Terrible. I was in the same room with the doctor for a total of 3, maybe 4 minutes. He looked in both of ears with a microscope and asked me "What do you need from me?" before walking out of the room. He didn't explain anything at all about his examination or findings. Was everything good? Was anything bad? I'll never know, because he just walked out. On top of that, a few days later I noticed he upcoded my insurer and billed them for a 45+ minute new patient visit. 45 [PLUS!] minutes for a 3 or 4 minute "exam." Terrible experience. I will not be returning to Jefferson Health in any capacity after my experience with Mr. Fitzgerald. read more

Dr. Fitzgerald tends to diagnose a great majority of his patients (if not all of them) with PLF - perilymphatic fistula. PLFs are extremely uncommon, and yet somehow every person who comes into his office with the slightest irregularity gets slapped with that diagnosis. Surprise, surprise -- many of his tests are not covered by insurance. Surprise, surprise -- PLFs require surgery. It's a scam. There were two glaring red flags with Dr. Fitzgerald: First, he pushed hard for the surgery, going so far as to say that I was "crazy" if I were to opt against it. I didn't have the surgery, however, because none of the tests indicated it. Among the battery of inner ear tests I had, most were negative, one showed that there was a problem (but it wasn't conclusive at all about what the cause was and in no way related to a PLF), and the one test that would have suggested -- but not conclusively identified -- a PLF was also negative. Still, Dr. Fitzgerald pushed hard for the surgery. That seemed odd to me. Second, when I later got a copy of my medical reports from Dr. Fitzgerald to give to another doctor there was NO MENTION of a possible PLF or Dr. Fitzgerald's strong insistence that I have surgery. NO MENTION of even a possibility of a PLF. There was NO MENTION that we even discussed a PLF. If that's the case, how would I even know about perilymphatic fistulas? I am not a doctor, and when I brought up PLFs to my doctor friends, they, too, had never heard of them. In the event that someone is confused as to why a doctor would not put his recommendation and his diagnosis in his notes, it's because Dr. Fitzgerald was covering his ass. Should he ever be reviewed by the Medical Board (which he wont, as the Medical Board in DC is inept), it would be damning if a disproportionate number of patients were diagnosed with the same problem and were recommended to have the same surgery. So, by not referring to his insistent recommendation that I have surgery and not mentioning that we even discussed the surgery or that diagnosis, he evades detection should he ever be reviewed. There is a word for that: UNETHICAL. Yes, Dr. Fitzgerald is an unethical doctor. Do not go to him. If anyone goes to him and he diagnoses that individual with a PLF, it should come as no surprise. Had Dr. Fitzgerald at least written that PLF was a possibility or that surgery was an option, I would merely think Dr. Fitzgerald was a bad doctor. But he's worse: Dr. Fitzgerald is not only bad, he's also unethically cutting into people, recommending them for surgeries that they probably don't need, and when they show any semblance -- such as I did -- about not being on board with his recommendation, he does not document his "professional" medical opinion. In fact, after pounding into me that surgery was my only viable option, he merely wrote in his notes that I was a candidate for "vestibular rehabilitation" -- a much more conversative treatment approach, something that should have been suggested before surgery was even mentioned, and something we had never, ever discussed. Not surprisingly, every single patient in the waiting room had been diagnosed with a PLF. Unless people are traveling to Dr. Fitzgerald from the world over, that in itself is highly suspicious. Unless PLF is the most underdiagnosed medical problem in the otolaryngological world -- it isn't -- there shouldn't be dozens of people getting this unusual surgery at any given time. As a bookend to my experience -- which punctuated my already formed opinion even further - one of the movers who loaded my belongings when I moved out of town happened to mention out-of-the-blue about some vertigo issue he had. With no prompting from me, he mentioned that he had been to Dr. Fitzgerald at Washington Hospital, who, like me, had diagnosed him with a perilymphatic fistula. Imagine that?!!? What are the odds? Fortunately, he, too, did not opt for the surgery. Dennis Fitzgerald is an unethical and dishonest doctor. Don't go to him. And if you do, don't be surprised if you're diagnosed with a PLF. Don't say you weren't warned. read more

Absolutely awful. I was not misdiagnosed. However, I WAS NOT EVEN DIAGNOSED. Dr. Fitzgerald ordered a series of tests, for a persistent ear ringing I have had for 8 months. All of my tests have come back clean, EXCEPT for the MRI, which I have contacted his office four times in the last three weeks for results for. Every time, some receptionist says she'll get my message to the doctor, but I get nothing. Really? You cannot take 3 minutes to call me and 1. Either say, the test came back fine or 2. Call me into your office and ask me to schedule a follow up. I could have something seriously wrong and this doctor and his office give absolutely ZERO for the concern of my health. I'm absolutely disgusted and disappointed. I will be sure to take this information back to my primary care who recommended his "good friend" in the first place. Absolutely disgusted. read more

Dr. Dennis Fitzgerald may have saved my life, and definitely enabled me to maintain my active and mobile lifestyle. I was having serious, totally unexpected vertigo attacks while driving, often at high speeds, posing a real danger to me and other drivers and pedestrians. I seriously thought I might have to give up ever driving again, which would have been a real psychological catastrophe for someone with a vigorous lifestyle like myself. Before beginning treatment of my dangerous vertigo, Dr. Fitzgerald was brutally honest in warning me that the only real solution he could see might have a side effect entailing some permanent loss of my sense of balance. I decided this was an acceptable trade-off. Now, eight months after my treatment, my vertigo attacks have disappeared and my loss of balance has been minimal, no way affecting normal functioning. Dr. Fitzgerald is not a slick "smiley face" type of guy, but I've found him to be totally professional, a highly intelligent and blunt straight-shooter who gets right to the point. read more

It is not an exaggeration to say that I am truly thankful for Dr Fitzgerald every day! If not for Dr Fitzgerald's skill I may have lost my employment due to frequent absences and I certainly would have spent much of my time in significant discomfort from the spinning and nausea of vertigo/ BPPV and dizziness of Meniere's . Dr Fitzgerald has treated me for more than 10 years to maintain my balance and well being. The problems with my ears have changed from time to time. He has been able to diagnose at each stage and carries out the appropriate treatment. He really knows his craft! Given the distance to his office, I first tried well known practices closer to my home. One doctor said that if I was not willing to have surgery there was nothing he could do for me! Another passed me to an audiologist for an Epley's maneuver that was ineffective - three times. In both cases, I had to wait for an appointment for weeks when I was experiencing a full blown vertigo attack. I have been to two area emergency rooms where the so called treatment was to administer drugs that knocked me out and when I woke up the problem was still there. What a contrast from Dr Fitzgerald's practice! I was so grateful to find Dr Fitzgerald! He did not require me to have surgery as a prerequisite. He sees me as much and as often as I need him. And he knows exactly what to do. He is the only doctor that has been able to treat my issues so that I can return to work the same day and carry on with minimal disruption in my life. His staff is so caring and attentive. They clearly understand the debilitating effects of BPPV and Meniere's and do everything possible to help with scheduling and appointments. Dr Fitzgerald's front office is a big plus! I haven't experienced this level of assistance with any other doctor's office. I have recommended Dr Fitzgerald to a number of friends and colleagues. To a person, they have had similar experiences with the doctor and his staff, and all have had positive results. Again, I am soooooo thankful for his expertise. read more

After seeing several ENTs for my ongoing vertigo and ear infections, Dr. Fitzgerald was the only one that found my problem. Not sure what happened with the other reviewers but I personally had a good experience. Not only did he give me a thorough explanation of my results and condition but he also gave me lots of literature to read concerning what I have. There will always be a few that have problems but I think his credentials speak for themselves. To each his own, I'm pleased. read more

After having a second incident of BPPV, I decided to see Dr. Fitzgerald. He was recommended to me from a friend who had the same diagnosis. After one visit, she has not had any more episodes. Dr. Fitzgerald was able to explain to me what was happening in my ear, and he did the epley maneuver. I left the office feeling reassured about my problem, and was told that I do not need to return for any follow up. I was impressed with Dr. Fitzgerald's knowledge, and was even more impressed that he saw me the exact time my appointment was scheduled. I would highly recommend Dr. Fitzgerald. read more

Dr. Fitzgerald changed my life. I blew out my eardrum due to a congenital defect which caused sudden hearing loss then caused a perilymphatic fistula (PLF). I had horrific vertigo and nausea as a result. I was unable to work or drive due to the symptoms. Given that a PFL is so small it cannot be seen by the human eye, Dr. Fitzgerald diagnosed me through office visits and symptoms. He recommended surgery to patch the fistula and I was symptom free within a few weeks after surgery. Dr. Fitzgerald gave me my life back. I highly recommend him! read more

I wish I had read these reviews first. There is little relevant patient doctor communication. An attempt to gather information after receiving cortisone shots that did not work resulted in my being told that my ear ringing could not be helped and the shots were only 25% effective. I was told he would confer with another doctor who might be able to help. I had to request the name and I have not heard from that doctor. read more

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Fitzgerald in 2010. I had a fungus infection in right ear where the referring physician couldn't figure out. My ear was clogging up every 3 days and it was awful not been able to hear. Dr. Fitzgerald was so awesome in diagnosing my condition and getting me back on the right road to major recovery. He did all process of elimination until the treatment was very successful. I was extremely satisfied with all services that were rendered to me. I must add that I returned to him today due to some suspected hearing loss in left ear. I came back to his care because I totally trust his expertise. I would recommend anyone that I care about to him for services. By the way, my hearing loss was a major build up of wax which was removed and no infection. I trust him totally with my care and would always return if needed. I consider him a very informative and caring physician. We definitely need more like him in the professional field. read more

My experience with Dr. Fitzgerald is completely different from that of the other two reviewers and I would like to share my experience being his patient. I was successfully treated by him for a perilymphatic fistula, through diagnosis and surgery, and without reservation I highly recommend him to any patient suffering from an ear condition, especially those difficult to diagnose conditions like PLF. I first saw Dr. Fitzgerald in the 1990's for sudden hearing loss and ear pain. I was in my early 30's so it was pretty alarming. He diagnosed me with fluid and blood in my ears after having a bad cold and flying with a bad cold. As I recall he treated me with a steroid ( prednisone?) and perhaps an antibiotic ear drop. I don't remember all the details as it was so long ago. But I do remember that the condition resolved soon after diagnosis and treatment. And I remember that Dr. Fitzgerald was professional, courteous, engaged and interested in my condition, and funny. He made an impression on me because I have a long history of ear problems and without me telling him all that, he could tell as soon as he looked in my ears that I had had repeated childhood ear infections. You might think, "so what, he should be able to figure that out as a doctor and an ear specialist." However, over all the years I've had my ears checked, even when I've specifically asked if anyone could see evidence of all the ear problems I've had, I've never been told by another doctor that they saw evidence of past ear infections. Anyway, at the time I was very satisfied with the quality of care and interactions with Dr. Fitzgerald and happy to get my hearing back. The next time I saw Dr.Fitzgerald was more than 20 years later. I woke up one morning with severe vertigo. I was too incapacitated to even see my primary care doctor. I could not even stand upright with confidence and couldn't bend down or turn my head left to right or up and down or make any sudden moves without waves of dizziness and feeling off balance. It was scary. I was really afraid of falling down. I had trouble with depth perception and felt especially unsure going down steps in my house. Needless to say I couldn't go to work. I couldn't drive at all. I found that I couldn't do the simplest things, like bend down to put the cat food bowl on the floor. I had to learn how to keep my head perfectly still and perpendicular to the floor and then bend without looking down and sort of close my eyes to see the floor. The vertigo was just debilitating and didn't get better over several days. You don't realize how many times in a day you move your head until something like this happens and every tiny move or motion sets off waves of dizziness. I include all this in my review because you can't overestimate how debilitating and unrelenting chronic vertigo is and all told I had it for about 6 months. I saw my primary care doctor and he thought I probably had the most common cause of vertigo, benign positional, and did the test for nystagmus where you lie down and sit up fast. But it was negative, my eyes didn't roll. The vertigo continued unabated and after about 2 weeks of this agony I asked my primary care doctor who I should see and he recommended a specialist in vestibular disorders. He said there were very few doctors anywhere, even in a metropolitan area like Washington, DC, who had expertise in vestibular disorders. It's a specialty within a speciality. I think he gave me two names and one was Dr.Fitzgerald. I said something like "oh I know him. I saw him years ago." I saw Dr. Fitzgerald a few days later, they got me in pretty fast, and he put me through a comprehensive battery of tests, probably the ones the first reviewer referenced. Not all of the tests are covered by insurance but I have to say as a health professional myself (I'm not a physician but I have 18 years experience working in hospitals in clinical pathology and 23 years experience working in healthcare policy positions) that the reasons why medical care and medicines are or are not covered are numerous and complex. So while insurance coverage generally is a good indicator of a legitimate test or treatment, the lack of insurance coverage doesn't mean a test is bogus. Sorry my post is so long, I'm just trying to be thoughtful as the other two reviewers were very dissatisfied and I am so tremendously grateful and trying to explain why. Dr. Fitzgerald diagnosed me with PLF and recommended surgery. The surgery was done and was completely successful. I was 100% "cured" about 3-5 months post op. But I wouldn't have cared if Dr. Fitzgerald was a complete ass with no bedside manner because he gave me my life back. But in fact he is not. He is not only extremely skilled but compassionate and straight talking, saying the surgery might mot work but we hoped it would. In sum, I think Dr. Fitzgerald is highly skilled and exemplifies what a caring, compassionate doctor should be. Thank you. read more

I was referred to Dr. Fitzgerald by my primary doctor because i was experiencing problems with my ear. Dr. Fitzgerald was able to resolve the issue without surgery in a short period of time. He did an excellent job and I am very grateful. Thank you Dr. Fitzgerald! read more