Missouri Orthopaedic Institute

"I saw Varghese MD, Ebby George. Him and his team were very polite and nice to me. They took my Fibromyalgia seriously."

"TLDR: Do not go to this place, or if you do, do not see Fassil Mesfin. They are more interested in their research than you as a person. I had herniated a disc in my lower back, L5-S1, and after consulting with my primary care doctor, had an MRI done and went to MOI for followup. The pain I was experiencing was tremendous, on a 1-10 scale, it was an 11. Each time I would stand from sitting, I would nearly pass out from the pain. Nerve pain like this is like nothing I've ever experienced. At MOI, I saw Fassil Mesfin, along with his resident who was shadowing him. The first thing they ask me to do is agree to be a part of their study and fill out some paperwork. Since I am a health researcher also, I said yes. They hand me an iPad and leave. It took 15 minutes to fill in the research forms. They then came back and said they had looked at my MRI, and there was nothing wrong, I just needed to do some physical therapy and I could get a spinal shot. Never mind that I was experiencing the worst pain in my life. They weren't interested in my experience as a person, just the MRI image, and that apparently I didn't qualify for their study. Fassil Mesfin started walking out before I even had a chance to ask questions. I'm literally calling out after him with my questions, and the resident who was with him paused at the door, answered one question, and also left. So I spent 15 minutes of my time helping out his research, and he could only give me 3 minutes back. I was charged several hundred dollars for this "privilege". I feel bad for any resident trained by Fassil Mesfin, they might become just as rude, uncaring, unprofessional, and bad at being a doctor as he is. I did get the shot, which did nothing. I also did PT, which did nothing. The best thing I ever did for myself after this disappointing encounter was get a second opinion from Columbia Orthopedic Group. Unlike MOI, they were amazing: they listened to me and my experience, with genuine empathy. They based their recommendation on the entire picture, not just an MRI, which only shows the position of spinal structures when lying flat on your back. Amazingly, I actually walk and sit and play with my son and do other activities besides lying flat on my back, and COG understands this crucial fact. Avoid MOI at all costs. They are a money making machine for the University of Missouri. The focus there is on enrolling research participants and bringing in those research dollars, and fruitlessly trying to elevate their status in the AAU so they don't get kicked out. All at the expense of actually caring for patients."

"Had spine surgery on November 20 at MOI with Dr. Buyuk. I am so thrilled because I have no more pain in my leg or hip, and about 95% pain-free in my lower back. Dr. Buyuk and MOI staff were very caring and knowledgeable about my health care needs; and friendly and professional, too. Shout out to Aaron, in the nursing unit; he was great! I highly recommend MOI and Dr. Buyuk and the staff!"

"Don't waste your time if you're seeing Dr Aggarwal! He's a rude and very hateful man. He made me cry. When the tears started to come, he stated I couldn't listen to him and cry, so I needed to quit crying. This was after he told me there was nothing he could do to help me. Please save yourself money and time and just RUN! Or my case hobble. NOBODY deserves to be treated this way. His nurse was almost as bad. She was uninterested in chatting or hearing concerns. The admitting girl was very sweet and the xray team was wonderful."

"The surgery team was wonderful but the aftercare for patients having to stay overnight is TERRIBLE. My mother’s call light has been on multiple times for over 40 minutes due to immense pain and nausea and no one is helping or even coming into the room to even speak with her. Unacceptable and appalling. I used to sing MU’s praises, but it’s really gone downhill."