Judging whether a doctor is "good" depends on your preference. From my
research, he sounds competent enough. But nowhere do I see any
evidence that he specializes in cataract surgery or is among the top
practitioners. Here’s what I know:
According to WebMD (
http://www.webmd.thehealthpages.com/search/servlet/Dispatcher?hpname_nextPage=detail&hpname_recnum=57612
), Dr. Eric Simon Stillman, ophthalmologist, operates out of The
Medical Center Clinic, 8333 North Davis Hwy., Pensacola, FL 32514. His
phone number is (850) 474-8000. He has been in the business for 18
years. Stillman is one of six doctors affiliated with the clinic,
which specializes in ophthalmology (
http://www.medicalcenterclinic.com/specialty.asp?bid=5106 ). All six
doctors are board certified, and all are affiliated with at least two
of the three local hospitals. A couple of them have more professional
affiliations than Stillman, but I don’t read too much into that.
Stillman’s license number is ME63902 (
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/IRM00profiling/searchform.asp ), and is
valid until February of 2004. He's on the staff of three hospitals,
which is a good sign of competence though hardly conclusive.
He earned his MD at Tulane (
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/IRM00profiling/profile.asp?LicId=54798&ProfNBR=1501
), which is a good school for physicians, according to Purdue
University ( http://www.bio.purdue.edu/Bioweb/healthprof/apply.html ),
which rates it on a par with Northwestern University, Mayo, Dartmouth,
Vanderbilt, and the University of Chicago. Dr. Stillman is board
certified in ophthalmology.
He is active in professional organizations in the state, another
positive. He was public relations director of the Florida Society of
Ophthalmology though he no longer holds that position. The Department
of Health site also lists him as having held the title of president of
the Northwest Florida Society of Ophthalmology. One of his partners
has also held that title.
In 1995, Stillman wrote a paper published in "Ophthalmologic Plastic
and Reconstructive Surgery." That is also a nice plus. For the most
part, these papers are heavily peer reviewed, and its publication
suggests that, at least seven years ago, he was considered an expert
in the surgical arena. However, I’ve still seen no mention of
cataracts.
The Department of Health also reports that Dr. Stillman says he has no
criminal convictions, no disciplinary actions, and no liability
judgments of more than $5,000 in the last 10 years. Some of this data
was verified by the DOH, but it’s unclear how much.
The Pensacola News Journal, The Gulf Herald, and the Northwest Florida
Daily News have not printed any stories mentioning Dr. Stillman
recently.
Lastly, he is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
However, there are 24 members of that group practicing in Pensacola (
http://www.aao.org/aao/find_eyemd.cfm ). Six of them list cataracts as
a specialty. Stillman does not. His specialty is plastic and
reconstructive surgery.
Bottom line: I’d have to say that Stillman seems competent, or as
reasonably competent as I can assess without eyewitness (no pun
intended) accounts. However, given the body of research and the number
of cataract specialists in town, it is unlikely he is tops in his
field. If what you’re talking about is reconstructive surgery, that’s
a different matter.
Search strategy:
Stillman ophthalmology Pensacola |
