Michael Felix, MD

I am a very big supporter of doctors. My nephew, who lived with me for a time, is an orthopedic surgeon. I know firsthand the hard work and dedication it takes to become a doctor, and also to be a doctor. But, occasionally one runs into a doctor who has lost his perspective and gets an over-​bloated ego. Because doctors can hold a lot of power in our lives, this can be both tragic and dangerous. Dr. Michael Felix had that kind of impact in my life. If it wasn’t for another outstanding and caring neurosurgeon who just did a double discectomy and fusion on my neck, I’m not sure where I would be. Over 3 years ago, my excellent primary care doctor, Lisa Cosens referred me to see Dr Felix. I had neck pain and other symptoms for many years, but had severe and different pain in my arm and hoped to get a referral to a neurosurgeon for review. Dr Felix refused to refer me and said «my neck was not at that point.» While anyone, even doctors, can make a mistake, Dr. Felix was impatient and arrogant and refused to listen to me or give me a simple referral. He serves as Kaiser’s «gatekeeper «for many surgery referrals. It turns out that my disc had ruptured and my body formed a bone spur around it. The rupture was probably difficult to detect. The bone spur caused me additional pain as it was big and «spikey» and messed with my nerves as well as my spinal column. In short, Dr Felix caused me undue pain and suffering for these past 3 years by being a gatekeeper but not a caring physician. I needed to get this said so I can hopefully alert other readers.