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  • Dr. Boachie

    I just made an appointment to see Dr. Boachie on Dec. 19. The lady told me he doesn't accept insurance? Or at least I think that's what she said. But she did ask me what kind of insurance I have? She also said the initial visit will cost between $450-500. That's cash upfront. Is this normal for seeing him? I think I remember hearing someone saying something about this, but not for sure...
    Pre-surgery- 80°+ thoracic/ 60°+ lumbar
    Still unsure of post-op numbers
    37 yrs. old, 6'7" ish
    Scoli pics

  • #2
    Hi,

    This seems to be the norm for the initial consult (I'm honestly surprised it isn't more because several years ago I was told it was about that much for the initial consult - so at least it hasn't gone up.)

    I guess they wanted to know what insurance you had because they will bill them for any surgery (and I believe, they will bill the patient for whatever portion isn't covered - but please confirm this, if it applies to you, as I'm not 100% sure how it works for surgery). However, it seems to have always been that for the initial consult, you have to pay out of pocket.

    Best of luck to you!!
    Last edited by mariaf; 11-28-2011, 03:54 PM.
    mariaf305@yahoo.com
    Mom to David, age 17, braced June 2000 to March 2004
    Vertebral Body Stapling 3/10/04 for 40 degree curve (currently mid 20's)

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScoliosisTethering/

    http://pediatricspinefoundation.org/

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    • #3
      yes, that is normal....i saw him about 6 years ago...
      i think i paid about $450 then...
      i just wanted his opinion, as i knew he didn't take insurance...


      if you are going to NYC for opinions, have you seen Dr Lonner or
      Dr Neuwirth...they both take insurance....or Dr Errico?
      there are other good ones as well....
      i see that you live in Ohio...such a long way to come....
      any chance you can schedule other surgeons for the same trip?
      they take insurance, so if they take yours, it wouldn't cost you more...

      jess

      Comment


      • #4
        Yes, that sounds about right for the first visit. He doesn't take insurance per se, but he will work with insurance companies. In my case, he accepted my insurance company's out-of-network payout. Even though I live in PA, I happen to have NY-based insurance because my husband's company is based in NY. If you're out of state, you may have to pay some cash upfront before surgery.

        Dr. Boachie is of course excellent, but I agree with Jess that he's not the only game in town in NYC.
        Chris
        A/P fusion on June 19, 2007 at age 52; T10-L5
        Pre-op thoracolumbar curve: 70 degrees
        Post-op curve: 12 degrees
        Dr. Boachie-adjei, HSS, New York

        Comment


        • #5
          my insurance forces me to go to their doctors only...
          i cannot go out of network....
          so it doesn't help me if a doctor is willing to work with the insurance
          if he is not in network....
          considering how much money it might cost you, why not try to get
          consult appointments with top SRS surgeons who do take your insurance...
          it is a long way to go for one surgeon...since there are other good ones in NYC!

          jess

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks for the replies...Yes I have thought about trying to see more than one guy on my trip out there. The only problem with that is I have seen several, well, four other surgeons, including Dr. Bridwell in St. Louis, who is considered a "top doctor." Apparently my situation is extremely severe and complicated, and will be very challenging to deal with. I went to Cincinnati last week and was told by that doc that if they wouldn't do it in St. Louis, then I need to go to San Francisco or NYC. I just dont want to waste anymore time or money than necessary.
            Pre-surgery- 80°+ thoracic/ 60°+ lumbar
            Still unsure of post-op numbers
            37 yrs. old, 6'7" ish
            Scoli pics

            Comment


            • #7
              well, i would call a few top SRS surgeons in NYC, like Lonner, Neuwirth and Errico, to see which ones
              take my insurance...then book at least one of them....
              they are top...and if the other surgeon told you to go to NYC or CA, why not try NYC...
              if they take your insurance, you are talking a $20 copay at most!
              i think Boachie might be a problme for your insurance company for approval....
              what if you come all that way and dont end up with a surgeon you can use....?
              unless all you want is an opinion....
              i flew to LA a few years ago, knowing he didnt take my insurance, just to see Anand...

              have you thought of writing to John...he is super tall and his surgeon
              just did a successful revision on him....

              jess

              Comment


              • #8
                My surgeon in Orange CA also does very complicated surgeries. If you are interested, I will send you his contact info
                Melissa

                Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                Comment


                • #9
                  OK, I'm going to try to make an appt with Dr. Neuwirth. Hopefully they can get me in at the time I'm out there...You're right, it definitely won't hurt to try to see as many as possible...
                  Pre-surgery- 80°+ thoracic/ 60°+ lumbar
                  Still unsure of post-op numbers
                  37 yrs. old, 6'7" ish
                  Scoli pics

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Mike, you were the very first story I read about before joining the forum. I'm really sorry you haven't had this taken care of yet. If I remember correctly, you are in a lot of pain, right? Were they able to rule Marfan's in or out? If you have it, does that complicate the surgery, or is it just your size? Sorry for all the questions, I just haven't seen you on here for quite some time. I hope you can find a really good doctor soon. Take care!
                    Be happy!
                    We don't know what tomorrow brings,
                    but we are alive today!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Mike...

                      New York has no shortage of really good scoliosis specialists. If you can't get in to see Dr. Neuwirth when you want, you can try Frank Commisa Jr, Thomas Errico, Jean-Pierre Farcy, Christopher Hamill, Baron Lonner, or Frank Schwab. I've heard multiple good reviews on each of them.

                      Regards,
                      Linda
                      Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                      Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        i hope you can book an appointment with one or two of the good surgeons...
                        ones who takes your insurance....some of them are very booked....
                        maybe if you tell them you are flying in from so far away they could squeeze you
                        into their schedule....i do remember Dr Errico had this huge number of people
                        in his waiting room when i went there!
                        Dr Lonner and Dr Neuwirth were busy, but did not have as many people
                        waiting...
                        i think when Dr Errico was listed in New York Magazine as one of the best
                        orthopedic guys in NYC, it increased his patient load fast....
                        personally, all things being equal, i like Dr Lonner the most.....
                        just my personal opinion.....

                        good luck....
                        jess

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by jrnyc View Post
                          have you thought of writing to John...he is super tall and his surgeon
                          just did a successful revision on him....

                          jess
                          Haha, I lol'd at this. I'd love to help you out Mike if you were coming out to CA, there are plenty of great surgeons I know up here in NorCal, same as Linda since...we both live up here, but SoCal also has some great surgeons as well. But if you go to NYC, the few that have been mentioned are great, and I was even planning to make a trip out, and Errico/Neuwirth/Lonner were the 3 I was going to see, the lady I called to "try" to schedule with Boachie said he doesn't do revisionals, and argued with me when I said I at least wanted his opinion, and she said he'll spend 30 seconds with you and refer you to someone else and then gave me another name of a surgeon in that facility who I guess, "does revisionals". So I was like OK, I guess I'm not wasting my time in NYC lol. Whatever you do, good luck and make sure you agree with your surgeon on the right course of treatment, don't just agree with what he says and jump into surgery cause the surgeon said so. Get the opinions from the other top 3 doctors please, and Boachie, and pick an idea and surgeon you feel comfortable with. Good luck man!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Mike, I remember your horror story about being cancelled by Bridwell at the 11th hour, and I remember reading about your various complications that make doing your surgery more challenging.

                            I wanted to share the comment my surgeon made when I mentioned your exact situation to him, as a way of asking if he has ever make an 11th hour decision like that with a patient. He commented that in his view Bridwell was getting more conservative and more selective in recent years, maybe because he is getting older and may not want to take the same kind of risks he would have, or take on the same challenges he might have, when he was a younger surgeon. I have no idea if this is an accurate assessment or not, but it would give me enough reason to think that there may be a number of the top guys who would want to take you on.

                            I agree that you should see as many of the NYC guys as you can if you are there anyway. Boachie does seem to be known for taking on really bad situations, the kind that get you in newspapers, but that doesn't mean he's the only one who would do your surgery. You may not be really all that challenging, just maybe something Dr. Bridwell sort of chickened out on. I don't mean that in a bad way to Dr. Bridwell, who is clearly brilliant and talented, but I can see where he might get more selective at a certain point, and want to do more surgeries with the most predictable outcomes. I have no idea how old he is, but he trained Lenke, and many of the others, and he's certainly no spring chicken anymore. And this kind of surgery is not only huge for the patients, it is also very physically demanding for the surgeons.
                            Stephanie, age 56
                            Diagnosed age 8
                            Milwaukee brace 9 years, no further treatment, symptom free and clueless until my 40s that curves could progress.
                            Thoracolumbar curve 39 degrees at age 17
                            Now somewhere around 58 degrees thoracic, 70 degrees thoracolumbar
                            Surgeon Dr. Michael S. O'Brien, Baylor's Southwest Scoliosis Center, Dallas TX
                            Bilateral laminectomies at L3 to L4, L4 to L5 and L5 to S1 on April 4, 2012
                            Foramenotomies L3 through S1 in August 2014

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by osumike View Post
                              OK, I'm going to try to make an appt with Dr. Neuwirth. Hopefully they can get me in at the time I'm out there...You're right, it definitely won't hurt to try to see as many as possible...
                              I am very happy with Dr. Neuwirth. As far as I know, he only has office hours on Thursdays. Let me know if you get an appointment!
                              __________________________________________
                              Debbe - 50 yrs old

                              Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
                              Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

                              Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
                              Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
                              Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

                              Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
                              Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

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