The short version of this: Dr.Brown’s indifference towards his patients needs when they require more than a passing glance led to an infection that almost killed me and could have been easily avoided. This is a pattern he has a reputation for among other doctors.
After a month of carrying retained product from a miscarriage, and over a week of reaching out to GYN-CARE about escalating infection symptoms, I was admitted to Piedmont hospital for sepsis and an emergency D&C, following 3 ER visits in a week. It resulted in 4 days at the hospital, a 45,000$ bill, and physical weakness I am still recovering from weeks later. And I am lucky to be alive. My situation was literally life threatening, but also easily avoidable had Dr. Brown cared enough about my situation to inconvenience himself to act.
Please consider my experience at GYN-CARE if you are considering becoming a patient, especially if you are pregnant:
To begin, Dr. Brown practices out of Emory. You may then wonder why I was at Piedmont ER? The answer is, when I was finally able to get in to see him the day I developed a fever from infection, he told me to go there “because the wait times are shorter”. Small convenience he also would not be taken away from his office by being called in to care for me there as well.
It made sense to me at the time, and I had a fever of 102, elevated heart rate and low blood pressure so I certainly didn’t want to wait. But when I showed up at the ER barely able to walk and remember my husband’s phone number, they admitted me immediately because I was obviously an emergency case (Emory would have done the same). The doctors asked me, “does your doctor practice here? …then why are you here?” Because as I learned, if my doctor sent me, if at all possible they should be trying to see me. They (should) know my case better than some random doctor who’s just met me. And when it’s an emergency, that really matters. As I explained what had happened I mentioned Dr. Brown by name, and they immediately grew visibly frustrated. It turns out, they KNOW him because he has a reputation for “dumping”, in their exact words, patients like me on their ER’s doorstep so he doesn’t have to deal with them. Later during my stay I was speaking with one of my nurses about what had happened, and when I mentioned him in passing SHE TOO stopped the conversation with a visceral reaction when I mentioned GYN-CARE, because she had treated so many patients of Dr. Brown.
The OB/GYN doctors at the Piedmont ER (they were in private practice for 30 and 40 years, respectively) went out of their way to come visit me in my room at multiple points throughout my visit, to emphasize that the treatment I received at GYN-CARE was unacceptable in their eyes, to say how 10 years ago this would have been a malpractice lawsuit, to say I never should have reached this point had I had proper care. They went out of their way to explain what I should expect from an OBGYN practice and emphasized I should find a new provider.
Should you choose to be a patient of Dr. Brown’s, you are rarely going to actually see him. You will see a nurse instead. He is not going to be familiar with what’s going on with you (he had no idea of my situation when I saw him with fever, despite reaching out to the practice for over a week about escalating infection symptoms). There is also no way to get in touch with anyone, not even a nurse at the clinic, if you have any complications or medical concerns outside of M-F, 9-5 business hours. Especially if you are pregnant, this should be a huge red flag.
I originally chose GYN-care because of its outstanding rating on Google. The best I can say is, read the 1-star reviews. It’s not just crazy people or complaints about how much they have to pay. The ER doctors and nurses at Piedmont KNOW Dr. Brown by name, because of the number of patients they’ve dealt with where he has chosen to not follow through with their care. I think that says quite a lot. This is a doctor who puts himself before his patients. Don’t put your life in his hands.
Reviewed by Regina Serrano on 04/2024, courtesy of Google