Boston Hernia. It’s all in our name.
Our clinic is considered a specialty clinic focusing only on the diagnosis, treatment, repair, and recovery of hernias. Our patients come to our clinic for a very specific reason, and the care and scope we offer those who seek our hernia options is well-controlled because, simply, hernia repair is all we do. We differ from general surgery practices or clinics and that’s by design. Our patients realize that a high-volume hernia practice gives them a great option for getting back to their normal, everyday lives.
Our Focused Clinic Approach
Specialty by literal definition means “a pursuit, area of study, or skill to which someone has devoted much time and effort and in which they are an expert.”
When you’re vetting someone to handle any job, even non-medical ones, usually specialty and expertise come with time and experience. You’d want someone to cut your hair who hasn’t given more than one or two cuts in their life. You wouldn’t trust your newborn to a babysitter without any experience. Hernia repair is the same.
To date, I’ve completed over 3,000 hernia repairs. It’s the focus of my professional career. I’m constantly seeing new ways the injury or symptoms present itself in varying patients, learning about surgical repair techniques, and iterating on my practice. The fact that I can devote all of my professional development to a single specialty is something I’m proud of and know it’s a big reason why patients seek out Boston Hernia as the one stop for their diagnosis and repair.
A lot of general surgeons are quite skilled in a lot of surgical areas. If you’re scheduling your hernia repair with a generalist, your surgeon’s day or schedule could list your surgery amongst a colon resection, gallbladder, breast surgery, or surgical oncology for example. All specialty surgeons begin their education and training in general surgery, myself included. The broad spectrum of cases and care appeals to a lot of medical professionals and they choose to stay on the general surgery side of things. A lot of us focus on a specialty, honing in our ultimate passion and absolute focus of dedicated care. What can I say? I’m a hernia guy.
From Simple to Complex
While hernias share some obvious similarities, there are enough variables in patient history and status that makes every case unique.
Over the course of 18 years and thousands of patient relationships, I’ve developed expertise in minimally invasive inguinal and umbilical hernia surgery. I established this practice as one focused on inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia, and epigastric hernia in order to provide a sub-specialized level of care for patients suffering from these conditions. I confidently deliver the highest quality of care by performing a very high volume of surgery in only a few procedures.
We recommend surgery only when it will improve a patient’s life. This means something different to everyone, and so we collaborate with our patients in the decision to proceed with surgery when appropriate, and in recommending the best approach for each individual.
My “Why” & the Patients We Don’t Want
Jake* is a patient of mine who had two failed surgeries at a hospital. We helped him get his life back. He’s partly the why behind Boston Hernia.
In the US, 800,000 inguinal hernia repairs are performed every year almost exclusively by general surgeons.
According to medical literature somewhere between 4 and 15 percent of patients who have an inguinal hernia repair in the U.S. develop chronic pain after surgery and three to four percent have significant long term disability as a result of the surgery. For 15 years I have taken care of some patients who have suffered as a result of the typical surgery general surgeons perform, either laparoscopic or open. For 15 years, I have performed hernia repair that has less than one percent incidence of chronic pain, our results speak for themselves.
For the last five years, we have offered both mesh and non-mesh alternatives that have as good – if not better – long term recurrence rates, with a much lower incidence of chronic pain and lower need for anesthesia and even acute pain. My mission is to help prevent chronic pain, not to be the surgeon treating it. I don’t want more Jake patients.
Why Choose Boston Hernia for Your Repair
Recent medical research has shown that surgeons and hospitals who perform high volumes of certain operations have better outcomes. Our team actively participates in reporting the surgical outcomes to the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative and has published our practice’s outcomes in a peer-reviewed journal. It’s clear that there are differences in hernia outcomes and not all procedures are equal.
More than anything, Boston Hernia is a testament to our dedication to helping patients get the specialized care they need in order to return to full, healthy lives. Patient experience and outcome is our number one focus across our specialty.
*Name has been changed to protect privacy
