Dr. Timothy Farrell earns a score of “15” out of ten

"I'm old school, there's no one more skeptical than me," says Phil Spinka reflecting on his recent surgery. During a routine check-up, the 72-year-old from Clarks Summit asked his doctor about a pain he felt on the left side of his belly button. Learning it was a small hernia that would require surgery to fix, Phil asked to see Dr. Timothy Farrell. “Dr. Farrell told me I had two choices. I could have the surgery the old way or he could operate robotically. I’m an old guy, I didn’t want a robot doing the surgery. But then he explained what a robotic-assisted surgery was. He told me there could be less pain and a quicker recovery time. So I told him it looks like we’re going with the robot!’’ Phil fondly recalls his hospitalization and the care he received from the team at Geisinger. “I didn’t even realize I had surgery. I didn’t need pills because I didn’t have any pain. All I can say, on a scale of 1-10, Dr. Farrell and his team get a 15.” #GeisingerStories