Norman Parathyroid Center

Normally I limit my Unilocal reviews to restaurants, but I felt the need to review the Norman parathyroid center simply because in my 69 years I have never seen any operation, whether commercial or medical, perform at such a high level of excellence.
I was diagnosed with Hyper parathyroidism after having my routine labs come back showing elevated calcium, and seeing an endocrinologist. Fortunately for me, the surgeon that was recommended to me by my endocrinologist, informed me 36 hours before my scheduled surgery that my Aetna Medicare PPO was not in network, and that my «out of pocket «costs would be over $ 6,000. Needless to say I was beyond «pissed», and told the surgeon to cancel the procedure.
Prior to this bad news I had just accepted the fact that I needed the surgery and accepted my endocrinologists referral. I really did not understand much about the disease at that point. It was at this point that I took charge of my own medical experience, and I am so glad I did.
I got busy doing my own due diligence and soon found my way to
, the website for the Norman Parathyroid Center. It was at this website that i became educated on the disease. Their website is far and away the best medical website I have ever seen, and after spending many hours on the site, I felt that I finally truly understood the disease I had, and what to do about it.
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, I arrived at the Norman Parathyroid Center for my scheduled surgery at 7:30 am. From the time I arrived at the check in desk, the experience was truly fantastic. I had read many of the reviews and had high expectations. At 12:30 when I departed, ALL of my expectations had been exceeded.
The whole experience was a well oiled machine. Step after step was completed with expert efficiency. No waiting at all. Once one process was complete, I was immediately moved to the next process. EVERY PERSON I interacted with was both professional and compassionate. Every person smiled and called me by name. Every person was competent and caring and genuinely interested in me, and seeing that I was taken care of.
My surgeons, Dr. Norman, Dr. Boone, and Dr. Lopez were just amazing, each stopping by to talk with me prior to my surgery. Unbelievable in this day and time in the medical field.
My surgery took less than 20 minutes, and a large tumor, about the size of a quarter, was removed. I was out the door by 12:30. The entire experience was amazingly professional, courteous, and caring. Last night I received a call from Dr. Norman. I missed the call and sent him a text, to which he promptly responded. Really? How many of you have had your surgeon call you on his cellphone to check on you post surgery?
So, if you are reading this you probably have parathyroidism and are checking out the Norman Parathyroid Center. I encourage you to do as much due diligence as you can, and then just trust the fact that the Norman Center is the best place in the world to go for this procedure. EVERYTHING THAT YOU WILL READ ON THEIR WEBSITE IS TRUE. THEY WILL EXCEED YOUR EXPECTATIONS. Best of luck to anyone reading this. Robert A. Atlanta, Ga.

I went to Dr Norman for my parathyroid surgery. I had had 2 previous parathyroid surgeries which I made them aware of from the beginning. I was told this would not be an issue. The day of surgery all patients were told to report at 630 am. We were treated like cattle and herded in. My surgery was at 1230. All patients were given a bottle of calcium before surgery and told that the doctor would follow up with a phone call the evening of surgery. Well this did not happen with me. I did not need the calcium as my surgery was not successful. I suppose I was an embarrassment to him and I did not receive a call until I was very vocal about my dissatisfaction. He is not successful all of the time. You don’t get to hear about those though. Please know that before you go in and if they are not successful there is no follow up.

I’ve edited my original review concerning my Pathology bill. Contacted by Norman Parathyroid Center (NPC) concerning my outrageous bill from Ruffolo Hooper Associates for the pathology. Originally, $ 880.00 (I was given a one time discount of $ 100.00 I refused.) and GHI paid $ 76.00. I now have a reduced bill.
Initially, I was given the runaround by both Tampa General and Norman Parathyroid Center concerning this bill. (I’m on limited income.)
Caution: Tampa General does participate with Blue Cross Blue Shield (Hospital Ins.) even though I’m in nYC. However, they don’t accept GHI (My non Hospital Ins.). Tampa General is non Participating with GHI. Norman Parathryoid Center states that the hospital Controls which lab they use. The Hospital states it’s the Dr’s that send out the labs.
It’s very difficult to nail any costs other than the fee’s from Norman and it’s understandable. Blue Cross and GHI are vague and you get the runaround. NPC Financial dept. was helpful and responsive. Standard Billing codes were provided. I was diligent and made many phone calls. However, I didn’t know about the Pathology. I did give NPC all my ins. info. Understandable as there are a lot of variants in surgery and hospital stays.
Good News is that There is now a NYS Law, effective March 31, 2015, Called the «Emergency Medical Services and Surprise Bill Law that helps. Finally our law makers are listening to our concerns about health care.

Our experience with the Norman Parathyroid Center was not what we hoped it would be, I sent in the form and all medical papers the same day for my son, he received a email that day which we were glad to get, my son had wrote back to her asking if he should send more medical info and was told that he could and she would add it to his chart, that was the last time we received any emails.
On there website it tells you that your coordinator will inform you of the process along the way, but after not hearing from her he sent a few emails, which none of them were responded to, I as well left phone messages to her and was never called.
I ended up asking one of the other girls and they informed me that his chart was given to the doctors, we waited almost three weeks and I finally called and they said they would see if one of the doctors could call that day, the phone rang within a couple of minutes, it was Dr. Boone, she spoke to my son and it seemed as though she hadn’t even gone over his chart, she was asking him what his levels were? When he spoke of certain things that were on his chart she didn’t seem to have any knowledge of what he was talking about, we can’t say for certain but it sure seems to us that his chart was not throughly gone over, if gone over at all.
I was very disappointed and upset, so I called the office and asked if I could speak to another doctor but I was told that Dr. Boone was very qualified. We just feel that the chart was not gone over properly! We paid a lot of money for this service, all we desperately wanted was for all the medical info to have been gone over extensively.

I saw many doctors and specialists in California where I live and ended up at the Norman Parathyroid center by referral and because I looked at their statistics — statistics (can be found on their website) are facts and that’s why I flew across the country to get this done.
I felt in good and competent hands, they know what they are doing. This for me is most important. Second, the staff are all professional and very real and friendly. This is also important.
It is a «well oiled machine» very organized and professional. I think that’s a good thing and shows pride and professionalism.
I don’t expect a bunch of attention and talk from the surgeons as someone else reviewed here, that’s not why they are there. They are there to be competent, do a precise and correct surgery and I feel they did that. I did get a follow up call and all was perfect!
I would recommend them to anyone with this disease! They know what they’re doing!

Anyone who has thyroid issues of any kind will be used to hunting on their own for the answers and best medical care. Thank God for the internet and the foresight Dr. Norman had when he purchased
in 1995. Without the information complied on the website, I would still be feeling poorly with high calcium, low Vit D, and no definitive answers. These conditions led to high cholesterol, hardening of the carotid arteries, kidney problems, and a general feeling of unwell.
My family had no known incidence of cancer prior to this generation; however, a sister had recently died from kidney cancer and another sister has stage four breast cancer. It is highly likely they had undiagnosed parathyroid disease, which I believe has been found through the Norman Practice Study, to increase the risk of kidney and breast cancer.
My advice is to find an endocrinologist near where you live who is open to learning more about disease of the parathyroid and who will respect a specialty practice like the Norman Parathyroid Center. There is no reason to go to any other surgeon anywhere in the world. This is their specialty and Dr. Norman has invented the special scan and instruments used, along with a finely tuned surgical practice to remove the diseased parathyroid gland in the most efficient possible manner. I am four days post-​op and travelled from California and back to have the surgery at the very best possible place.
We met a couple from Canada who could not be helped by Dr. Norman and staff because a surgeon in her hometown had operated on her twice, making a mess of things, so that Dr. Norman could not help her at this time. It broke my heart to hear this young woman’s story, her husband standing by her side, with hope of a cure dashed.
We stayed at the Sheraton Riverwalk and it was a fabulous experience.
I am surprised that Unilocal is a platform for medical reviews, since there are many more complicated areas of critical thinking than rating a steakhouse, but since it is here and there were less than 5 star reviews, I decided to weigh in. This is the best place and your health depends on getting rid of the diseased parathyroid gland.

The Norman Parathyroid Center is a well-​oiled machine, led by surgeon, Dr. James Norman. The staff operates on 10 — 15 patients a day and clearly has expertise in these parathyroid surgeries. Everyone was courteous, helpful, and made me very comfortable. Don’t expect a lot of dialogue from the doctors, though, as their focus is in the operating room and there’s not much time for chat. Surgery went great and I returned to my Residence Inn the same day. The doctor did NOT call that evening as promised to check on me. After a month, I sent an email noting that I had developed very painful arthritis that did NOT exist prior to my surgery. I was told that it was just «coincidence» and that nothing related to my surgery or post-​surgery supplementation could be the cause of this. I was instructed to take 2000 mg/​calcium/​day and no more follow up was needed for a year. The end. Good bye. They washed their hands of me. My arthritis worsened. I’m 52, but my hands, wrists, thumbs, knees, and ankles felt like they were 92. I knew something was not right, but could not figure it out. Then… I stopped taking my calcium supplement about 9 months after the surgery. It was more accidental than planned, but I realized that my joint pain was lessening. After taking a much smaller dose of 500mg of calcium maybe 1 — 2 times per week and then not at all, my arthritis is nearly gone. I would say I’ve improved 90% and my quality of life is dramatically improved. There is a significant amount of research that indicates over-​supplementation of calcium and subsequent calcium deposits in the body can lead to increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of breast cancer, OSTEOARTHRITIS, kidney stones and many other conditions. (Just like a hyperparathyroid gland!) I figured out my problem with no help from the Norman Center so I am writing this in hopes that others who may experience this will benefit from what I have endured for 10 months. I feel like a new person. To end on a positive note, I have no regrets about going to Tampa for the surgery as I did have a diseased parathyroid gland and it needed to be removed. I credit Dr. Lopez with doing a fine job on the surgery. He and Dr. Norman could both stand to have better listening skills, though, and take to heart what their patients are telling them post-​op.

Yes, I could give it negative number if I can!
They have a lot of good information on their website! But be aware! Do not submit your information on the internet! The 5 mins phone call from their doctor will cost you $ 1700! The office staff is terrible when I try to explain what happened and seek the discount. It was a mess that you do not want to get into! Read the information on the website, talk to your doctors to get the lab work done, find a good surgeon in your area and it is simple procedure that a lot of doctors can do, do not believe that only their center can do the surgery! My doctor Shindo in OHSU Portland is great! I am so glad that I did not go to that center for the surgery! Stay away from them, all they want is your money!

When hyperparathyroidism is your diagnosis and parathyroidectomy your destination, you want the best and most experienced surgeons available for this very delicate surgery and you will find them in Tampa, Florida at the Norman Parathyroid Center. Drs. James Norman and Douglas Politz have long been known and sought out for their expertise in this field, but their newest members to join the group who trained with Norman/​Politz are Drs. Jose Lopez and Rafael Toro and were recently my physicians at Tampa General Hospital. Not only did I receive excellent care at Tampa General, I received exceptional surgical procedure, technique and outcome in the hands of Drs. Lopez & Toro. As well, the bedside manner of these two physicians and follow-​up is some of the best I have encountered.
The Norman Parathyroid Center is a well-​oiled machine who specialize in parathyroidectomy only, with an outstanding diagnostic and pre-​procedure website of related information that will have you (not your physician) the expert in parathyroid disease before your procedure. You will learn what lab and imaging tests to request from your physician and to stop the «wait & see» game where you watch your calcium levels climb higher and higher over the years and make you sicker and sicker… The Norman Parathyroid Center have perfected the MIRP (mini parathyroid surgery), also known as «radio-​guided parathyroid surgery, where not only will your tumor (s) be located and removed, tested for hormone output during surgery, a photograph and clinical data provided to you and your physicians, but all of the four parathyroid glands will be located and determined if normal; thus, this center’s «cure» rate is an impressive 99.6% with a one inch scar!
From the moment you apply as a patient online to the day of surgery, the NPC staff are there for you and with you all the way. Almost all correspondence is by email, which I prefer — as it provides me with written documentation of conversations and information that I can refer back to. And, along with outstanding physicians, you have very talented and caring staff who work their magic to get your insurance pre-​qualified, a surgical consultation scheduled with one of the physicians, and surgery scheduled within 3 to 4 weeks of your application date. When’s the last time you saw a physician’s office work that fast to take care of you???
I am now one week post surgery, with no calcium level issues, and improvements I have seen immediately include… bone pain GONE, insomnia GONE, constant thirst & urination GONE, gastric reflux and nausea GONE, foggy head syndrome GONE! Even though I’m still very tired… I’m now interested in life again and doing things I enjoy or use to enjoy. My chronic fatigue and muscle weakness may never go away, as I have other endocrine diseases and dysfunctions, but only time will tell. I feel certain if this were not the case my fatigue would be gone as well. I’ve also noticed my skin and hair are now soft and supple and the doctor said my hair loss will grow back in 6 to 9 months! Hurrray! As well, my anxiety level — though not gone — is improved.
I could go on and on about the Norman Parathyroid Center, but the best thing for you to do is check out their website. Just remember what Dr. Toro says… «It is NEVER normal to have an ELEVATED calcium level!»
A very special thanks to Jodie, Lora, Becci, Jayme, Kim, Marisol and, of course, Drs. Lopez & Toro for treating me with dignity and curing my parathyroid disease. You are angels here on Earth. xx DG