My experience at North Queens Surgical Center was one of the most distressing and dehumanizing encounters I have ever had in a medical environment. I arrived fully prepared for a medically necessary procedure with proper documentation and surgical clearance from my cardiologist. Yet from the moment I entered, I was treated not as a patient, but as a problem to be managed.
The staff were disorganized and dismissive. I was interrogated, accused of refusing care, and spoken to with open hostility by the anesthesiology team - Dr. Heath Blonder and Michael Masciello, CRNA. Each time I tried to explain my medical history and clarify my cardiologist's clearance, I was interrupted and told that my account was not credible. The surgeon Dr. Sana Ali stood by silently as the team prepared to cancel my procedure over information that was completely false.
Only after I insisted that they contact my cardiologist directly did the team finally proceed. The fact that I had to plead for basic communication between physicians in order to receive a procedure I had already been medically cleared for is alarming. No patient should have to endure that level of emotional distress or disrespect in order to access care.
To make matters worse, the center's management later issued a written response that doubled down on false claims rather than addressing their own misconduct. They asserted that I had been informed in advance of an escort requirement, which is simply untrue. I had multiple conversations with both SightMD and the surgical center in the weeks leading up to the procedure, and at no point was this requirement mentioned until the afternoon before surgery. I immediately contacted the center, spoke with supervisory staff, and documented my concerns before arrival. Their claim that I was informed earlier, or that I did not raise any complaints, is a fabrication that can be disproven by records and call logs.
Management also alleged that my cardiologist's clearance included language stating that I declined a recommended treatment approach. That statement is categorically false. No such language exists in any of my medical documentation. It was an invented justification used to rationalize the anesthesiology team's behavior. When challenged, instead of accepting accountability, the center attempted to rewrite the record.
The response I received from management was not an apology or an acknowledgment of harm. It was a calculated attempt to protect the institution at the expense of truth. Rather than addressing their failure to uphold standards of care, they attempted to portray me as untruthful and unreasonable. This is the very definition of gaslighting, and it illustrates a deep cultural problem within the facility's leadership and documentation practices.
Under New York State's Patient Bill of Rights, every patient has the right to receive complete and accurate information about their treatment, to participate in medical decisions without coercion, and to expect respect and dignity at all times. Those rights are reinforced by Public Health Law Section 2803-c, which guarantees freedom from abuse, neglect, and harassment. None of those obligations were honored in my case.
This experience revealed a systemic breakdown in ethics, communication, and accountability at North Queens Surgical Center. Patients deserve care that is guided by honesty, transparency, and compassion. Instead, what I encountered was a facility more interested in protecting itself than in telling the truth.
I share this not out of anger, but out of responsibility to others who might find themselves in the same position. If you or a loved one are referred to this center, document everything, ask every question, and do not assume that professionalism will be given. What happened to me should never happen to anyone, and it is only by speaking plainly that patients can protect themselves and demand better. read more
