Dr. Kathy Rumer DO is a surgeon in eastern PA who has made a lucrative living performing GCS surgeries, the majority of which are rushed and have shoddy outcomes which leave the patients with lifelong injuries. Oct 2020 - 1-year update: Kathy (or someone from her staff) found this post and emailed me to complain about it only 20 days after it was posted (and after around 2 years of complications at that point). Organize, stand up, speak out. Missed the final consultations of the season? Sinai, to the stand. ***********************************************. (THANK YOU!) COMPLAINT against DELAWARE VALLEY AESTHETICS, PLLC, KATHY L. RUMER ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number 175427. Recently it has come to light that Rumer has been employing a right-wing legal firm (Rogers Castor) to intimidate her own patients into silence. We hold them accountable through organizing and direct action which you can help partake in. Dr. Rumer has even blatantly admitted in court to her false advertising without consequence. I had no idea about this until a friend told me. There is so much more to this story, but I'm moving on. I also quite possibly need a lawyer. Surgeons are accountable to a patchwork of institutions and GRS training can vary between a week of observation with an established surgeon to a years-long apprenticeship program. Then we were supposed to book for February or March, but her office simply couldn't figure out how to handle insurance, and THEN they put me on a wait list to have surgery on July 17, 2019. Worse yet, Lake is possibly getting kickbacks for every patient she refers to Rumer. I meed much MORE urgent help now. While insurance coverage for GRS has benefited countless lives, an unintentional side effect has been what Dr. Marci Bowers, a San Francisco-based gender surgeon who has been practicing for three decades, refers to as a culture of permissiveness: As far as an insurance company goes, if the patient survived the operation, leaves the hospital in a prescribed amount of time, and doesnt die of some hideous complication or is not readmitted multiple times, she says, that is their measure of success. Providers like Dr. Rumer, she says, understand the industry and sign contracts to become preferred providers, effectively funnelling new patients into their practice based on these metrics. Tell her staff how you feel. Providing an Invaluable service to the trans community also means listening to the trans community, nothing for us, without us. It's September and I still haven't had revision surgery. It's time to take action. I waited and waited and waited on pre-authorization from insurance. Its who decides how the operating theater in the hospital is going to be used, what kind of surgeries they are going to do., They make those decisions and we have to just live with it, he said, and work around these things., None of that matters to Carlie, who has scuttled plans for other transition-related surgeries, like facial feminization, thanks to her experience with Dr. Rumer. We got you, make a .txt file and copy and paste these. She is using an anonymous blogger as a justification to target and intimidate her low income patients who cant afford a legal council and cant afford to go public with this. Some, like Gaines Blasdel, a consultant who worked in an LGBTQ primary care center helping patients access gender-affirming surgery and who organized the open letter to WPATH in 2018, suggest a centers of excellence model, in which insurance companies and professional organizations collaborate to ensure insurance would only be paid out to surgeons who participated in a dedicated program. Rather than focusing on producing the best possible patient experience, the marketplace model encouraged these surgeons to become sales people for their own work. Its been a fucking nightmare. She deleted her post to avoid more attention from anti-trans fanatics. In late 2018, Heyer published the contents of the complaint he received in The Federalist, accusing the hospital of exploiting Medicaid patients to give Dr. Dugi early experience performing the procedure so he could move on to more lucrative patients. Kathy Hochul has called it quits after being blamed for driving her political . According to a complaint submitted to the Pennsylvania State Medical Board and shared with Jezebel, Dr. Rumer allegedly claimed a 1 percent complication rate for fistula and stricture following urethral lengthening, one of the procedures commonly performed as part of phalloplasty, the surgery which creates a functional penis for transmasculine trans people. Established in 2007. This is a good share: When Surgeons Fail Their Trans Patients by Katelyn Burns https://jezebel.com/when-surgeons-fail-their-trans-patients-1844774990?rev=1597854733082. Download PDF. While Danielles complaints centered on her experience with post-op care within the hospital, others found themselves struggling to deal with serious complications, including fistulas and incontinence after surgery. Google: delaware-valley-aesthetics-pllc-v-john-doe. Delaware County Memorial Hospital offers gender affirmation surgery Her legal firm is Roger's Castor who represented Trump after his impeachment and this case is being brought before an anti LGBTQ Trump appointed judge. Dr. Rumer's office doesn't make outbound calls to insurance providers. I'm sorry if this isn't the most well-written thing, or if there are gaps in my backstory. Public pressure recently got Rumers attack dog lawyer to delete his youtube channel and potentially withdraw his candidacy for judge. I have literally emailed and called Dr. Rumer's office over 100 times. The advice shocked both Carlie and her mother. Incredibly unprofessional. If you want to put pressure on the heads of Mazzoni individually, working from this list might help. Its their body and their right. But to make an informed choice about their bodies, he says, trans people would need more information about what happens when surgeries go awry. BRUCE JENNER SURGERY HELL | National Enquirer Anyways, a different, competent doctor will be fixing my complications *tomorrow*!! . After learning of its existence, Carlie joked that shes a graphic designer by trade and if she had made the site it wouldnt look so shit.. That took away my agency, changing around my story like that.. Spread the word. Dr. Rumer told me originally that I needed surgery under twilight sedation, then she said she didn't say that, and then she later told me I needed major surgery under general anesthesia at Hahnnemen University Hospital (which I think actually closed now!). A few months later, she said she never said that. The Butcher of Ardmore has continued for long enough. Privacy Policy. Transgender questions; transgender answers. Infections occur, tissue necrosis, dehiscences, those things occur with any surgery, he says. In a follow-up appointment and then again in a subsequent email which Simpson shared with Jezebel, Dr. Rumer blamed the dead skin on a pair of too-tight Depends Simpson had worn in the hospital, which Simpson believes was a way to dodge the issue. The Life and Sad Ending of Cathy Lee Crosby - YouTube Public Call to Action Against Dr. Kathy Rumer : r/MtF - Reddit In July 2018, I had minor surgery right in her office to remove some granulation tissue. That's my layperson understanding of this. The details of the arbitration proceedings and their outcomes are not public; none of the plaintiffs in the cases against Dr. Rumers practice returned multiple requests for an interview. Our sisters at Stonewall would have never accepted Rumer or her allies and neither should we. The subpoena demanded I turn over all notes, emails, documents and research referencing Dr. Rumer or her practice. Her office is still open for business and she still performing surgeries for profit. So people cant really compare one surgeon to another in that context. Ask them all about their participation in this case. Rumer Gender Surgery - Facebook Dr. Kathy Rumer for top surgery? : r/asktransgender - Reddit Rumer Willis Welcomes First Baby With Boyfriend Derek . As a result of the defendants' alleged negligence, the plaintiff suffered urethral and vaginal strictures, had clitoral scar tissue, was unable to have sexual intercourse and experienced gender dysphoria. These patients experiences and their difficulty finding recourse arent about one doctor. Rumer - Transgender Surgery in Philadelphia with Gender Reassignment I found new doctors thanks to Reddit. Sinai. Now that the rule is being implemented, insurance companies will again be allowed to sell policies with blanket exclusions for transsexual surgeries. Within such a highly politicized regulatory environment, innovation and reform become exceedingly difficult. The organization serves as an active gatekeeper, laying out strict guidelines for which patients are allowed access to transition-related surgical procedures, but it does not expressly oversee the practices that perform them. Dr. According to a 2018 study, the percentage of trans people who end up regretting vaginoplasty is about 1 percent, significantly lower than your average knee surgery. Get botched by the butcher, get sued if you speak out. But the people who are not satisfied with their surgeries, at the hands of Dr. Rumer or others, have found it difficult to have their complaints meaningfully addressed. While these guidelines would improve the training quality across the country, it remains voluntary for individual hospitals and surgeons. Such was allegedly the case for Dr. Rumer at the 2018 Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, where the doctor gave a presentation covering several surgeries for transmasculine people. Cookie Notice For more information, please see our Since 2016 the blog has intermittently posted figures in Guy Fawkes masks, the doctors home address, and linked to public reports about the surgeons work. . People really have to go on gut feeling.. Jezebel was unaware of this website when we began working on this story and all of the people interviewed said they had no prior knowledge of the blog. Our surgeons strive for perfection, but occasionally there are complications, he says. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Cis people generally associate transitioning with extensive surgeries, but transition-related surgical procedures are very rarely approved for trans people under age 18. I've been in psychotherapy for many months because I basically received a sexual trauma instead of proper surgery with appropriate aftercare. Dr. Kathy Rumer - Experienced Gender Surgeon in Philadelphia According to Schechter, necrosis like Simpson experienced is a risk in any vaginoplasty, and could have been caused by wearing a too-tight undergarment early in post-operative recovery, though it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what may cause the infection for a given patient. Its an institutional framework that doesnt fit the current challenges, says Green. How many botched or dead patients one surgeon must have before we Dr. Kathy Rumer - Gender Reassignment Surgery Expert I'm not a doctor by any means. In addition to performing hundreds of gender-affirming procedures each year, Dr. Rumer also directs a 1-year . She told me that it's very rare for someone to develop granulation tissue like this a year after bottom surgery. There is a larger concern that is poised to swell as demand for GRS grows: that without a specific reporting mechanism for patients who feel wronged or an institutional body tasked with regulating the specifics of trans-affirmative care, patients who seek these surgeries are locked in a devils bargain, unable to be assured of the quality of care when they sign on and unclear how to move forward when theyre unhappy with the results. Worse yet, her help came from some of the very people we are supposed to trust . Privacy Policy. alleging that the defendants did not have the appropriate expected from board certified plastic surgeons. Returning home from the movie back in Louisiana, Carlie took a closer look at her new vulva. (Like Alexis Lake, these guys are also deserving of some free publicity.) Advocates describe a patchwork of surgical practices and transgender centers for excellence overseen by local hospitals and state medical boards. The next morning, she called the emergency number she had been given and sent an email to Dr. Rumers office. Non-profit organizations like WPATH have traditionally tried to fill the need for training but lack the capacity to institute systemic changes on their own. Rogers Counsel, Rumers Right-Wing Attack Dogs: Did a loved one of yours recently have a surgery with Rumer that they are afraid to speak out about due to how litigious Kathy is? These two men are responsible for that fear, Lance Rogers and Joe Heffern. You all don't know how many times I've had to call my insurance company and then start a 3-way conference call with Dr. Rumer's office. After her experience with Dr. Rumer, Carlie decided against a malpractice suit and tried to spread warnings about the surgeon on her own. I SHOULD HAVE HAD THIS WHEN THE DOCTOR ORIGINALLY TOLD ME OVER A YEAR AGO. They've had so many problems processing the correct procedures codes, dates, etc. The two had spoken on Skype a few months before the surgery but . Tune-in to the series premiere of Botched this Tuesday, June 24 at 9/8c! Last time I saw her, she said she wanted to take some of my belly fat for a skin graft in my vagina, and it would take another year to heal. For more information, please see our Visually, if I knew I was going to be butchered to have a botched up look, I should have went to a general plastic surgeon instead of totally wasting my money for a "cosmetic" procedure when what she gave was anything but. A 2018 study by researchers at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins indicated that the number of trans-affirming surgeries showed significant growth between 2000 and 2014, with an increasing number of them paid for through private insurance or Medicaid. According to Carlie and her mother, Dr. Rumer snapped at them in a phone call with Carlies mother: I remember hearing it clear as day, says Carlie, who could overhear the conversation. A sub for the discussion of surgeries, surgery results, surgeon satisfaction and the costs incurred by transgender people. We now have urologists, gynecologists, and micro-surgeons of all kinds who are involved in genital reconstruction. She said it would be like starting from scratch again, as if it was the a brand new bottom-surgery. Mazzoni organizes this conference every summer. According to several studies, the industry average for those complications range between 10 percent and 64 percent. and our I'm becoming more depressed and asocial. "You can have permanent redness of the nose and, if the undermining of the soft tissue is too severe, you can have skin death. But they say that their frustration is also directed at the systemic issues surrounding procedures like these: The lack of doctors who perform GRS and the lengthy waiting lists that mean people like them have few options to choose from and not enough information when they go looking for a surgeon. It's a baby-sized vagina/wound. One of the ways we create uniform standards has to be an open exchange of ideas, says Dr. Ting, of Mt. Imagine trying to run your surgical clinic and instead of getting calls for consultations you instead get angry calls regarding your continued support of a transphobic doctor. It's completely pointless. Dr. Kathy Rumer, a reconstructive surgeon and aesthetician based in Philadelphia, agrees. Are You a Graphic Designer? Comment. I note that while you are a self-described freelance journalist, you utilize the pronoun the plural pronoun we (e.g. Cookie Notice I'm basically winging it and referring back to old notes as I type it, but I'm not exactly the most mentally sound at the moment. And as a defendant in malpractice suits myself, it is a very uncomfortable topic. Specialties: Dr. Rumer, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, is a renowned transgender surgical specialist. Up until July 2018, Dr. Rumer told me how "beautifully" I was healing when I'd see her for a post-op check-up. Rumer falls short in some terrifying waysblaming the patients for their surgical complications, anger and hostility towards those who complain, lack of availability or accountability. Dr. Rumer, she adds, also understands the vulnerability of patients who desperately desire surgery in a climate of still relatively few surgeons.. 1,516 talking about this. Disclaimer: All of the phone numbers posted are their public business numbers. In addition to performing hundreds of gender-affirming procedures each year, Dr. Rumer also directs a 1-year . In May 2018, 192 post-op trans patients penned an open letter to WPATH laying out several concerns about the current system, among them that surgeons were offering free or low-cost surgeries to under-resourced patients in order to gain operating experience in procedures for which they have incomplete professional training, falsifying complication rates in preoperative counseling, academic publishing, and public presentations, providing experimental surgeries without informed consent, presenting inaccurate medical information to patients, and providing insufficient aftercare for patients. Dont feel comfortable putting public pressure on Rumer and her enablers and still want to help? I need help NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW. In finding a doctor to perform a surgery prospective patients like Carlie are largely on their own. Dr. Kathy Rumer, DO | Ardmore, PA | Family Medicine | Vitals With no central database for reviews or information of trans-related surgical providers, trans people often depend on word of mouth between friends, social media, or trans-related message boards for feedback. Plastic Surgeon. There is no independent resource where patients can get data on a surgeons complication rate. The most common reason for regretting trans-affirming surgery, in fact, is inadequate surgical outcomes. Bruce Jenner's Plastic Surgery Hell Exposed: Doctors Say He Is But according to Green, of WPATH, there are no medical boards that specifically certify individual surgeons for gender-related surgeries: I badgered the surgeons to get the societies, like the plastic surgery society, to try to figure out how to make this training part of the boards examination, so you could be board certified, he says. Many patients who go to Dr. Rumer for bottom surgery are happy with their results. Some anti-trans activists create opposition to access to trans-affirming care by claiming treatments are experimental or too risky to be ethical, another obstacle when patients consider speaking openly about their experiences with individual surgeons. People dont want to talk about complications in their marketing presentations.. Our goal, of course, is to train more people so that at least in major areas people dont have to travel So theres also that lag time between getting people trained appropriately and getting institution centers [and] hospitals up and running., Cutting down on that lag time to meet the growing demand for gender-affirming surgeries can often mean cutting valuable training corners for hospitals and surgeons. Despite this, Rumer continues to dodge accountability for her actions, not only have a decades worth of complaints to medical boards, hospitals, and insurance companies fallen upon deaf ears, Dr. Rumer has had a total of four medical malpractice lawsuits against her, all of them resulting in a settlement. People will always make the choice of fast and cheap over good in some cases, he added more recently. Teri Rumer called me to cancel the surgery because I didn't weigh enough. Jezebel spoke to four others who say they experienced issues with surgeries performed by Dr. Rumer, ranging from allegations of poor post-operative care to construction of their vaginas that left them in significant pain or with vulvas that didnt look anatomically correct. Carlie says she saw the doctor briefly before being wheeled into the operating room, but didnt see Dr. Rumer again during her three days of recovery in the hospital. I'm still bleeding. Scan this QR code to download the app now, https://jezebel.com/when-surgeons-fail-their-trans-patients-1844774990. Kathy is having some hesitations before her double operation.. On Tuesday's episode of Botched, Dr. Paul Nassif agrees to repair patient Kathy's nose and perform a revision facelift after she . Can't keep records straight. RT @ShifterofShapes: Dr Kathy Rumer is another "sex reassignment surgeon" who botched countless patients and gave many colostomy bags along with other life long complications. Botched - Home | Facebook The Plastic Surgery Procedure Kathy Griffin Regrets Getting Some worry about anti-transition media crusaders leveraging trans medical horror stories into political opposition against transitioning itself, since 2016 has focused exclusively on trans patients. Joelle Trieste, PhD on Twitter: "RT @ShifterofShapes: Dr Kathy Rumer : Rumer has resorted to taking out of state medicaid as a result of her dwindling reputation in PA. This is a great one to share. (He says the model combatted similar problems within bariatric surgery in the early 2000s, providing concrete outcome data and tightening restrictions on a surgery once struggling with similar issues.) This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the outcome of Hannah Simpsons surgery. I'm trying to set up an appointment to see Dr. Jess Ting. SHE WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE HEALING BEAUTIFULLY UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE. Additionally, since 2016 there have been four malpractice suits filed against the doctor over similar issues, all of which were eventually arbitrated out of court. In 1979, Johns Hopkins stopped offering GRS for political reasons despite being one of the leading-edge American hospitals to develop the practice. I was like, I need to get a vagina before we have a Republican president, she told Jezebel in an interview in the spring of 2018. I had bottom surgery with Dr. Kathy Rumer in May 2017. It was the spring of 2017 and about two weeks prior Carlie, a 34-year-old trans woman, had undergone a vaginoplasty: a surgery sometimes performed after injuries or post-cancer but most commonly associated with transition-related care. The Damage I got from Kathy Rumer - My Remorseful Suffering (If you really want to get her attention, her google reviews are also a good place to start. There are lots of great gender-affirming surgeons in New York; I'm not transmasc so I can't recommend anyone for top surgery, but absolutely do not go with Rumer if you don't want to be mutilated. Please don't stalk patients online?? I'm not well. Roses surgery didnt turn out as planned. Now I can only get half-way to the first dot on my smallest purple dilator. Copy and paste it, mirror it, etc. That seems like her go-to word for every check-up: "beautiful." In July 2018, I had minor surgery right in her office to remove some granulation tissue. In a pre-trial brief filed in late February, before the case was referred for arbitration, Dr. Rumers attorneys argued the surgeon was not negligent, hadnt deviated from the standard of care and that the issues the patient experienced were recognized complication[s] of vaginoplasty. The pleading also noted that the patient was not employed at the time she was treated by Dr. Rumer and that the 47-year-old hadnt reported significant problems until more than a year after her surgery. Complaint. (855) R U A LOOKER. He only sees us as bags of cash. Mar 20, 2018. The organization runs its own surgical trainings, which began under Greens presidency from 2014 to 2016. It kept accruing secretions and urine and got really smelly and I was scared of the thing for like the first year, they say, until I figured out there wasnt supposed to be hair there.. These meetings are ongoing until a consensus is reached regarding current patient concerns, the goals of the discussion have been addressed, and plans are in place to prevent recurrence, Dr. Dugi writes in an email. I am completely unable to have sex, and it's driving me fucking crazy. I don't have a fucking vagina. The Damage I got from Kathy Rumer. Each of the plaintiffs described strictures and damages to their urethras, vaginal cavities, and labias along with bulges or misshapen clitoral hoods, issues characterized as permanent injury such that the plaintiffs would never have sexual function again.. Her office is still open for business and she still performing surgeries for profit. The timing, content, and nature of your emails suggest you are likely working with this individual (either knowingly or unknowingly) in carrying out this defamatory campaign, wrote Dr. Rumers attorney in an email on January 31. Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul. PHILADELPHIA A patient is suing Dr. Kathy Rumer and Delaware Valley Aesthetics PLLC, which does business as Rumer Cosmetic Surgery, citing alleged medical negligence. Recent attempts to quantify the learning curve for vaginoplasty have indicated that 40 procedures need to be performed to truly learn the technique. Annoying the desk reps enough might actually get Mazzoni to finally speak up and say something about Rumer. Rumers litigiousness isnt unique among surgeons, and the environment can make it difficult for many trans people to find recourse, or warn others about bad surgical experiences. The letter did say the office had reminded Dr. Rumer about the duties and requirements under state law and her local medical board. Share 215-563-0652 or 215-563-0658. When Surgeons Fail Their Trans Patients - Jezebel GRS Surgeon Kathy Rumer is using a right-wing legal team to - Reddit In 2018, another group of trans people who saw her speak at a trans medical conference filed a complaint accusing the doctor of falsifying success rates, after which the Pennsylvania State Medical Board communicated with the surgeon but took no disciplinary action. I had bottom surgery with Dr. Kathy Rumer in May 2017. Marci however just so happens to have the power to drop Rumer from WPATH. ), filed by NICOLE COLEY. Something like cardiac surgery or plastic surgery has., When I asked Green about the varying quality of standards in the current landscape, he told me it was because of our medical system: Its because of the decades of anti-trans bias that has existed, he said. I need a new surgeon. Also, almost killed Diana Goetsch and Kelly Maloney. Hannah Simpson, a 34-year-old trans woman from New York City, says that two weeks after she had GRS with Dr. Rumer in the summer of 2014, she noticed that her vulva was starting to look asymmetrical, with one part looking red and swollen. Give her some free publicity). I am relieved that more people are becoming aware and it's extremely sad that there are more stories like mine. Many other hospitals followed suit and the Department of Health and Human Services banned Medicare coverage of the procedure in 1981, prompting most insurance companies to explicitly exclude trans-related coverage from private insurance plans shortly after. We would mostly suggest putting pressure on Sultan Shakir, the sitting president of Mazzoni, We highly recommend calling the health center despite this. Partners, caregivers, etc, with a legitimate interest in surgery may post if it's of clear benefit to a trans individual or the community.

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