Dr. Boachie Nominated for CNN Heroes Tribute

[susannajon]

First, I was remiss in updating people on the "CNN Heroes" show. Dr. Boachie was eliminated because he invented a brand of spinal instrumentation that is sold by Depuy Spine, a divisin of J&J, one of the show's sponsors. Because of his connection to J&J, he was not eligible. This makes him no less a hero in my book.

I am trying not to be nasty to those who disparage Dr. Boachie without knowing him or having a personal experience, although it does make my blood boil. Dr. Boachie DOES AND WILL work with your insurance company if you are able to go "out of network" or negotiate approval with your insurance company for an exception. He simply chooses not to be an "in network" provider and put up with the ridiculous restrictions the insurance companies impose on doctors. If you are completely uninsured, and are not eligible for any government program, then yes, like millions of other Americans, Dr. Boachie may not be an option for you. Don't blame the doctor. The uninsured in America is a national problem, and if this makes you angry, I encourage you to speak with your vote this year.

His staff receives thousands of calls from people who are looking for help. They are overworked and overwhelmed some days. I am not saying that this 100% excuses them being short with people. I am just suggesting that you need to have a little bit thicker skin. You will need to do some work to negotiate with your insurance company and demand what you need. Anyone who has actually had surgery will tell you, Dr. Boachie is an angel walking the Earth. In my case (and we are typical middle class people, not rich, not poor), Dr. Boachie wrote off thousands of dollars that the insurance company did not pay. The only out-of-pocket expenses we had to cover were related to the hospital and the anesthesiologist.

[Singer]

I would hope that people having these types of experiences with Boachie's staff write letters of official complaint about it. I just can't imagine him being okay with this kind of treatment if he is or was made fully aware of it. It puzzles me because truly, my experience was nothing like this.

The good thing about scoliosis treatment today is that there ARE choices out there among several excellent surgeons who DO take insurance (especially on the east coast), and of course I would agree that for kids, it doesn't get any better than Shriner's.

[susannajon]

Just a brief post-note: For anyone in the Philadelphia area, the Shriners Hospital is an excellent resource, regardless of your circumstances. Shriners is funded by individual donations, therefore Dr. Betz and his staff never have to worry about insurance companies. Shriners treats any child 18 or younger free of charge. Dr. Betz is an outstanding surgeon and a nationally recognized expert in the field.

Maria, I am so sorry you experienced this with Boachie's staff, but am glad you found Dr. Betz. I have no doubt you were in very good hands at Shriners.

[mariaf]

I am trying not to be nasty to those who disparage Dr. Boachie without knowing him or having a personal experience, although it does make my blood boil.

Susanna,

How could you say that I have no personal experience? That's precisely what I wrote about - MY experience with Boachie's staff.

(The other case I referred to was not made up - it was posted right here on this forum - and I recall how my heart went out to that mom. It just stuck with me.)

I'm not saying that Boachie should give his services away - most doctors do not perform their services for free in the U.S. - but I, for one, do not consider him a hero.

You, of course, are entitled to a different opinion and I respect it.

By the way, I do have a thick skin – but the treatment I referred to by Boachie's staff is not, in my opinion, just "short" or "curt" it was plain wrong.

Shriners, too, deals with a huge number of calls and inquiries - and nobody, to my knowledge, has ever been treated like that. Maybe I have just been spoiled these past few years by the wonderful treatment we have received at Shriners.

I am truly happy for those of you who have been helped by Dr. Boachie.

Regards,

[mariaf]

Hi...

Dr. Boachie is Ghanian, and I believe he practices in the U.S. so that he can help people in his native country. Without Dr. Boachie, Ghanian citizens would have no option for treatment. Those of us lucky enough to live in the U.S. and have health insurance, usually have plenty of options.

Linda,

I hear what you are saying but isn't that precisely what some of us are taking exception to?? - the fact that his concern seems to be lopsidedly for the people of his native country vs. those in the U.S.

I agree that those of us lucky enough to have insurance are very fortunate. However, there have been a few times in my life (thankfully, short-lived) where I was without insurance. What about all the thousands of folks here that don't have insurance - are they less deserving that those in Ghana in his eyes?

I'm not looking to argue with anyone - truly - I'm just trying to shed light on why some of us feel the way we do so that others can understand.

Regards,

[susannajon]

Vote!

I applaud the passion (and compassion) of all of you moms and patients out there. We all care deeply and have strong feelings about these issues. No doubt, there are those who had a bad experience with Boachie's staff when calling, and also those of us who went ahead with Boachie and had an amazing outcome. All of us have a right to our feelings, and it sounds like we'll have to "agree to disagree" on the issue of Dr. Boachie.

I think we can all agree that the issue of the uninsured in America is a national disgrace. There are millions of working people in this country who can not afford even basic healthcare for themselves and their families, much less complex care like scoliosis surgery. The issue also drives thousands of doctors out of the business of medicine every year, because they become frustrated and disillusioned. We as a society need to find a better way.

I encourage everyone not to ever lose your passion! Please take it with you to the voting booth this year!

[spine'[chicka]]

I'm sorry, but Dr. Boachie is a true hero, I have him and so did my father, 11 years ago. My dad had such bad scoliosis, had a 12 & a half hour surgery and Dr. Boachie is always the kindest man to my family and I. I don't believe that he and his staff treat ANYONE poorly. The lady at the reception desk is the sweetest woman, and I think that he and his staff are all the most wonderful people. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and this is just my point of view.

[spine'[chicka]]

Anyway, before we got way off topic, I asked if Dr. Boachie got into one of the finalists spots for 2007 CNN Hero. Did he????

[susannajon]

Sorry, my answer did get a bit buried. As far as the "CNN Heroes" show, Dr. Boachie did not make the final cut. He was eliminated because he was one of the doctors who developed a brand of spinal instrumentation that is sold by Depuy Spine, a divisin of J&J, one of the show's sponsors. Because of his connection to J&J, he was not eligible for the award. Regardless, he will always be a hero in my book.

[spine'[chicka]]

That's too bad. Same here, he's always going to be a hero to me and my family, and the hundreds of thousands of patients he's helped.

[dalmatica]

Everyone at his office were wonderful to us EXCEPT that rude, rude, rude, insurance woman. I have never been treated like she treated my family and I.

[Lesly]

For the record, anyone who says that Dr. Boachie does not accept insurance, period, is wrong. So before you start saying horrible things about him, continue your research!
He works with our insurance companies all of the time. I didn't pay him anything for my surgery... Part of hospital stay and anesthesia are what I was responsible for... which is completely seperate from Dr. Boachie.
He truly is one of the kindest, most genuine men I've ever had the privilege of knowing.

[mariaf]

For the record, anyone who says that Dr. Boachie does not accept insurance, period, is wrong. So before you start saying horrible things about him, continue your research!
He works with our insurance companies all of the time. I didn't pay him anything for my surgery... Part of hospital stay and anesthesia are what I was responsible for... which is completely seperate from Dr. Boachie.
He truly is one of the kindest, most genuine men I've ever had the privilege of knowing.

Hi Lesly,

Just to clarify, the words "he doesn't take insurance" (which referred to the initial consult I was seeking with Boachie) did not come from ME, they came from Boachie's employee. I only heard them with my own ears. Whether or not policy has changed since 2000 or whether he just didn't take insurance for the initial consult, I have no idea, but that's what I was told.

Please search this forum and you will find a few stories that depict a different scenario from what you describe (I referred to one above that particularly stuck in my mind - please look for that mom's posts).

If you are going to say that a lot of what came from his office was from his staff or insurance person and not from him personally, you would be correct - but isn't a doctor responsible for the actions of their closest staff members and their office policies? I know my son's ortho takes responsibility for those things.

Speaking for myself, I said that I do not consider him a hero. That's not saying something horrible about him - there are a lot of people I don't think deserve the title "hero". Perhaps in his native country he would be considered a hero because he takes no money for the surgeries he performs there, but speaking as a U.S. citizen, I consider him another talented surgeon and probably a decent enough guy....just by no means a hero in my book.