My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer last April (2021) by Dr. Bhoomi Mehrotra's team at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn. She had never been seriously ill and was only 67, so to say this came as a shock would be an understatement. We were devastated and frightened, and knew nothing about cancer or treatment options. When deciding whether or not to keep my mother's care with Dr. Mehrotra/St. Francis, I turned to online reviews, which were all glowing, and a friend who worked as a nurse at the hospital who shared that she had heard great things about Dr. Mehrotra. Dr. Mehrotra initially seemed kind and soothing, and the treatment center on Northern Blvd is brand new with lovely staff members who made my mother feel safe and comfortable. Quickly, I noticed a decline in the quality of care from Dr. Mehrotra and his team at the hospital. My biggest feedback is COMMUNICATION. I feel that if the doctors took time to communicate clearly and more directly with my mother and me during our interactions, it would have made all the difference. For example, we were not given a formal diagnosis until I asked Dr. Wallace Chan, an oncology associate, directly. He seemed uncomfortable delivering the news and it felt like if I hadn't asked, we would not have been made aware of my mother's condition until a later date, where putting together a treatment plan was extremely time sensitive. Second, discussing my mother's life expectancy was met with resistance. At one point I practically begged Dr. Mehrotra over the phone to please, in his years of expert experience, provide an educated opinion on how much time he believes my mother has left to live. I understand not being able to give a definitive answer and that doctors may feel pressure to be precise. We only wanted a realistic timeline from a professional who has decades of experience - keeping in mind that just a few weeks ago, we had no idea this would be happening. Dr. Mehrotra never provided a clear response. Lastly, after three months when we decided to transition my mother's care to Northwell Health, Dr. Mehrotra seemed defensive saying he is an expert in the field and we would likely receive the same information. He also stated, unprovoked, that "there is no ego in this" even though his affect and tone said differently. It was an awkward, uncomfortable conversation. I read in materials from Pancreatic Cancer Action Network that it's a red flag if an oncologist is difficult about you transferring to another provider, and that they should be supportive of your decision. (The decision to transfer was not solely based on Dr. Mehrotra, but included the quality and capacity of St. Francis Hospital. We hoped that transitioning to a larger, more robust healthcare system would give my mother access to more resources.) In addition, my mother underwent surgical procedures at St. Francis Hospital that were misrepresented to us prior, and had private conversations with her doctors regarding medical decisions that were careless and traumatizing. It felt like if I or another family member were not present to advocate on my mother's behalf, she was not taken seriously and treated with no respect. This all occurred during a COVID spike. I empathize with medical professionals being overburdened, and how the pandemic likely effected my mother's quality of care. Regardless, I stand firm in believing that better communication and more empathy from her doctors would have transformed our experience. My mother passed away in September 2021, four months after she was diagnosed, in Northwell's palliative care unit. I can't say whether the outcome would have been different had she received care elsewhere from the start, but I believe she would have been treated with more humanity, rather than like a statistic. I sat with this review for several months and finally decided to post it because it is an honest account of my family's experience under Dr. Bhoomi Mehrotra and St. Francis Hospital's care. If it can help inform another family in a similar position, then it's worth sharing. read more