Dr. DiMattina

[Anonymous]

Or if he has become more arrogant over the years.

Yes, perhaps years of "baby making" have gone to his head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw Dr D for a couple of appointments early on (during the dx phase) and really did not like him, but I know others who love him. I'd recommend going for a consult - you'll know pretty quickly if his style is for you. Also, while I agree that he is cocky, I'm not sure that confidence is so well-founded. When I was researching RE's I searched on pubmed and he has not published anything in peer-reviewed journals in over 10 years. Nor did he go to such a great med school (call me elitist, but friends who are MDs say that if you have nothing else to go on, look to see where your MD went to med school). I now see Dr. Frankfurter at GW and really like him (although the practice overall has both pluses and minuses). Hope that helps and good luck!!!

Wow. I'm a physician and I can tell you it's not where you went to medical school that really counts since all medical schools teach from the same textbooks but rather wheer you trained for residency or fellowship. You're most specialized training is the best indication of how well trained the physician is in that area of speciality.

[Anonymous]

Not to hijack this post, but where you get to med school is relevant not because of what you learned there, but because (if you have any faith in the imperfect admissions process) smarter people tend to get into better med schools. So it does give me some comfort that my RE went to med school at Yale (and did his residency at Harvard). Since there is not great data on doctor quality out there, med school is one of the few things patients have to go on. In college I knew a lot of people who were pre-med and the smarter ones did (on average) end up at better med schools. Of course, some of these people had no social skills (and, in some cases, no common sense), so med school obviously isn't everything!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to hijack this post, but where you get to med school is relevant not because of what you learned there, but because (if you have any faith in the imperfect admissions process) smarter people tend to get into better med schools. So it does give me some comfort that my RE went to med school at Yale (and did his residency at Harvard). Since there is not great data on doctor quality out there, med school is one of the few things patients have to go on. In college I knew a lot of people who were pre-med and the smarter ones did (on average) end up at better med schools. Of course, some of these people had no social skills (and, in some cases, no common sense), so med school obviously isn't everything!!

I think the comfort should come from the fact your physician did their residency training at Harvard, not so much that their medical school was Yale. Many of my colleagues chose to attend their state medical school as it was far less expensive then private medical schools. Another example, if your OB went to Harvard then to the Military for residency training, his/her experience would be very limited. Same if they went to the NIH, for their residency or fellowship training they would be trained in the extreme cases but not the full range of OB. So it IS their most specialized training that really matters.

[Anonymous]

I think the comfort should come from the fact your physician did their residency training at Harvard, not so much that their medical school was Yale. Many of my colleagues chose to attend their state medical school as it was far less expensive then private medical schools. Another example, if your OB went to Harvard then to the Military for residency training, his/her experience would be very limited. Same if they went to the NIH, for their residency or fellowship training they would be trained in the extreme cases but not the full range of OB. So it IS their most specialized training that really matters.

Ditto this. My husband was accepted to medical school at Hopkins and Harvard (ended up going to Hopkins) and was rejected at the University of Maryland and both state medical schools in New Jersey (where he is from). If he had been accepted at either NJ school he would have that over either Hopkins or Harvard. To him paying 3-4 times the amount for medical school just wasn't worth the name. Many, many other people have this choice to make and choose the state option over the elite privates.

He would agree that residency/fellowship training if far more important as an indicator of quality than medical school (unless one trained in the Caribbean because those schools are MORE expensive but have little to no admission standards and just serve to train people who did not get in US schools and want to essentially buy an MD).

[Anonymous]

I am with Dr. D and I am shocked that so many people say he's this, that or the other. His "arrogance" is clearly confused with his confidence, and knowledge in what he does.

He has never referred me to his book for answers to my questions, and believe me every time I see him I have many questions!! I am getting ready to start NCIVF and I am confident he is the right guy.

I tried other docs in our area and he is the one for us!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am with Dr. D and I am shocked that so many people say he's this, that or the other. His "arrogance" is clearly confused with his confidence, and knowledge in what he does.

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I COMPLETELY AGREE! I'm a patient of Dr. D and his "arrogance" is completely mistaken for confidence and knowledge. He really is the best at what he does and patients need to remember that bedside manners are not taught in medical school or residency. We seek out an RE's help because we all want one thing...to be a parent.
I'm a former patient of SG/Dr. Greenhouse where I was nothing but another IVF patient...I was given general baseline care where 10 different doctors made decisions about my protocol and I was never given any options other than the most expensive. Dominion provides nothing but individualized care for each of their patients and more importantly, options (and not the most expensive kind as well). I saved myself $11,000 and a lot of heartache and stress by going to Dominion and leaving SG. I could handle a little "arrogance" any day.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the two previous PPs. I too am shocked to hear so many people have such a strong dislike for Dr. D. He gave us our twins last year and he was great. We really appreciated his candor about our situation, and his patience with all of our MANY questions at every visit. We found him to be friendly, professional, and intimately involved in customizing our protocol every step of the way. And our IVF worked on the first try. We saw Dr. Gordon sometimes too, and he was great as well. I recommend them highly to anyone I meet who is looking into fertility treatment.

Oh, and be careful about judging by those "success" statistics alone. There are a lot of ways to manipulate those numbers that don't necessarily mean they achieve the best outcome in every individual case.

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with the earlier posters. I went to Dr. D for months and found his responses to questions to be quite frustrating. I can think of at least a half dozen times when I was told that I should look at his book for the answers or that I had not read his book closely enough because the answers to my questions were in it. I could have bought the book on Amazon if I wanted to depend on it as a source. A RE doesn't need to hold your hand but he or she does need to listen to your questions and concerns about complicated procedures that he or she is suggesting. Needless to say, we left him and have never looked back.

[Anonymous]

I have had nothing but good experiences with Dr D. I just had another consult with him after two IVF failures and he was nothing but kind to us. He answered anything we had, never once referenced his book either. My DH said he didn't have many questions but they would come to him after we left. Dr D gave him the business card and said call me with your questions, I'm happy to help.

He's also quite honest about the stats of what will work and what won't. I appreciate him telling it like it is.

[Anonymous]

I'm starting to wonder if Dr. Dimattina has a split personality. Honestly, I can't imagine the rude, curt and condescending man we met with (who wouldn't answer a single question but kept telling us to "READ MY BOOK") saying something like "give me a call anytime". I would fall out of my seat if I heard those words come from his lips.

Funny how half his patients get Mr. Charming and the other half the "READ MY BOOK and don't bother me with your inane questions" crap. The man appears to have his good days and his very bad days.

[Anonymous]

Dr. D is an overconfident, belligerent, narcissistic, prick. Hated him - one consult - moving on to Shady Grove. This process is stressful enough, and I can't imagine going through another IVF cycle with an asshole like him.

[Anonymous]

As an aside, I also hated the way he had photos of babies all over his office. The last thing I needed to see when I was (and still am) wondering if I will ever have a baby are photos of other women with their babies. I am at SG now and am sooooo much happier!!!

[Anonymous]

"I also hated the way he had photos of babies all over his office"

i completely agree - and i hate his silly little book (which is now in the recycling bin).
he made sure that he pointed out to me his framed picture of himself and his silly "top doctor" plaque during my consult.

god i feel SO much better now after reading this -

[Anonymous]

I feel so bad for Dr. Gordon. He is my RE and I have had nothing but an amazing experience with him. He has no idea how much business the practice has lost because of Dr. DiMattina. I think every posting about Dr. D, both good and bad, is valid. He is just kicking his own butt!

And yes, the million photos of babies on the walls really bug me too! I won't miss seeing those if I am ever lucky enough to get off this horrible infertility island!