Re: Dr. Mack in Springfield or Dr. Feldman in NYC

July 7, 2006

, Sorry, I just saw your post! I also see that now you're leaning

towards Van Bosse. I think either way, you will be in good hands. Just FYI,

Dr. Feldman does not accept our insurance either. But he will bill the

insurance and just accept whatever they pay him. (I believe they cover 80% or

so.) His office has been really nice about the financial situation and he told

me straight out to not worry, that we will never be sent to collections.

Whatever we can manage is fine with him. So far, we have never paid out of

pocket.

The way we picked Dr. Feldman in the first place....well, I looked on the list

of certified docs in NYC, and I liked the fact that he is at NYU and he is the

CHIEF of pediatric orthopedic surgery. There was also another family who goes

to him who had this really great website describing their clubfoot journey, and

it seems like all turned out well for the little girl, so that was nice to read.

And like I said before, when we got there and the other little baby in the

waiting room was the son of a neurosurgeon, I figured, if a neurosurgeon brings

his son to Feldman, this guy must be good. (We are now very good friends with

that family and have spent many a time at each other's homes and at parties

together. Funny how little crooked feet bring people together!!)

I kept going back and forth on how I felt about Feldman's personality and

manner (I never doubted his skill or professionalism, though), NOW we just love

him. He really connects with and plays with him before and during

examinations. gets REALLY upset whenever he sees a doctor or anyone in a

" white coat " but with Feldman, he is really good. (It helps that he doesn't

wear a white coat...)

Anyway, whether you choose Feldman or Van Bosse, your baby will be well cared

for. Let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck with everything!

mom to (12/15/04, rt CF, FAB nights only)

Posted by: " babywithclubfoot " jennifersmatthews@...

babywithclubfoot Wed Jul 5, 2006 1:08 pm (PST) ,

Thank you for the information. I would love to know how you picked

Dr. Feldman in the first place??? I am so nervous...it seems that

there are quite a few docs in nyc, none of which take my insurance

and Dr. Feldman's office is the only one willing to work something

out with us. We are also considering Dr. Mack in Springfield, MA but

still have not been able to get information on him.....

Any more info would be great. Thank you again so much.

>

> Hi,

>

> We take our son to Dr. Feldman. We started off with a non-

Ponseti doc and then switched over to Dr. Feldman when my son was 2

months old.

>

> We are very happy with Dr. Feldman. He's not exactly the hand-

holding type, but he is excellent at what he does. One of the main

reasons we decided to stick with him after our first time meeting

with him was because we met another little baby and his parents in

the waiting room and the father of that baby is a neurosurgeon. He

said that all the research he did and all the docs he spoke with

pointed to Dr. Feldman. We are so happy that we decided to stay

with Feldman. Our son recently had spinal surgery and we don't know

what we would have done had we ended up with another ortho. Feldman

was a huge advocate for our son while in the hospital and always

tries to play with him before doing an exam when we go for our

follow-ups.

>

> Anyway, let me know if you have any questions. I'd be more than

happy to help in any way I can!

>

> Best,

>

> mom to (12/15/04, Right CF, FAB nights only)

>

> ---------------------------------

> Do you Yahoo!?

> Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

>

July 13, 2006

,

I'm sorry I just saw your post and we have been out of town for a while.

Dr. Mack is wonderful! I took my 10 month old to him with bilateral clubfoot

after two doctors recommended complicated surgery to correct his clubfeet.

Dr. Ponseti gave him a good recommendation and so we made an

appointment. After six casts and a tenotomy my son's feet are perfect. He's 2.5

now and still wearing the boots and bar at night.

Shriner's pays for everything and Dr. Mack is doing research on his clubfoot

babies, so they want to follow until he's 16. Everyone at Shriner's is

wonderful and when we need new shoes or a bar I just call and they mail

them to me free of charge. I would highly recommend Dr. Mack, he's very

good and he communicates with Dr. Ponseti on a regular basis.

Also, if you live far enough away that you need to fly on Angel flights,

Shriner's

will send a van to pick you up at the airport. They also give the kids presents

for different occasions when you have an appointment during a holiday or

near their birthday.

and bilateral cf dbb 14/7

We are also considering Dr. Mack in Springfield, MA but

> still have not been able to get information on him.....

>

> Any more info would be great. Thank you again so much.

>

> >

> > Hi,

> >

> > We take our son to Dr. Feldman. We started off with a non-

> Ponseti doc and then switched over to Dr. Feldman when my son was 2

> months old.

> >

> > We are very happy with Dr. Feldman. He's not exactly the hand-

> holding type, but he is excellent at what he does. One of the main

> reasons we decided to stick with him after our first time meeting

> with him was because we met another little baby and his parents in

> the waiting room and the father of that baby is a neurosurgeon. He

> said that all the research he did and all the docs he spoke with

> pointed to Dr. Feldman. We are so happy that we decided to stay

> with Feldman. Our son recently had spinal surgery and we don't know

> what we would have done had we ended up with another ortho. Feldman

> was a huge advocate for our son while in the hospital and always

> tries to play with him before doing an exam when we go for our

> follow-ups.

> >

> > Anyway, let me know if you have any questions. I'd be more than

> happy to help in any way I can!

> >

> > Best,

> >

> > mom to (12/15/04, Right CF, FAB nights only)

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Do you Yahoo!?

> > Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

> >

July 13, 2006

Hi Kim,

Shriner's hospitals are located all around the country, although not

all of them have Ponseti qualified physicians so you do have to pick

and choose. But Shriner's Hospitals are pediatric hospitals (mostly

orthopaedics) that provide free care for children up to age 18. There

is no income requirement and no Shriner sponsorship necessary. You

simply call the Shrine you are wanting to go to and they'll have you

fill out an application - most of the time this can be done over the

phone or online even. Look for them at

http://www.shriners.com/Hospitals/_Hospitals_for_Children/

In a lot of cases they will even provide transportation and housing,

or assist with those expenses.

If you let us know what area of the country you are in we can probably

point you to the nearest shrine with a Ponseti qualified doctor.

HTH,

> > >

> > > Hi,

> > >

> > > We take our son to Dr. Feldman. We started off with a non-

> > Ponseti doc and then switched over to Dr. Feldman when my son was 2

> > months old.

> > >

> > > We are very happy with Dr. Feldman. He's not exactly the hand-

> > holding type, but he is excellent at what he does. One of the main

> > reasons we decided to stick with him after our first time meeting

> > with him was because we met another little baby and his parents in

> > the waiting room and the father of that baby is a neurosurgeon. He

> > said that all the research he did and all the docs he spoke with

> > pointed to Dr. Feldman. We are so happy that we decided to stay

> > with Feldman. Our son recently had spinal surgery and we don't know

> > what we would have done had we ended up with another ortho. Feldman

> > was a huge advocate for our son while in the hospital and always

> > tries to play with him before doing an exam when we go for our

> > follow-ups.

> > >

> > > Anyway, let me know if you have any questions. I'd be more than

> > happy to help in any way I can!

> > >

> > > Best,

> > >

> > > mom to (12/15/04, Right CF, FAB nights only)

> > >

> > > ---------------------------------

> > > Do you Yahoo!?

> > > Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

> > >

July 14, 2006

,

Here's a link to their website http://www.shrinershq.org/Hospitals/Springfield/

You just call them and tell them you want to make an appointment with Dr.

Mack and only Dr. Mack, he's the Ponseti doctor there and you don't want any

of the other doctors. They will transfer you to someone who will take down

your information, make an appointment for you and send you the paperwork

you need to fill out. Don't worry, they will take anybody, you just need to fill

out

their paperwork. They will ask you for your insurance information, but they

have never charged us for a SINGLE thing. The shoes, bar and even a

prescription for pain medication after my son's tenotomy are completely free!

Dr. Ponseti told me he knew Dr. Mack and recommended him. Dr. Mack has

told me he communicates regularly with Dr. Ponseti when he has questions.

Most of the time you'll see Dr. Mack's assistant, , except for the

initial

visit and any surgeries you'll need. is very good and did most of my

son's casts. But any questions I had he went straight to Dr. Mack for answers.

I have not had Dr. Mack or deviate from the Ponseti method at all

except to reduce the hours in his shoes from 23 to 14, which I know other

Ponseti doctors also do. They also take x-rays, but that's mostly for their own

research.

It is not hard to get in, but it did take me a month to get an appointment. They

are very busy there and they are a small hospital, which makes going there

nice. The wait in the waiting room can sometimes be long, but they have a

huge waiting room full of toys, so that's not a problem. They are very warm

and accomodating also. If you live far away like we do, they will let you

basically show up on the day of your appointment at any time.

There is a nice cafeteria there where you can get food any time of day and a

huge parking lot so parking is not a problem. They are also easy to get to from

all the nearby major highways. If you do see him let me know what you think.

You can tell him I recommended him, though with all the patients he sees he

may not know me by name. He might remember better. Good luck and

let me know what you decide.

and bilateral cf dbb 14/7

P.S. My husband didn't meet Dr. Mack until after 's feet had been

corrected and he went for his regular check-up. After he met Dr. Mack he had

tears in his eyes and he told me he just wanted to shake the hand of the

doctor who'd been able to do such an incredible job with 's feet. We had

been to two doctors previously who both recommended major surgery and

until Dr. Mack we were very discouraged. I can't say enough good things

about him and Shriner's.