Dr. Lalitha Meenambal Sitaraman, MD

Dr Sitaraman treated my father over Memorial Day weekend at Columbia Presbyterian. The biggest problem I have with her, besides her being dangerously uninformed (she told us that "people generally find cardiologists through their community---at least that is what they do at the clinic where I work." She also never heard of Liason Psychology, which is a specialty at Columbia, and does not understand how Medicare works (she did not know that if a doctor does not accept Medicare, Medicare won't give you a reimbursement. Her answer to these questions, "I had no idea." Perhaps, her most serious offense was that she released my father far too soon (even after members of my family pleaded with her not to). My experience with Dr Sitaraman was one of extraordinary frustration. She does not listen. Most of what she says is wrong. She does return phone calls or even respond to pages. In my view, she represents a really unfortunate faction in our healthcare system. She is the doctor who treats… patients who cannot afford decent care. She is also a reason why most people dread going to hospitals on a weekend.