Dr. Wellington Shelton Tichenor, MD

By the time a chronic sinusitis sufferer finds Dr. Wellington Tichenor's website, they're desperate for a cure. Perhaps the good doctor realizes this and has no qualms about charging $800 a visit. I was that desperate patient today. Told the $800 covered a four-hour visit with full evaluation, I rationalized that it might be worth it if I could discover what was making my life so hellish. But then I met the actual dog guarding the gates of hades, Cerebrus, in the form of Dr. Tichenor's office manager today. She is despicable, lacking in compassion, and has no excuse working anywhere near sick people desperate for hope. For starters, she assured me when I made my appointment three weeks ago she would coordinate benefits with my health insurer, to see if they could be billed directly. When I arrived, I learned that was not done. She glibly lied, saying she couldn't get in touch with them (e.g., "I never got through to a human.") Not able to reach a human? In three weeks? Really? I… confirmed with my primary care doctor's office manager later today what nonsense that was. So strike one: it looked like I would be out of pocket $800 for today's visit. Strike two: I arrived for my visit at Dr. Tichenor's (incredibly grungy/dirty-looking) Park Ave., NYC, office a half-hour late. Yes, that was on me. Although I allowed myself a comfortable 1.5 hours' extra cushion to get into the city for my visit, I underestimated how terrible gridlock would be today--far worse than normal. So I arrived for my 1:30 appointment at 2 p.m., completely stressed, frazzled, and apologetic, and having called ahead to warn them--and willing to pay for the half hour out of pocket. But that wasn't enough for Cerebrus. Oh no! I was to be punished, made to sit in the waiting room at least an extra hour-and-a-half if not more beyond my appointed time--and to pay out of pocket for that, too, apparently! I don't even know what harm was done my being one-half hour late as other patients were still in with the doctor and with the nurse practitioner (the only two medical professionals on staff) when I arrived, so I would have been sitting in the waiting room that half hour anyway. But at any rate, by 3 p.m., as I cooled my heels in the waiting room, another patient breezed in, was greeted cheerfully, and shown in to see the good doctor. Cerebrus informed me that regardless of when I ultimately made it in to see the good doctor, I would be charged the full $800--AND the office would close promptly at 6 p.m. Meaning that if the doctor only saw me for, say, one hour, I would STILL presumably be charged $800, and then have to come back for a follow-up $800 visit to have whatever tests weren't done on the abbreviated first visit. Needless to say, I wasn't THAT desperate. I walked out, and will never return. Did I mention how rude Cerebrus was? She seemed to take glee in her powerful gatekeeper role. Ugh. I saw Dr. Tichenor (looks grumpy and three times older than his photo), but didn't meet the great man personally. If Cerebrus is the caliber of employee he keeps, I'm not sure I'd have faith in his quality of care.

Dr. Tichenor describes himself as a doctor who treats the patients that other doctors have difficulty with. And that is accurate. I'm one of those people with difficult problems. I have severe allergies where my allergy testing became negative; and severe haziness and mental "fog" from the allergies. He has actually *helped* me. Other allergists offered only some basic medications that only help a little. The only negative thing I can say about his practice is that there are dogs in the building where his office is. They keep the door to the rest of the building closed, but I have had an allergic reaction when I've been in his office, probably because of my very sensitive dog allergy. I was told none of his other patients have been allergic to his office, so this would only apply to people who are very highly sensitized to dogs. It would be great if he would find an office that doesn't have animals living in the building, but with everything all squashed together in… Manhattan, I guess that's difficult. But I want him as my doctor, even though I'm allergic to his office. He really cares about his patients.

Dr. Tichenor has been a godsend for my health. He is uniquely qualified to manage chronic sinusitis, which he does through endoscopic cultures, a very thorough examination, and a comprehensive listening to concerns. If present, your sinus infection will soon be eradicated! His endoscopies are the best you can receive as he does extensive culturing and is very thorough, so not a single issue is overlooked. He is also very accessible, as he will communicate with you by phone, or even with your other doctors by phone. His staff are likewise well-trained, compassionate, and very accommodating. I have been to numerous specialist physicians in my lifetime and he is the one doctor who can explain me. In fact, he is an encyclopedia of sinusitis, as he can effectively explain and answer almost any question. I also received allergy shots from Dr. Tichenor for years, which were thorough and far more effective than the shots I received from other allergists. Dr. Tichenor… also seems to take interest in hard-to-treat cases, such as a recalcitrant sinusitis or if the sinusitis stems from a primary immune deficiency. He treats that, too. You can expect to receive optimal care for your chronic sinusitis or related condition from Dr. Tichenor. Highly recommended!

Treated for a sinus condition, but he found all sorts of things to charge for that was totally unrelated to sinus. Gave no sinus relief but his bills were astounding. He billed an endoscopic nasal exam as surgery. Charged thousands of dollars where other doctors charged hundreds, with no higher level of competency. Something was just not right about the practice.

Scheduled appt 30 minutes prior and they were able to accomodate me. Waited less than 5 minutes to see the doctor and receive my shots. Staff is always very friendly and accomodating.

I always receive quality care from Dr. Tichenor and his staff.

After years of suffering with allergies & sinus (and many doctors), I then finally found Dr. Tichenor! He and his staff are compassionate, they spend ...

I have been coming to Dr. Tichenor for over 10 years. Beyond getting my allergies and terrible chronic sinus infections under control, Dr. Tichenor di ...

I have suffered from chronic sinusitis for many years and went through several of New York's "best doctors" before finding Dr. Tichenor. Dr. Tichenor was able to manage my symptoms in a way no other doctor could and vastly improved the quality of my life. Dr. Tichenor is extremely knowledgeable about sinusitis and very thorough in his evaluation. He uses nasal endoscopies to discover the cause of the problem and develops a treatment plan based on your specific symptoms. Dr. Tichenor has suffered from sinus problems himself and is very sympathetic towards his patients. He allows followed up with me and his excellent staff is highly responsive and easy to work with.

Excellent