Dr. Stephen Gary Rice, MD

After a brief hospital stay for a minor hit to the head at work, I was directed to follow up with this nice-seeming older fellow. He told me and the nurse case manager for my insurance company he was specialized in concussion management and wanted to immediately medicate me, and refer me to several other doctors even though I was getting better by the minute. It was overkill and a crass attempt to farm me out to his business associates for unnecessary care. I was shocked when the insurance company told me he was actually a kid's physical medicine doctor! I thought I was seeing a neurologist all along and a memory specialist. He and his hospital, Meridian, are just waiting for a lawsuit for fraud.

Recently took my son to the ER of the hospital nearest to us, Jersey Shore University Medical Center after he got knocked out during baseball. I wanted my son to follow up with his own trusted pediatrician, but the ER doctor and nurse kept pushing us to see Dr. Rice. They said "it was the protocol". I asked what medical specialty he was and they said "head injuries". We finally met up with Dr. Rice. The appointment basically consisted of him giving us an educational handout we could have easily downloaded off the internet and then wanted us to continue follow up with him for some reason and undergo several expensive and unnecessary tests. He also became absolutely angry when I asked about his true education and actual specialty (physical medicine and rehabilitation). My son's pediatrician then had to properly send him to a neurologist and then a neuropsychologist, the proper and typical specialists who test and treat concussions. Why all the lies and dangerous misdirection?