My orthopedic doctor told me I needed a knee replacement (TKA). Unfortunately, my doctor no longer does TKA. I called Hughston Clinic and was given an appointment with Dr Fernicola and he was approachable and told me to call his scheduler for surgery. After surgery his demeanor changed. He was rude and condescending. My two follow-ups were a joke. He NEVER looked at my knee. He'd come in and sat across the room. My whole leg was severely swollen and painful. When I asked about it. He reminded me that he gave me a new knee and to work it. He never went over x-rays and declined to answer questions. I could no longer put weight on my leg. I was worst off than before the TKA. I went to another orthopedic doctor and needed a knee revision. My replacement was loose and misaligned. I later found out I was not the only person who had encountered similar issues. For your own health and mental well-being this is not the doctor I would recommend to anyone. read more

While I believe he is a good orthopaedist, his concern for YOUR time is non-existent. I had two appointments with him for my shoulder. The first one was in the middle of the day and I expected that by then he might be running behind, but when the second one was at 8:45 in the morning, I arrived at 8:30. I informed the patient representative that I had a meeting at 10 a.m. and I needed to ensure that I would be seen by then. At 9:30, I was still in the waiting room. I asked to be rescheduled. I did not have my calendar with me and asked that the office manager call me. I NEVER received a return call from them. This appointment was to evaluate whether or not the physical therapy prescribed by him had been successful and whether or not surgery on my shoulder could be avoided or if more therapy was necessary. I am still in pain in my shoulder, but he does not care as no one has ever followed up with me. As a healthcare risk manager, I can tell you, this is not a good thing. Losing a patient to follow up that is your fault is potentially a claim waiting to happen. This is a shoulder that has not been fully evaluated. The cause of the pain is unknown. I still receive their newsletter via e-mail, but I have not been contacted by them and it has been over a year. I no longer live in the area and will see an orthopedist in this area that my internist to whom my internist refers me. This way I will have recourse if I am treated as shabbily as I was by Dr. Fernicola. All I can say is, if someone does not see you in a reasonable amount of time, leave. If he does not answer your questions, leave. You are the patient. He is not in charge. You are in charge of our body. He is not doing you a favor. Do not allow the surgeon and his ego be the one who rules you. You are the important one here. The surgeon needs to understand that you are more important than he is. Without you, he would not have a job. Your time is as important as his time. read more

The most unprofessional physician I have ever encountered.My mother had a scheduled appointment at 10:45am and was called 5 mins out from her arrival to the clinic at 10:25am and told and I quote "I'm sorry but Dr. Fernicola has left for the day." No explanation as to why. Just that he had left. I'm a nurse practitioner in the medical profession and I have to tell you this is top notch unprofessionalism. Instills little confidence that he could properly care for you or by God operate on you. read more