Dr. Boachie

[Susie*Bee]

Until recently, he and Dr. Hammerberg were partners... then they joined up with the rest of the ortho group at Rush, and now Dr. Hammerberg left to work solely with Shriner's. Dr. H was my surgeon, so now I see Dr. DeWald. I've only seen him once, but he seems nice and concerned. Since I'm "post-op", he's just keeping tabs on me. Dr. H and I played the odds on whether to fuse to L4 or go all the way, so we have to keep our eye on those lower lumbars.

Sometime last year someone on the forum posted a link that listed a ranking by some source (???) of surgeons, and I remember that Dr. DeWald was listed at #8. I don't remember what that was in. You would be in good hands with him. Rush Medical Center Hospital is also ranked #8 by US News and World Report, so it's an excellent hospital. My experience there was good. The nursing staff was very attentive as well. BTW, Dr. DeWald's father was also a renowned scoli surgeon.

Best wishes with whomever you decide to go with.

[osumike]

well I hate to say meeting with any doctor is a waste of time, but this trip to Chicago sure seems like it. I was glad to see how nice, clean, organized, and on top of things the facility and staff was, but it pretty much ended there. I'm struggling to find the words to describe how this meeting went, so maybe I'll just type out exactly how it was. When the doc came in he wanted me to stand up and bend over so he could see my back of course, then he wanted to know exactly where it hurt and how much. I'm telling him my ribs hurt, my lower back, pain down both legs, up and down my spine, etc, etc, etc. I couldn't help but get the feeling that he almost didn't believe that I'm in pain. I'm telling you, it was such a weird meeting. He kept saying things like "so you're telling me it hurts there?", "but not there?", "are you sure it hurts there?" Now, on my right side, my rib cage basically rests on my hip, and when I said I have pain in that area, he kept jamming his finger between my ribs and hip saying "does that hurt" "are you sure?" over and over. I really still just can't believe how this was going. The tone of his voice was like he didn't believe me or something. So after that he was looking at my xrays and MRI and things. Now, remember just a month ago Dr. Boachie said he thought he would would do a fusion from about T-3 or 4 to sacrum. Dr. Dewald basically said he wouldn't try for ANY correction, that he would want to pin-point where my pain was coming from, and work on fixing that nerve or nerves, and be done with it. He was saying things that I never heard from any surgeon I have met with. I hate to say this but the way he was talking about Dr. Bridwell(and we all know how I fared with him), was kind of like he idolized him. I got the impression that he thought if Bridwell couldn't come up with a way to do this, then he wasn't even going to try either. I feel like the way I'm describing this is all over the place, but I'm trying....Dewald and his fellow were looking at xrays and I heard him make a comment about a certain measurement, the fellow said something like "Boachie measured it at (such and such)", and Dewald just said OK, I didn't get that but I'll just put that down too. I dont know, maybe I'm saying too much, but early on in this consultation I decided I probably wouldn't be coming back here. This sounds really weird, but I felt like after we told him about what happened in St. Louis and the things Dr. Bridwell said, it seemed like Dr. Dewald was just saying EXACTLY what I just told him Dr. Bridwell said. Like I said, this is hard to put into words, but the whole meeting was just surreal.

[rohrer01]

Sorry, Mike.
It really does sound like your trip to Chicago was a waste of time. I think I can pretty much guess who's going to be doing your surgery when you get your funds together. I hate appointments like that!

[mabeckoff]

I am sorry that your Chicago appt went so poorly. I wish you better luck going forward

[jrnyc]

hey Mike
i am so sorry you went thru this...
and please....trust your gut...
when it felt weird with this doctor, it was for a reason....
he either doesn't know ENOUGH, doesn't understand scoliosis well enough,
is "star struck" with Bridwell, and is of no possible use to you!
i'm sorry to say, it does sound like this trip was definitely a waste of time...
then again, if you hadn't gone, you wouldn't know that this doctor is useless...
it really stinks that you had to waste the time and the money to find this out!
what really surprises me is that this doctor is in Chicago....
i would assume, being from New York, that the big cities have the better, more
knowledgeable doctors....just goes to show there is an exception to every rule!
and really, just about any pain management doctor could address "nerve" stuff....
he certainly doesn't seem like a surgeon who would do whatever it takes to help you!

where does this leave you?...are there other surgeons for you to check
out, who take your insurance and are good in their field...??
i hope there are others you can consult with...
i worry that you suffer with so much pain and aren't finding the help
you need within insurance that you have....

how was this doctor rated number 8 on a list of doctors???

jess

[JenniferG]

I tend to agree with Jess' assessment. Including the star-struck bit. I wouldn't feel comfortable with this doctor. Sorry it's so hard to find a good, accessible doctor.

[Susie*Bee]

Sorry to hear your appt. was definitely sour. Again, though, I believe he is a highly respected, published, and experienced scoli surgeon. Sorry he did not live up to his reputation with you. Regardless, it looks like you're headed on, so best wishes.

[osumike]

I finally called Dr. Boachie's office today to see where we're at with getting approved for surgery. First she told me she thought she already sent out paperwork to me, then said she'd call me back within a day or two. She called back an hour later and said she swears she already called me about this(which she hadn't), but my insurance company will hardly cover even 10% of the cost of surgery. Its a no go. I asked her what direction I go from here, and I was told to find someone that will accept my insurance. So unless someone will basically work for pennies on the dollar, I think I'm SOL. I guess by no means was this a surprise at all, I fully expected for this to happen.

[debbei]

Awh Mike, I am so sorry to hear this. Are any of the other surgeons who you recently seen still in the running? I don't know that most other doctors are quite as highly priced as Dr. Boachie. Did you ever see any others in NY?

[osumike]

No I didn't see any others in New York. I still need to talk to my ins. co. but I can't imagine they'll pay any more than that to ANY surgeon...Again, I'm self employed, so having this pre-existing condition prevents me from getting major medical insurance. I think its time to think about finding another job SOLELY for the health insurance alone...I'm not really sure what other option I have...someone mentioned something about maybe having to sue my insurance company for not covering the surgery I need....ever heard of someone doing that??

[LindaRacine]

Wow, is that possibly the reason Dr. Bridwell turned you down? It makes sense, as they can't be expected to perform surgery at a huge financial loss.

After working for myself for many years, I finally had to stop being self-employed for just this reason. For me, it led to good things. Hope the same happens for you.

--Linda

[lisazena]

Boachie is Different than Other NY Surgeons

Hi Mike,
Don't lose heart. I have really good insurance and I called Boachie and was told that I would have to pay $100,000 as I am in Pennsylvania, out of state and he doesn't take my plan. I visited Lonner and for my insurance, and Ericco and most of the surgery was going to be covered for both, even though I am out of network for Lonner. So you can't judge your insurance on the basis of Boachie.

I hope it works out for you.
Lisa

[mariaf]

Hi Mike,
Don't lose heart. I have really good insurance and I called Boachie and was told that I would have to pay $100,000 as I am in Pennsylvania, out of state and he doesn't take my plan. I visited Lonner and for my insurance, and Ericco and most of the surgery was going to be covered for both, even though I am out of network for Lonner. So you can't judge your insurance on the basis of Boachie.

I hope it works out for you.
Lisa

Mike,

I agree with Lisa that you might want to try one or two more docs before assuming that you will get the same reaction (what have you got to lose, right?)

I remember one time my cousin took her son to see a specialist (not for scoli) - she wanted this guy because he was the best and she was willing (and somewhat able) to pay a good deal out of pocket, but after sitting down and meeting with her and her son, the guy wrote off most of what the insurance didn't cover - so I'm just saying, you never know until you try - and Boachie does seem to operate differently than most when it comes to insurance/payment.

Best of luck - I am pulling for you!

[loves to skate]

Mike,
My Doctor, Dr. Rand in Boston, takes Medicare and Medicaid patients and Medicare paid him only $15,000.00 for my surgery which isn't a whole lot in the overall scheme of things. Why not google him and some other top docs and ask if they would accept your insurance. Do you know how much your insurance will actually pay? It is at least worth some phone calls. Good luck!
Sally

[osumike]

Long time no talk! There's not much new news from me, but I finally got an answer from my "insurance company." Actually what I have is a limited benefits plan, and it is VERY limited. So Dr. Boachies office sent a letter to myself and the ins. co. stating the surgical procedures needed and all costs associated. The total amount was estimated at a little over $88,000. That's just the surgeons fee, not including hospital stay or anesthesiologist and whatever else. Long story short, my insurance company says they'll pay around $6,700 toward that $88,000. Its a joke. I contacted the state of Ohio dept. of insurance, and they directed me to a list of company's offering open enrollment. Basically by law, these company's have to take a certain number of people regardless of pre existing conditions, but the rates are much much higher. It's doable, about $550 a month for me. Of course I'd have to wait 12 months for them to cover anything regarding my spine, but it is what it is. I also looked into Ohio's high risk pool, which is more affordable, any it seems the benefits are very similar. I'm wondering if any of you have any experience with either one of these options? It's time I really start trying to get this surgery done again. I've been hurting a bit more lately, and feeling pretty twisted up. I know things are continuing to get worse, I can feel my right rib cage resting on my hip more and more. Kind of feels like a grinder in there. I can see it progressing when I look in the mirror, which I try to do only if necessary. Linda, I saw you posted a link to a patient advocacy group, and I just called them 20 minutes ago but had to leave a message. Maybe they can help. It's so discouraging, knowing how my spine is, and without a pile of money, nobody really cares to help. I've been having a harder time standing up straight, the pain gets really bad. I was taking 10mg percoset, 30mg morphine, and 10mg methadone, with a muscle relaxer. Now I'm off the methadone, but still on the others. I really want to get off these pills, but I know it's not only going to be hard to do, but I know I need them for pain. The withdrawl coming off the methadone was a little rough, it's a little scary thinking about stopping the others. Anyway, I know I'm rambling a little here, just wanted to get some thoughts out.

Have a good day!