Dr. Harold Edward Ayers JR., MD

Dr. Ayers failed to order a chest CT to assess my father for lung cancer - despite my dad being a former smoker with a prior smoking related cancer and a history of lung scarring (all while he was Dr. Ayers’ patient, so all of this was in his chart). Instead of ordering a CT, Dr. Ayers inexplicably ordered a chest x-ray, and when that (predictably) didn’t visualize a tumor, diagnosed my dad with acid reflux. (I say predictably because x-ray does not visualize soft tissues well and is not a good diagnostic tool for lung cancers. That’s why a CT is the standard of care.) My dad only got diagnosed because the cancer was so bad that his heart went into arrhythmia and he was transported from PVH ER to Cabell Huntington, where they finally did a real work up. But sadly, my dad’s cancer was stage IV and had 12 metastases (including to his femur , the lymph nodes and the adrenal gland, along with other organs). It was all extraordinarily painful for him, and from that point on, he… suffered tremendously before dying 3.5 months later. He was supposed to meet my baby, his first grandchild, two days after he died. Dr. Ayers to my knowledge didn’t even offer condolences to my family. Worse yet, he did a home visit to my dad a week or so before he died and told Dad that he’d live for 2 or 3 more years. At that point, chemo had already failed and treatment had been discontinued, so there was no medical basis for Dr. Ayers to say that and give my dad false hope. I can’t tell you how painful this was to watch happen, how painful it is to see my oldest son, the spitting image of his grandfather with the same goofy personality, grow up never knowing him. Especially knowing that he was seeking treatment with Dr. Ayers for lung issues for years before his death, and Dr. Ayers didn’t order a simple test that could have bought him some time. For reference, lung cancers caught at Stage I that are small enough can be resected and the patient can live for years afterwards. My dad never had a chance due to Dr. Ayers failure to order a chest CT.

I think he is a excellent dr. Very knowledgeable

Dr. Ayers is my children's pediatrician and we absolutely love him! He is very thorough and caring. He is highly intelligent as well. It is great knowing my children's doctor is a very good man of God. Highly recommend him!

Without a doubt the best physician in Mason County. Also the most difficult physician to get an appointment with. I've been a patient of his for 22 years and can rarely get in to see him.