When I fractured my index finger on my dominant hand, I had no idea whether or not I needed surgery, but was told that if I did end up needing surgery, I’d need to have the procedure ASAP; otherwise, the bones would start to heal incorrectly on their own.

I was desperate for guidance, but unable to find a hand surgeon in Portland, OR – where I live – who would see me on short notice; and so, my family doctor in New York referred me to Dr. Raskin.

When I called Dr. Raskin’s office out of the blue, I was hoping only that someone in his office would agree to review my x-rays, and offer their opinion.

I was transferred to Dr. Raskin’s PA, Ashley Madsen, who was not only sympathetic to my situation, but was so acutely competent that I was immediately reassured I’d come to the right place. Ashley gave me her email address without hesitation, and told me she’d have Dr. Raskin look at my x-rays shortly.

(I couldn’t believe it. I was just a voice on the other end of a phone 3,000 miles away.)

I sent Ashley my x-rays, and she called me an hour later. She explained in detail that Dr. Raskin said I indeed needed surgery. Ashley was patient and able to answer all of my questions. She is the only PA I’ve encountered wherein I felt like I was not just in the presence of a doctor, but a seasoned doctor, at that.

Ashley then said that Dr. Raskin offered to do my procedure on his next surgery schedule, just five days later.

I was SHOCKED. Not only was someone actually willing to help me from so far away – without even knowing me – but that “someone” was a world class surgeon. (For those of you who don’t know, Dr. Raskin is big time. Suffice it to say that the halls of his offices are covered with signed photographs from celebrities, thanking him for his work. Sure, that’s cool, but what’s relevant about this is that those celebrities all have livelihoods which require the unconstrained use of their hands – musicians, marquee athletes, etc. The point is: when the best in the world need the best hand surgeon, they’re calling Dr. Raskin.)

Needless to say, I was on a plane the next day.

When I met Dr. Raskin, I was terribly stressed from my ordeal, and concerned about the severity of my fracture. When I left his office, though, I was calm and reassured because Dr. Raskin’s depth of expertise was like no other doctor I’ve encountered. What’s more, he’s incredibly warm and accessible (and funny, I might add), which is uncommon for surgeons of his acclaim.

From a results perspective, Dr. Raskin made a measurable difference in the rest of my life. I have complete and unlimited use of my index finger on my dominant hand, and can engage in any activity I choose.

I don’t think I appreciated how important Dr. Raskin’s ability was until after my procedure, when I realized I was going to be able to do all of the things I needed and wanted to do in my life. (Even my Occupational Therapist was impressed with the range of motion I achieved, which he, too, attributed to Dr. Raskin’s ability.)

I will always be thankful to Dr. Raskin for being so adept, and similarly thankful to Ashley for being so flat-out capable.

My life was changed because of the kindness and competency of these two people.

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention Yazmin, who runs the billing function for Dr. Raskin. Yazmin typifies “ownership.” She untangled billing complications with my insurance company as if they were her own, and never once made me feel like I was alone in the billing process. She never brushed me off, never referred me to someone else, and never told me to just call my insurance company. There were no dangling mystery bills after the fact, no surprise charges from the surgical center or any other ancillary provider, no double-billing, etc. Yazmin simply took care of everything, and she got it all correct in the process, right down to the decimal point. She’s a gem and a worthy member of this great team.