Dr. Jason Ross Penzer, MD

Dr. Penzer informed me I would need a Colostomy bag for the rest of my life, standing up, without even taking his hands out of his pockets. He insisted I have surgery right away, and I actually set up a date. He said any other doctor would give me the same opinion. I thought about it, canceled surgery and went to Sloan Kettering where I saw Dr. Garcia Aguilar. He told me it was possible to save part of my colon, and he did. I’m here 5 years out, no bag, and very happy. Also, standard treatment for colorectal cancer is chemo and radiation BEFORE surgery. Avoid Penzer at all costs.

I was referred to Jason Penzer by a general practitioner doctor because of a fistula that wouldn't heal. Jason Penzer was nice enough, but promptly told me that I needed surgery to correct it. Also, at the time, I was uninsured, and after the consultation I asked the front desk if I could set up a payment plan or if they discount at all for uninsured patients. They said no to both very perfunctorily and proceeded to charge me over $200 for the consult alone! Actually, now I'm glad I didn't have insurance, because otherwise I may have naively believed him and had the surgery. As it was, at those prices (the surgery was going to be very expensive and they told me I'd have to pay it all the day of!) I couldn't have the surgery or even afford a consult with another doctor so I put it off. Later, I found out that there are other treatment options for my problem of which Jason Penzer never told me about. He just wanted to do surgery and on top of that his staff wasn't very nice,… the office cold and dismal, and their policy on uninsured discounts and payment plans are terrible. I feel lucky I got away after only a consult. I'd rather give him only one star, especially seeing the other bad experiences people have had with him on here, but since I only went in for a consultation I feel I should give him the benefit of the doubt and be generous and give him a 2. Would recommend anyone to see another proctologist instead.

I was referred to Dr. Penzer by my primary care doctor because of an anal fissure. Penzer insisted in doing surgery without even considering alternative therapies. I believed him and did the surgery. It did not work out, as the fissure kept bleeding. I cannot blame him for the outcome, but I do blame him for jumping into surgery before considering less-invasive, safer, ways to address the problem. I left with the clear impression that his main interest was to make money out of the surgery rather than helping the patient.

Dr. Penzer completely misdiagnosed my condition, which turned out to be cancerous, for many years. He examined me repeatedly and even did so while I was anathesized and failed to find the tumor that another proctologist found right away. He also performed numerous unnecessary procedures on me which may have encouraged the cancer. As a result, he caused my condition to become much worse than it would have been. He is incompetent and I definitely would not recommend him.

Misdiagnosed me

Dr. Penzer listened to my concerns. He is well informed and courteous. I am very pleased. Well trained, to the point yet considerate. I am treated for a complex problem and am 5 star pleased!!

I had an appointment for a colonoscopy with the doctor this morning. After waiting an hour beyond my appointment time, I noticed the Dr. sitting across from my cubicle in his office reading the New York Post. At that point I was very hungry, probably dehydrated and somewhat impatient to get the thing over with. I asked the Dr. how much longer he estimated the wait to be --- and he told me a long story about how appointments couldn't really be timed because he had had some difficult procedures this morning, that he wasn't prepared to apologize for making patients wait and that my expectation of timely service was "unrealistic". All that would have made more sense if the Dr. was working as opposed to reading the paper. Still, appropriately chastened, I retreated to my cubicle when I heard two loud mutterings of "unbelievable" behind me. Well, I don't think it's unbelievable that a hungry and thirsty patient would get impatient after an hour's wait. It's more unbelievable that a physician… would let a patient stew while he is studying the tabloids. I thought that was lazy and unprofessional. So I left without a colonoscopy. I would advise anybody thinking of using this physician to be well armed with patience and resistance to bodily needs and block out a large chunk of time. You never know how long it will take him to finish the sports section.

Going to a colorectal specialist is anxiety producing no matter what. Dr. Penzer puts you at ease. He listens slowly and carefully to all of your symptoms. He explains what he is doing during the exam and he really takes his time to make sure you understand what he thinks is wrong. I highly recommend him.