James E. Phillips

My right hip had been bothering me for a number of years; three years ago I noticed reduced mobility and last year I started to experience pain and developed a noticeable limp. In May I was told by my primary care physician that I had developed osteoarthritis in the right hip and that I needed a hip replacement. He was going to refer me to a specialist at Mass General, but based on the experience of two active friends (one a knee replacement after blowing out his knee out hiking the John Muir Trail, the other a total hip replacement) I decided to go with Dr Phillips.
I had my first consultation with Dr Phillips in June. As I wanted to be able to return to my active lifestyle as soon as possible, I was looking for earliest surgery date possible. I asked to go onto the cancellation list and his scheduling assistant was able to get an surgery date in mid-​August.
Dr Phillips operated on a Friday morning, and later that afternoon I was able to walk with the assistance of crutches. I was discharged on Saturday and was able to walk quite comfortably with the assistance of crutches. On Sunday I was able to start walking with the aid of one crutch only, and by Tuesday I was walking without the assistance of any crutches! It’s Wednesday and I’m back in the office (not cleared for driving, so have to rely on others for transportation!)
My friend who had hip replacement done by Dr Phillips earlier this year was cleared by Dr Phillips for all normal activity after two weeks, so my recovery, assuming it stays on schedule, is not an isolated experience.
I would recommend Dr Phillips and New England Baptist Hospital without any reservations! So far my recovery from the surgery has been all but miraculous!

I went to Dr. Phillips in August 2013 after I injured my knee in a bootcamp class. He was the only doctor in my insurance plan with an immediate appointment near my home. I was in agony and could barely walk so I was appreciative that he had an availability.
I explained the injury happened as I was doing a lunge in class. At that moment, my pain level was a ten. Dr. Phillips immediately asked me to get off the table and show him how I do a lunge. I said I could barely walk — how could I do that? He proceeded to move my leg around looking for the source of pain. After I yelled in agony from one of his proddings, he made a quick diagnosis that my knee cap came off its tracking. He showed how this happens using one of those plastic models of the knee. He said that it’s very common in women. He told me to take Naproxin and start six to eight weeks of physical therapy. I was happy with that diagnosis because it meant nothing was broken and this was treatable.
Six weeks later, my physical therapist and I recognized that I made very little improvement. Ultimately, I couldn’t do the type of physical activity that I wanted to do without pain — like, simple things such as walking up and down stairs, anything aerobic that required running or walking a long distance or standing for a long period of time. Basically, everything a train commuter like me needs to do on a daily basis! I wasn’t looking to run a marathon.
I went back to Dr. Philips for a re-​evaluation. I showed him that I couldn’t straighten my right leg completely. This time, he was almost annoyed that I wasn’t happy with my «progress.» This visit he spent more time with me in the room and showed me articles on patellar tracking disorder. He told me to be patient and think about how much better I’ll be in six more weeks. He was rather dismissive of my questions (why doesn’t this happen with the other leg?, why does this happen more with women?, etc.).
This wasn’t good enough for me. So on the advice of my PT, I went to a different orthopedic doctor. Within one week I had an MRI and a new diagnosis — a lateral tear in my right meniscus. I’m home recuperating from minor surgery to remove the tear as I type this.
I think of all the pain I was in, all the money I spent on PT and doctor visits, the damage I could’ve done by treating the wrong thing… and ultimately, how this has completely impacted my life. If I had the proper diagnosis and if Dr. Phillips just listened a little more, I would’ve been on the road to recovery months ago. Shame!

Though it took me nearly two months to get an appointment with Dr. Phillips, I see why he’s amazing. What I didn’t know ’til I chatted with his assistant was that he makes people bionic (total knee replacements), making him the darling of the older set, and contributing to the difficulty of booking an appointment.
Yes, I could have seen another orthopedist, but I like having Black doctors. Dr. Phillips was prompt, professional and hilarious (I asked him to break down what he was saying to me in lay language and essentially he told me I was good to go, and could resume running. YES!).
Bonus that he’s adorable.
If your knee is bothering you, go see him. He’s in a number of different locations – again, I think he’s one of the hardest working doctors in Boston – but if you can get in to see him, it’s worth it.