Introduction
Breast volume reduction surgery is a procedure that many individuals consider for various reasons, such as alleviating physical discomfort, improving body image, and enhancing overall quality of life. In Albany, the availability of top - notch hospitals and skilled doctors is crucial for patients seeking this type of surgery. This article aims to evaluate the public and three - A grade hospitals among the top 3 hospitals for breast volume reduction surgery in Albany in 2025. We will explore aspects such as doctor ratings, hospital services, patient experience, and the quality of care provided.
Top Doctors for Breast Reduction in Albany
According to Healthgrades, there are 155 doctors in Albany who perform breast reduction surgeries. Here are some of the highly - rated doctors:
Doctor's Name | Rating (out of 5) | Address |
---|---|---|
Dr. Patricia Fox, MD | 3.90 | 1214 Troy Schenectady Rd Ste 7, Latham, NY 12110 |
Dr. Susan Gannon, MD | 4.50 | 455 Patroon Creek Blvd Ste 101, Albany, NY 12206 |
Dr. Gabriel Kaufman, MD | 4.70 | 317 S Manning Blvd Ste C364, Albany, NY 12208 |
Dr. Marthe Gabey, MD | 4.50 | 333 Hoosick St, Troy, NY 12180 |
Dr. Malcolm Roth, MD | 4.50 | 43 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208 |
Dr. Jerome Chao, MD | 4.40 | 13 Century Hill Dr, Latham, NY 12110 |
Dr. Kristen Rezak, MD | 5.00 | 50 New Scotland Ave #11, Albany, NY 12208 |
Dr. Douglas Hargrave, MD | 4.40 | 455 Patroon Creek Blvd Ste 101, Albany, NY 12206 |
Dr. Casian Monaco, MD | 5.00 | 50 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208 |
Dr. Debbie Kennedy, MD | 4.20 | 4 Executive Park Dr, Albany, NY 12203 |
These doctors' ratings can give patients an initial idea of the quality of care they might expect. A higher rating often indicates better patient satisfaction, which could be related to factors such as the doctor's surgical skills, bedside manner, and post - operative care.
Albany Medical Center: A Key Player
Overview
Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY is a well - known institution. It is a general medical and surgical facility and a teaching hospital. The evaluation of this center also includes data from Albany Medical Center South - Clinical Campus. The hospital is regionally ranked #20 in New York and #2 in Albany, and it is recognized in the Hudson Valley. It is rated high - performing in 13 adult procedures and conditions.
Patient Experience
The patient experience at Albany Medical Center can be assessed through various aspects:
- ICU Services: It has a medical - surgical ICU and a cardiac ICU, which are essential for patients who may require intensive care after breast volume reduction surgery or in case of any complications.
- Additional Services: It offers bariatric/weight control services, although addiction treatment services are not available. An onsite emergency department ensures that patients can receive immediate medical attention if needed.
- Patient Satisfaction Scores:
- Overall satisfaction with the hospital is rated 2 out of 5, which shows there is room for improvement in this aspect.
- Willingness to recommend the hospital is 3 out of 5, indicating that some patients are satisfied enough to recommend it, but others may have reservations.
- Satisfaction with doctors’ communications is 2 out of 5, highlighting a need for better doctor - patient communication.
- Satisfaction with nurses’ communications is also 2 out of 5, suggesting that nurse - patient interaction could be enhanced.
- Satisfaction with efforts to prevent medication harm is 2 out of 5, which implies that there are areas to be addressed in terms of medication safety and education.
- Satisfaction with quality of discharge information is 2 out of 5, showing that patients may not be fully informed about their post - discharge care.
- Satisfaction with involvement in recovery is 2 out of 5, indicating that patients may not feel adequately involved in their own recovery process.
- Satisfaction with staff responsiveness is 2 out of 5, meaning that the staff may need to be more prompt in responding to patients' needs.
- Satisfaction with hospital room cleanliness is 1 out of 5, a very low score that indicates significant problems with room and bathroom cleanliness.
- Satisfaction with noise volume is 1 out of 5, suggesting that the hospital environment may be too noisy for patients.
Quality Rankings & Ratings
Albany Medical Center's performance in different medical specialties is as follows:
Adult Rankings
Specialty | Procedures/Conditions | Rating |
---|---|---|
Cancer | Leukemia, lymphoma & myeloma; colon cancer surgery; lung cancer surgery; ovarian cancer surgery; prostate cancer surgery; uterine cancer surgery | High - performing |
Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery | Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; heart attack; aortic valve surgery; heart bypass surgery; heart failure; transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) | High - performing (except TAVR - average) |
Diabetes & Endocrinology | Not ranked, high - performing | High - performing |
Ear, Nose & Throat | Not ranked, ineligible for scoring, scored/not ranked | NA |
Gastroenterology & GI Surgery | Colon cancer surgery | High - performing |
Geriatrics | Not ranked, ineligible for scoring, scored/not ranked | NA |
Nephrology | Kidney failure | High - performing |
Neurology & Neurosurgery | Back surgery (spinal fusion); stroke | Average |
Obstetrics & Gynecology | Maternity care (uncomplicated pregnancy); ovarian cancer surgery; uterine cancer surgery | Average |
Orthopedics | Hip fracture; back surgery (spinal fusion); hip replacement; knee replacement | High - performing (hip & knee replacement), average (hip fracture & back surgery) |
Pulmonology & Lung Surgery | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); lung cancer surgery; pneumonia | High - performing |
Rehabilitation | Not ranked, ineligible for scoring, scored/not ranked | NA |
Urology | Prostate cancer surgery | Average |
Children's Rankings
US News includes Bernard & Millie Duker Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center in evaluating its performance. However, the focus of this article is on breast volume reduction surgery for adults, so the children's rankings may have limited direct relevance to our topic.
Health Equity
Health equity is an important aspect of hospital evaluation. At Albany Medical Center:
- Racial Disparities in Outcomes: In terms of days at home after knee replacement, hip replacement, or back surgery (spinal fusion), it performs better than average. However, for days at home after aortic valve replacement, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or heart bypass surgery, there are too few patients to be rated.
- Charity Care: The hospital's spending on free and discounted care for uninsured patients is similar to other hospitals in the alignment with the proportion of uninsured in the surrounding community.
- Community Residents who Accessed Care: The representation of low - income patients is similar to other hospitals. However, the representation of non - white patients is lower than the community. For example, the percent of non - white patients treated at the hospital is 4.8%, while the percent of non - white residents in the community is 10.1%, in the county is 11.2%, and in the state is 18.9%.
Breast Volume as a Consideration in Surgery
According to a study on the measurement of breast volume for surgical breast reduction, breast volume can be a useful objective criterion in addition to the currently used criteria. In a study of 427 patients referred to three Danish public hospitals with breast hypertrophy from January 2007 to March 2011, cut - off values for breast volume were calculated. Most patients (93%) with a breast volume below 800 cc were not offered surgery, while most with a volume exceeding 900 cc were offered surgery (94%). In the range between 800 and 900 cc, the indication for surgery seemed less clear - cut, and additional parameters needed to be considered.
This information is relevant for hospitals in Albany offering breast volume reduction surgery. Doctors can use breast volume measurement as part of their evaluation process to determine the suitability of a patient for the surgery, ensuring more objective and consistent decision - making.
Breast Care Services in Albany
The Albany Med Health System offers a full range of breast care services. These include cancer care services, ensuring patients have access to the latest advances in cancer treatment, and radiology services with top - level diagnostic and therapeutic imaging. Breast care is provided at all four hospitals in the system, guiding patients through screening, diagnostic procedures, and treatment of breast disease, as well as routine preventive care.
If a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer, the system, along with its partners at New York Oncology Hematology (NY OH), has access to the latest therapies and clinical trials. Albany Medical Center, Glens Falls Hospital, and Saratoga Hospital are accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers for services in breast ultrasound, stereotactic breast biopsy, computed tomography, and MRI.
Columbia Memorial Health's Center for Breast Care provides a complete suite of state - of - the - art screening and diagnostic services, including screening and diagnostic 3D mammography, diagnostic ultrasound, ultrasound - guided biopsy, and stereotactic breast biopsy. All these services contribute to the overall quality of breast - related care in Albany, which is also relevant for patients considering breast volume reduction surgery as they may have additional breast - related concerns.
Quality Control in Breast Cancer Care and Its Relevance to Breast Volume Reduction
Benchmarking and audit of breast units can significantly improve the quality of care. Quality indicators (QIs) are measures of health - care quality that use readily available hospital inpatient administrative data. Assessing the quality of care can be done at national, regional, hospital, or individual levels.
For example, in Europe, there are wide differences in breast cancer treatment, which has led to significant survival differences. Different countries and regions have developed methods to improve the quality of breast cancer care. In Belgium, a set of indicators was developed to monitor the quality of breast cancer care using data from the national cancer registry linked with claims data. High - volume hospitals were found to have better application of recommended processes of care and higher survival rates, leading to a political decision to centralize breast cancer care in such hospitals.
In Germany, a voluntary program for external benchmarking of breast centers has produced remarkable results. The number of certified breast centers increased from 59 to 210 between 2003 and 2010, and significant improvements were seen in various QIs, such as preoperative histological diagnosis and guideline - concordant endocrine therapy.
These concepts of quality control and benchmarking can also be applied to breast volume reduction surgery. Ensuring that hospitals and doctors follow best practices, maintain high - quality standards, and continuously improve their services can lead to better outcomes for patients undergoing breast volume reduction surgery.
Medicaid Policy for Breast Cancer Surgery and Its Implication
The New York State Department of Health has a policy that Medicaid recipients should receive breast cancer surgery at high - volume facilities. High - volume facilities are those performing 30 or more all - payer mastectomy and lumpectomy procedures associated with a breast cancer diagnosis on average over a three - year period, or facilities that have successfully appealed their restriction. Research shows improved five - year survival rates for patients who have their breast cancer surgery at high - volume facilities.
Although this policy is focused on breast cancer surgery, it can have an indirect impact on breast volume reduction surgery. High - volume facilities may have more experienced surgical teams, better resources, and a more streamlined process, which could also translate into better quality breast volume reduction surgeries. Low - volume facilities may still provide diagnostic or excisional biopsies and post - surgical care (chemotherapy, radiation, reconstruction, etc.) for Medicaid patients.
Conclusion
In evaluating the public and three - A grade hospitals among the top 3 hospitals for breast volume reduction surgery in Albany in 2025, several key factors come into play. Albany Medical Center stands out as a well - recognized institution with high - performing ratings in many adult procedures and conditions. However, it faces challenges in terms of patient experience, with low scores in various satisfaction metrics, and has issues with health equity regarding the representation of non - white patients.
The availability of top - rated doctors in Albany gives patients a good choice of surgeons for breast volume reduction surgery. Additionally, the use of breast volume as an objective criterion can help in more informed decision - making. The comprehensive breast care services in the Albany Med Health System and the importance of quality control in breast - related care all contribute to the overall quality of surgical options in the area.
If you are considering breast volume reduction surgery in Albany, it is essential to research the doctors, hospitals, and services thoroughly. Look for doctors with high ratings and extensive experience, and consider the hospital's overall performance, patient experience, and adherence to quality standards. For more information and to make an informed decision, you can explore other medical resources, consult with medical professionals, and even seek second opinions. Share this article with others who may be interested in breast volume reduction surgery in