Midwest Orthopaedics At Rush

DOCTORS IGNORE PATIENTS AND PUSH PAIN MEDS!!!
If you are famous, have political influence or an athlete, this is your place. But, if you are a regular Joe keep looking. They care more about bragging rights than patient care. After all, their doctors. Their better than you!
How do I give a 0 rating? I had surgery at Rush by Midwest Orthopedics. My cast was put on too tight. When I returned to the ER their solution was pain meds. A lot of pain meds. Morphine, Dilaudid and then when that didn’t work they gave IV/​Pill combos. I asked for my cast to be redone from the time I walked into the ER. Several doctors wrote off my pain as «surgical pain». After all, their doctors. Their better than you! They obviously know your body better than you do. Even if they only met you 30 mins ago.
I have tailor bunions which if you ever boot ski boots on tight you would know how painful they are. The cast was compressing it.
The ortho doctor on call told me «Foot and ankle surgeries are the bane of his existence». Then he went on to say how my doctor doesn’t understand how painful these surgeries are because there too busy operating while their Physician Assistant’s (PA) field the calls. Funny thing is I rarely saw my doctor during my follow up visits. All I saw after surgery was his PA.

While they seem to be good with their surgery, trust in billing and communication is another issue. After a successful knee surgery, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush told us one thing about the way we were going to be billed (that items would be billed that day and to our insurance in one way) and then actually billed them months later causing us to owe just under $ 1,000 more because of their error. When we’ve tried to follow up with them we’ve had them tell us twice they would look into the issue and get back to us and both times there was no follow up and we needed to contact them again weeks later.
If money’s not an issue to you, then they might be fine as their surgery and treatment was good, but if you’re concerned at all about accurate and timely billing, then I’d look elsewhere. For us, once a medical group shows themselves to not be trustworthy in one area then I can’t trust them in the others.

Patient of Dr Levine. Fantastic results of the surgery, I’m very pleased.
The billing department will kill you, unfortunately. Demanded money up front and has been holding it for months, long after all insurance payments to them have been settled. Not always truthful about status of communication with insurance company. Promises phone calls that do not come, and results that do not happen.
Be prepared to have a terrific new joint and a frazzled pile of notes and receipts and a lot of money trapped in their system.

I’m a patient of Dr. Nho’s. He has been extremely helpful for 2 surgeries. His staff (PA’s) get back to you quickly even through email. The office is very nice too and the staff is helpful. The only downside is the shortest wait I have had is an hour. It is always an hour or more but you do get individual attention once you are in an exam room. The valet employees are amazing. They are kind and very helpful. Even before or after a stressful appointment they go above and beyond to make your day better. They remember you and do their best to make the beginning and end of your experience at Rush the best it can be.

It is as good as it gets here.
It has been two months since my surgery and can say that I am extremely comfortable with my healing process. Of course, my doctor, Dr. Brian J Cole worked magic on my damaged shoulder and that is probably why I am healing so well, but the entire facility is clean, well maintained and thank God, I have never received any mysterious bills in the mail.
I would recommend Midwest Orthopedics at Rush to anyone looking for an Orthopedics facility.

Dr. Nho — I had a hip arthroscopy and I can’t say enough for Dr. Nho and his staff. They were always available to answer questions and never rushed me through appointments. The best part is that Dr. Nho got rid of my hip pain.
Laura Daniels — Laura was a disappointment. She has 2 – 3 patients at a time, but spends more time talking to other physical therapists than any patients. During my visits, I would get 20 minutes of her distracted time and a bill for an hour. She is not a caring PT and she does not spend the time with you that you are billed.

I currently see three doctors at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. I’ve seen at least five physician’s assistants as well as several occupational/​physical therapists, x-​ray and MRI techs, and scheduling staff.
Some of the most genuine and compassionate doctors I’ve met in the country are working at MOR. They not only are knowledgeable and skilled but listen with care and concern to my questions and take time to explain things drawing pictures or using models if needed.
The billing department has always worked with me, made additional insurance calls and helped me set up a payment plan after I had surgery. They too I felt were far easier to deal with than many other companies.
Scheduling is sometimes a challenge because these guys are the best and they are busy. But I’ve always been able to get an appointment when I need it. Physician’s assistances have always returned calls or emails, usually within the hour, never longer than four or five hours later.
Some of the desk staff are a bit… slow. They seem lazy as they have long conversations that seem personal instead of focusing on stressed out patients. But that happens everywhere.
And yeah, you have to pay to park. But they validate for some of the cost, there are two train lines close and MOR has locations outside of that Harrison St location with enormous free parking lots.
If you need orthopedic care and don’t call them I feel you’re doing yourself a disservice. Go there!

Great care and I’m about to undergo my second knee replacement with Dr. Della Valle and have had two shoulder replacements with Dr. Nicholson. I have not had any business or money issues so I have no idea what those could be. Everything has been smooth, as promised and efficient. And Dr. Mjaanes has helped me function in the middle of total pain.
in regard to negative reviews, you can’t please everyone.

I saw a few poor reviews that seem to reflect on the business aspect of Midwest Orthopedics than the quality of care. I’ll address both as I have had extensive experience with both because of my arthritis. The medical care I’ve received has been outstanding and I have had both a total knee and a total hip with Craig Della Valle and am under evaluation for a shoulder with Dr. Verma. In all cases, there was no rush to surgery and they helped me work through the decision process of whether and then when to have surgery. Dr. Della Valle assured me he would be doing the surgery though also informed me that residents and fellows would be helping as it is a teaching institution. Based on his track record, specializing on knees and hips, and the huge volume they do it is without a doubt the most important factor in my good outcomes for both procedures. I work out quite a bit and am relatively young for these procedures, but regardless I was doing lunges by the end of the first week after surgery.
The nursing staff are very professional and have always returned my call within a reasonable time. Post-​operative care was good and was told ahead of time that I would not see Dr. Della Valle for every visit if everything was going fine and the residents and fellows would evaluate me with his nurse practitioner. They were great and answered all my questions.
Regarding the business side of the operations. I have never had to wait too long for an appointment and have had no issues with billing or anyone taking my calls. I am among the very fortunate to have BCBS PPO coverage and this without a doubt affects my experience with the financial side of the care. However, I was always asked if I wanted, or needed, a piece of equipment before given one (e.g., crutches, brace, recovery aids, etc.) and often counseled on how I could do it using something cheaper. But, you do have to ask and be proactive in overseeing these details and is true anywhere within the U.S.
The only issue I had was the confusion between the hospital and Midwest Orthopedics when receiving my payments. For a while, the hospital was crediting the wrong account (Surgeon’s) when receiving my payment and it took a while to straighten that out but they were understanding and apologized for the ridiculous mistake. My experience is that if you are firm, respectful, and try to understand the person on the other end is a «line staff» and not the decision maker. With this understanding, I was always able to work my way to the right person by being polite and insistent.
Overall, outstanding care, outstanding outcomes, and better than average efficiency on the business side of the equation.

This review in no way shape or form is directed towards any of the 2 doctors I saw, I can review them separately and they were both fabulous n I’m not even going to name names when writing this bad review. My sole complaint is the people you contact after surgery if there’s a problem both the «administrative assistants» and even, unbelievably, the «emergency contact» who I’ve also tried figuring they would probably be more readily available… nope! I’ve been calling since 7 (am) n left countless messages for about 7hrs now due to a problem I’m having regarding my recovery with my brace… I’m not supposed to move or turn it because I’m not supposed to bend/​move my leg but the things so gosh damn big it’s sliding off n most likely my knee is bending because there’s so much room n how am I supposed to know. I was also instructed to call if I felt any pain on the pain killers, which I do, because that’s not supposed to happen… I mean on the upside I’m not dying. I’d obvs go to a hospital in that case but I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do for this utter bullshit, even the nurses at the hospital I had the surgery done have been trying to get a hold of someone as they called to follow up. So even though the doctors are good if you have to have a surgery and are worried about getting in contact because of a problem after I would not recommend going here, apparently the people they hire are incapable of answering a phone or returning a message #useless

This place is a money making machine. I should have posted this 10 months ago after I have had to deal with their business department since last October. I saw a doctor here regarding some wrist soreness. They took an x-​ray, they told me I was fine, they offered to give me a wrist brace to sleep with. Sounds good right??? WRONG. They made me what they consider a «custom wrist support that is specially designed to alleviate my soreness, made by professionals.» Do you know what it is? Its a piece of plastic that they soaked in hot water, then laid over my wrist, then cut down, then attached a velcro strap to. Do you know what they say that costs??? $ 862.00!!! Remember when you played sports as a kid and you would get a new mouthpiece and had to soak it in a pot of hot water then bite down? THATS WHAT THIS IS. Only they say it costs $ 862.00. Its total B.S. So i have now fought with their billing department for 10 months telling them I think just that. Do you think they sent me to a patient representitive to understand better why I think its crap? No. Have the put me on the phone with someone who can explain the actual charge codes and why their is so much higher than the medicare codes? No. You know what Midwest Ortho did? Sent me to collections and threatened my credit. Thats all. Every month I call and tell them I am not paying and I want to speak to the director. They NEVER CALL. Only send bills.
Take my advice here. If you see a doctor at Midwest Ortho, do not under any circumstances let them give you or sell you any product. They are scam artists, and they are good at it.
AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS

I showed up 15 minutes prior to my appointment time. was told that my doctor was running an HOUR late. I asked, «why wasn’t I called?» I was told, «we don’t do that here.» Shame on them!

I’m very surprised at some of the experiences others have had here; I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with Dr. Nika. I’ve seen her twice for osteoporosis treatment and find her to be informative, pretty dang close to on time for my appointments (wait time less than 10 mins in reception, and less than 10 mins after getting vitals checked and shown to the room), and responsive to my questions and concerns.
I’m a Crohn’s patient, and the years of nutritional malabsorption related to that condition has also begun to cause bone density loss and weakness for me, and so I find myself with a rheumatologist before 30. The silver lining, I suppose, is catching this now and having time to work on strengthening and rebuilding, but chronic conditions are like Whac-​A-​Mole; you get one thing under control and something else pops up.
Dr. Nika has been very upfront with me in admitting that the medications used to treat osteoporosis have been studied very little, if at all, in pre-​menopausal women, so we’re not sure exactly if or how the efficacy or side effects might differ in someone younger, but are optimistic. I found that with my Crohn’s, I simply could not tolerate the oral medications we tried first, and Dr. Nika was able to see me to discuss changes within a couple of weeks of calling in to raise my concerns. Her office is currently working on getting insurance approval for a new treatment, and have high hopes this will go better. Dr. Nika explained that I had several treatment options, went over what her recommendations would be based on my other current medications, what the current research has evidence for, and what we don’t know. She’s not a hand holder or emotional person, but I don’t need that; I much prefer the direct and honest discussion with me, not to me, about my health, and I’ve never felt that she was rushing me or dismissive of my thoughts. I can’t comment on any surgical experiences or other staff, but I have been very happy with and will continue to see Dr. Nika at Rush Orthopedics personally.

Similar to others, I wish I had read reviews as well. Limited and inaccurate information given after surgery. They acknowledged the miscommunication but overall management has not improved. There are others in the city that are better.

Oh, the negative reviews aren’t kidding. I would agree with them all times 10. I will never go back here. Apparently, they only care about their sports teams. While the doctors might be good, you need to be Houdini to even get an appointment. Management is a nightmare, requesting the same information over and over because they can’t find the first 5 submissions. Insane wait times, compared with the 2 – 5 minutes you might spend with an actual doctor. And I too would give them zero stars if possible.

Oh, if zero stars were possible!
Just read an interesting blog post that brought up how BigPharma will in no way benefit from alignment procedures like the PAO. The only way they can make money off hip dysplasia patients is to push hip replacements instead. Knowing that this particular doctor is well-​connected to that industry, I wonder if that played a role in his poor recommendation.
Other dysplasia patients have reported that they were immediately referred to the Hip Team at Boston Children’s. From one of the supposedly best doctors in Chicago, why wasn’t I?

I had been suffering from pain and swelling in my left knee since last Friday. Over the next five days the pain and swelling increased to a point where I could barely walk on the leg and my range of motion was severely limited. I called Midwest Orthopedics yesterday morning (Tuesday 25 Feb 2015) in hopes of seeing a physician who could take a look at me. I figured it was a long shot that I would be able to be seen anytime soon but the woman who took my call, Rose, was incredibly pleasant and professional. She took all my information and assessed my situation and told me that she would run it past the doctors and would call me back and let me know when they could see me.
Approximately 15 minutes later Rose called me and told me that if I could make it in by 9:00 am they could see me. I got dressed, jumped on my crutches and made it right into the office at Rush Hospital. On my way in I was wondering which Dr. I was going to see. Was it going to be a Dr. completing his fellowship, or a Dr. who was new to the group and trying to build up his practice? I was concerned but also told myself that this is Midwest Orthopedics out of Rush and whomever I get is going to be good. From the minute that Dr. Bush-​Joseph walked in the room he exuded confidence and friendliness. Something inside of me said that I’d hit the lottery!
Dr. Bush-​Joseph assessed my injury and then sat me next to him by the computer to look at my x-​rays. Explained that I had what was called pseudo gout in the knee in which calcifications would build up and then occasionally crystalline portions of these calcifications would break of and aggravate the surrounding tissue in the joint. He made it very easy for me to understand. He said that he would have to drain the knee because all the swelling that was present and he wanted to make sure that his diagnosis was correct and that there was no infection. I did not much like the idea of having a needle stuck inside my knee joint but he assured me that it would not be very painful and I would feel much better afterwards. I was helped into the cast room by a fantastic staff and within probably no more that 30 minutes I was prepped and had approximately 80ml of fluid drained from my knee. My range of motion was immediately increased almost 100 percent. The pressure in my knee was gone and I was walking again without my crutches and only some slight discomfort by the very next day.
I did a Google search of Dr. Bush-​Joseph today to get the full story on this man and was amazed at what I found. I had not just hit any lottery I had hit the Powerball!
Dr. Bush –Joseph provided me with some strong anti-​inflammatories and said that this will unfortunately happen again but if I get on it right away with some rest, ice, elevation, and the anti-​inflammatory it shouldn’t last long or get as bad as it was this time. I said that it was better than surgery and he said that we still might have to do surgery at some point if we can’t control the symptoms but if that is necessary I know that I will be completely comfortable having him as my surgeon.
Thank you to all the wonderful staff at Midwest Orthopedics. They were all friendly and professional. I have definitely found my knee’s newest and best friends!

Wish I would have read the reviews first. Why am I waiting over an hour when I have an appointment. From the other reviews looks like I am only 1hr15min in on my 2hr expected wait. And never mind the fact they request you arrive 30min early. Very few people on the lobby but they are all going to the desk to complain and check for updates. Go somewhere else if you value your time. At least when I wait for the cable guy, I’m at home.

The wait has never been too terrible but I am coming from quite a drive. It seems the best appointment to take is the earliest one you can get. Most of the office staff has been very nice. The doctor has been nice and professional as well as helpful.
I have had a few issues with the secretary staff but it wouldn’t turn me away from here. I would just say they lose a star for that.

I read all of these reviews really carefully before I decided to post anything. Everyone’s healthcare and trauma case is different, and I completely respect the process others are going though, but… to complain about the wait times? Really? Do you have any idea of what the scope of issues the physicians here are dealing with? Have you never been through a health issue before? If you have, then you know the mantra that accompanies it…“hurry up and wait.” That’s just how it goes. I can see how this can be annoying if you have something simple like a sprain, or a minor back issue… but when you have a life threatening illness/​injury, waiting isn’t that much of an issue. It’s something that you do because you respect the people that are caring for you, and you respect their time and their decisions.
Midwest (specifically Dr. Steven Gitelis and his Nurse Practitioner, Patti) saved my life. There is no other way to say it.
Dr. Gitelis diagnosed my cancer on a Tuesday, and I had a limb-​salvaging surgery two days later on Thursday. He took the utmost care with my situation, and did absolutely everything he could to save my leg.
This was nearly ten years ago, and while I’ve had to undergo several surgeries since then, I would never even CONSIDER doing one without Dr. Gitelis. I can walk because of this man. I can breathe.
I wholeheartedly, 100%, would recommend this practice to anyone.