spot, and I was the one who had to fix it. It literally happened—they tracked my info down through my IP address and via this forum. It’s not pretty. So, to anyone out there thinking this forum is anonymous or that privacy laws and data protection stuff actually mean something here... yeah, I'm not buying that crap. Everyone knows everyone else. They read each other's posts, they cooperate, they're all in on it, so nothing ever sticks. And personally, unfortunately, I've been dealing with a lot of doctors lately, and for certain inquiries, it's just a small circle where everyone knows each other and nobody's going to snitch on their own. There was no official ruling; it was just handled verbally.

I have to agree with Brandon Newman95; what they're saying is spot on.
Everything is anonymous... they won't ever know it was you.
Exactly!
Here is what happened: there was this one piece of equipment at the hospital—the only one of its kind in the entire US—that is absolutely critical for diagnosing conditions where patients can slip away very quickly. It sat broken for eight months. The staff actually vented to me about it... basically, the board of directors or whoever pulls the strings above the department heads... I can't recall the exact hierarchy... but that top-level administration responsible for approving repairs just kept saying no.
So, I decided to take action and sent a very polite letter to the Department of Health and Human Services. I didn't go in attacking the hospital; instead, I focused on how shameful it was that such vital equipment wasn't being fixed. I kept it diplomatic... I even made sure to praise the specific staff members who operate the machine.

Fast forward a couple of months, I head back there for a follow-up, and suddenly their supervisor snaps at me! She acts like I personally betrayed them, claiming they were always so kind to me... meanwhile, I'm standing there feeling completely lost. What on earth? It turns out... since I had sent that email to the Department, they had sent an inspector down. The inspectors went hard on them, and somehow, they knew exactly what I wrote. Who told them it was me? And who lied about the contents of my message?

Luckily, I had a great relationship with the frontline staff, so I was able to show them my actual email to prove I hadn't said anything bad about them.
But clearly, someone higher up—presumably within the Department—leaked my confidential information.
Can you imagine if I had actually filed a formal complaint against them?!
Would I have to look for political asylum just to stay safe?!

Then someone says, "Oh, feel free to complain." Right. As if.
There's just not enough support. Privacy regulations are ignored, and people in power protect each other more than two thieves guarding a shared stash of gold.

Brandon Newman95 is right.

And yes, I still have those medical records.
I am willing to post them.
But then again... where would I even go to find asylum?

Nicholas Davis4 said:I have to agree with Brandon Newman95; what they're saying is spot on.
Everything is anonymous... they won't ever know it was you.
Exactly!
Here is what happened: there was this one piece of equipment at the hospital—the only one of its kind in the entire US—that is absolutely critical for diagnosing conditions where patients can slip away very quickly. It sat broken for eight months. The staff actually vented to me about it... basically, the board of directors or whoever pulls the strings above the department heads... I can't recall the exact hierarchy... but that top-level administration responsible for approving repairs just kept saying no.
So, I decided to take action and sent a very polite letter to the Department of Health and Human Services. I didn't go in attacking the hospital; instead, I focused on how shameful it was that such vital equipment wasn't being fixed. I kept it diplomatic... I even made sure to praise the specific staff members who operate the machine.

Fast forward a couple of months, I head back there for a follow-up, and suddenly their supervisor snaps at me! She acts like I personally betrayed them, claiming they were always so kind to me... meanwhile, I'm standing there feeling completely lost. What on earth? It turns out... since I had sent that email to the Department, they had sent an inspector down. The inspectors went hard on them, and somehow, they knew exactly what I wrote. Who told them it was me? And who lied about the contents of my message?

Luckily, I had a great relationship with the frontline staff, so I was able to show them my actual email to prove I hadn't said anything bad about them.
But clearly, someone higher up—presumably within the Department—leaked my confidential information.
Can you imagine if I had actually filed a formal complaint against them?!
Would I have to look for political asylum just to stay safe?!

Then someone says, "Oh, feel free to complain." Right. As if.
There's just not enough support. Privacy regulations are ignored, and people in power protect each other more than two thieves guarding a shared stash of gold.

Brandon Newman95 is right.

And yes, I still have those medical records.
I am willing to post them.
But then again... where would I even go to find asylum?

I second this entire post. Asylum, hmmm... I wouldn't even know where to start.

I honestly just wanted to hop on here and see what everyone else thinks—like, what’s been your experience? I dropped by the Mayo Clinic the other day for a consultation and to talk about scheduling a surgery, mostly because some more experienced folks told me they have the absolute best doctors there. Well, after sitting around waiting for almost six hours, I finally got a three-minute appointment where they basically just tossed some paperwork at me and practically kicked me out the door... it felt like they had this total "God complex" or something. I was way too intimidated to even ask a question, especially since there were probably a hundred people still waiting outside. I didn't even get the chance to ask how long the recovery takes, or anything else I actually needed to know! Since I'm coming in from out of town, I really needed those details to figure out my travel and logistics. Hopefully, the nurses will be a bit more helpful over the phone, maybe?

Has anyone here dealt with Dr. Elabjer before?
It’s a similar story to what was mentioned above... I sat there for hours just to have him rush through a radiologist's report because they were unsure about a meniscus tear. Without even asking how I was feeling or looking at my knee—let alone checking the actual MRI disc—he just scheduled me for an arthroscopy, handed me some generic questionnaire, and called it a day.
I honestly didn't know how to react. Now I'm stuck in this weird two-week limbo where I either have to track down a second opinion to dodge surgery or just go through with it based on a single letter on a report...