Dr. Arun Sood

"I walked into the Arrowhead Center for Dermatology and Plastic Surgery and my first impression was that this was the kind of clinic that served a lot of people. I saw about 15 people in the waiting room. I got in line to check in. Shortly after being situated in the exam room, Dr. Sood came in. Immediately after greeting me and before even introducing himself, he told me that he was going to remove a mole on my forearm. This was news to me, and I didn’t even have time to react or ask any questions as he then introduced himself and moved directly on to the head-to-toe examination, leaving no room for interjection. He seemed pretty friendly, and he seemed like a very confident professional. So, I just followed his lead believing that we were simply going to discuss the mole later. At the pace for which he was moving, which was astonishingly fast, I had forgotten that he had even mentioned removing a mole, as I was trying to memorize the directions he was giving me for how specifically to use a medication that he said he was going to prescribe me. At the pace for which he was moving, it was challenging to absorb the information he was providing. While I was trying to memorize his instructions and think of questions that I might have for him, his assistant held a tablet in front of me. The screen showed a place for me to provide an electronic signature. I just wanted to give her what she needed so I could get back to listening to Dr. Sood’s instructions. I quickly signed the form without reviewing it. Before I even fully realized what was happening, I found Dr. Sood injecting me with some sort of fluid under the mole. Then, he cut it off with a blade. After the injection, Dr. Sood pointed the needle away from him, without looking where the needle was going. Luckily, his assistant was out of the way, as she was behind him, turned away from us and preoccupied with something. I didn’t even have time to think about the encounter, though I knew I didn’t feel right about it. During the appointment, I felt disoriented. After I got home, I realized that Dr. Sood did not explain at all what he was doing with the removal of the mole and the biopsy. I realized that he didn’t obtain any verbal informed consent for the procedure. He did not provide any information regarding the reason for the biopsy. Since I didn’t know why Dr. Sood had taken off the mole, I felt the need to do my own research. I learned about some differences between benign moles and more concerning moles. Thankfully, I have a photographic memory and I remember what the mole looked like before he took it off. It appeared symmetrical, had a well-defined border, was of only one shade of brown, was smaller than the size of a pencil eraser, was flat, and there was no evidence of it changing in size, color, or shape, over time. Just based off of what I learned, the mole sounded benign. I’ve had that mole my entire life. It’s always looked the same. Dr. Sood did not ask me any questions about the mole. Since I was missing information, my mind couldn’t help but wonder if there was some kind of insurance fraud taking place—that there was perhaps a practice of providers at the Center for Dermatology and Plastic Surgery removing moles for biopsy, when not medically necessary. Before the mole was removed, Dr. Sood’s assistant took a picture of it. I’m considering asking the practice for that picture of the mole. Otherwise, the image I included on this post is the best reference I could find, for now. A staff member other than the doctor called me and said it was benign. I feel concerned that this is going to keep happening—not just with Dr. Sood. I’m concerned about the general standard of care at Center for Dermatology & Plastic Surgery, if other providers are also rushing through exams and procedures, not addressing all of their patients’ concerns, and leaving their patients confused about their care. For this reason, I’m considering filing formal complaints with the regulatory boards and my insurance company, regarding unprofessional conduct and possible fraud."