Re: Dr. Boachie

[Guest guest]

Hi Pearl,

I had Dr. Boachie do my revision surgery. I had anterior/posterior revision

surgery 3 years ago. In the past on this site if anyone has ever asked about

Dr. Boachie, all you hear are praises which he desearves. I highly recommend

him and his staff at Hospital for Special Surgery. My first 2 surgeries were

at a Long Island Hospital and it was a nightmare. I have never met such a

warm and caring doctor. As far as his staff goes, they are tops. For your

information, People Magazine did an article about him. It is in the 9/30/02

issue. You should definately read it.

Good luck. I hope this helped.

Kathy

[Guest guest]

Pearl, I've heard nothing but good things (with the exception of a not too

friendly nurse). The hosp. is also one of the top in the field of ortho. You

will be on your own with fighting for the insurance company to approve the

surgery since the doc is a nonparticipating surgeon; however, I understand he

accepts the insurance payment as payment in full if it is a decent amount. You

just have to make sure Boachie's office knows how much they'd receive prior to

surgery. After one easy appeal, my insurance (Anthem of VA) has approved the

surgery. All I had to do was submit my records from the other two back surgeons

I consulted as well as the records from the physiatrist and PT from the pain

clinic I attend.

I'm probably having my revision surgery with Boachie. Hope this helps! Judy

Re: Dr. Polly

Yes it was revision surgery and I live about 400 miles from the

Cities, I couldn't find anyone closer who would even look at me, much

less take the time to try and fix the problem. The ride home was not

easy but the nurses made sure that I had taken pain medication in

advance and sent extra with my parents so that when I did wake up

they could give me more. They also had very good instructions on

what we should do on the ride home so that I would be more

comfortable. They have an entire wing in the hospital dedicated to

the spine surgery patients and the nurses are specially trained to

deal with us and are, in my opinion, much more understanding than the

nurses I dealt with in previous surgeries where I was mixed in with

other patients. After my surgery in the Cities one of the nurses

stayed several hours later one evening when I was having

complications, he had been there with me through the worst and just

decided he wanted to sit with me so that I wouldn't be alone that

evening. I don't know that I have ever heard of a nurse taking time

of their own to spend with a patient.

> >

> > > I'm referencing a message from Racine back in September

> that said Dr.

> > > Polly will be retiring from the military and going into

private

> practice. Does

> > > anyone know how he can be contacted and whether he's retired

from

> military

> > > yet? Thanks, Judy

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Pearl

My wife and I visited Dr. Boachie in October 2003. 45 minute visit.

My wife picked him for a second consultation after much searching and many

recommendations to Dr. B.

My wife has a harrington rod, but her L1 to L4 are not fused but they are

showing degeneration. Potential for fusing this section in the future.

Anyway. Dr. B. was highly recommended. Apparently, the Hosp. for Special Surgery

is second to the Mayo Clinic (a hair line difference for technical ability, but

the Mayo has a way higher death rate cause the 'trouble' cases go the the Mayo).

best wishes for 04.

j

Pearl Fleischmann <pfleisch@...> wrote:

I am considering having my first scoliosis surgery with Dr. Boachie who is

at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. I have disk protrusion,

arthritic degeneration and double major curves with fusion needed to the

pelvis.Has anyone had any good or bad experiences with the Hospital for

Special Surgery or with Dr. Boachie?

Pearl

Scoliosis Treatment@yaho

ogroups.com

Scoliosis Treatment

cc:

12/25/2003 03:00 AM Subject:

Digest Number 882

Please respond to

Scoliosis Treatment

There are 5 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Re: Dr. Polly

From: " denisev569 " <denisev569@...>

2. First Message. Preventive Habits

From: " ampra79 " <ampra79@...>

3. preparing for scoliosis surgery webpage

From: l5pine@...

4. Re: preparing for scoliosis surgery webpage

From: Racine <lindaracine@...>

5. Re: First Message. Preventive Habits

From: Racine <lindaracine@...>

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1

Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 16:21:02 -0000

From: " denisev569 " <denisev569@...>

Subject: Re: Dr. Polly

Yes it was revision surgery and I live about 400 miles from the

Cities, I couldn't find anyone closer who would even look at me, much

less take the time to try and fix the problem. The ride home was not

easy but the nurses made sure that I had taken pain medication in

advance and sent extra with my parents so that when I did wake up

they could give me more. They also had very good instructions on

what we should do on the ride home so that I would be more

comfortable. They have an entire wing in the hospital dedicated to

the spine surgery patients and the nurses are specially trained to

deal with us and are, in my opinion, much more understanding than the

nurses I dealt with in previous surgeries where I was mixed in with

other patients. After my surgery in the Cities one of the nurses

stayed several hours later one evening when I was having

complications, he had been there with me through the worst and just

decided he wanted to sit with me so that I wouldn't be alone that

evening. I don't know that I have ever heard of a nurse taking time

of their own to spend with a patient.

> >

> > > I'm referencing a message from Racine back in September

> that said Dr.

> > > Polly will be retiring from the military and going into

private

> practice. Does

> > > anyone know how he can be contacted and whether he's retired

from

> military

> > > yet? Thanks, Judy

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I am not sure how much you have read so far but alot of people talk highly of

him. I also live in Virginia and have not had revision surgery yet but I am

planning on it. I am going to see Dr Lauerman he is also a well known surgeon

(not as well known as Dr Boachie) but he is at town University in D.C.

If you would like his number I can give it to you? Did he have the titanuim

rod? Who did his surgery if you don't mind me asking?

KnightonND@... wrote:

I have been reading the recent accolatdes about Dr. Boachie and wonder

if an

appointment with him would be of benefit to my son who has had 2 surgeries for

scoliosis.

One at the age of 16 with a T11 - L3 anterior rod implant which was

successful for 4 years then he began having severe pain. (He was 20.)

It was determined that he had a failed fusion and revision posterior surgery

was done T4 - L4 to refuse the lower vertebrae and also correct his upper

curve which had increased 10 degrees in the previous 6 months.

Sadly, the pain issue wasn't resolved with the surgery and he is on methadone

to control it. He is 22, in pain and becoming increasingly despondent over

it all.

I would appreciate your thoughts on whether an appt with Dr. Boachie would be

helpful and, if so, how to contact his office to set that up.

We are desparate for some resolution. Thank you, in VA

**************************************

See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I somehow missed your post about the trouble your son is having. Have you

gotten the contact information for Dr Boachie? If not, let me know and I will

get it for you. I've only had one appt with him because my insurance expired

(cobra ran out) before I could finish my preop workup. He is wonderful and I

know it would be worth having him tell you what he could do to help your son. He

has the reputation for fixing the hard cases. When he saw me I was pretty much

at my wits end. He was very low key, reserved. I guess I expected someone who

was going to come in hugging and patting me and telling me everything was going

to be AOK. I had him built up in my mind as a super hero because of the

wonderful things I had read about him. He is such a nice man, but he let me know

from the start that it would not be easy for me to have surgery in NYC when I

live in SC. We had been through that once. I would do it again.

I am sorry your son is suffering so much. It has to be especially difficult at

such a young age. He will be in my prayers.

Please keep us updated.

Bea

Streeff <astreeff@...> wrote:

Hi ,

I am not sure how much you have read so far but alot of people talk highly of

him. I also live in Virginia and have not had revision surgery yet but I am

planning on it. I am going to see Dr Lauerman he is also a well known surgeon

(not as well known as Dr Boachie) but he is at town University in D.C.

If you would like his number I can give it to you? Did he have the titanuim rod?

Who did his surgery if you don't mind me asking?

KnightonND@... wrote:

I have been reading the recent accolatdes about Dr. Boachie and wonder if an

appointment with him would be of benefit to my son who has had 2 surgeries for

scoliosis.

One at the age of 16 with a T11 - L3 anterior rod implant which was

successful for 4 years then he began having severe pain. (He was 20.)

It was determined that he had a failed fusion and revision posterior surgery

was done T4 - L4 to refuse the lower vertebrae and also correct his upper

curve which had increased 10 degrees in the previous 6 months.

Sadly, the pain issue wasn't resolved with the surgery and he is on methadone

to control it. He is 22, in pain and becoming increasingly despondent over

it all.

I would appreciate your thoughts on whether an appt with Dr. Boachie would be

helpful and, if so, how to contact his office to set that up.

We are desparate for some resolution. Thank you, in VA

**************************************

See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

Hi Feisties,

I can not remember what TV channel I was watching, could have been TLC,

Discovery Health or one of those other education-types...anyway, there was a

story on Dr. Boachie, about the work that he and a team of Ortho and Neuro

surgeons do overseas (can't remember what country but it was one of those

third-world places where there are very few docs, let alone the caliber of Dr.

Boachi. They send a team of nurses & doctors over there are screen children

whose parents have no money and no medical resources in their villages. Some of

the families and children traveled hundreds of miles just for the chance to have

their spines operated on by Dr. Boachi. He can only do a certain number of cases

per trip as all the services are free of charge. They also interviewed a few of

the kids, some of whom had some of the most horrific cases of scoliosis,

kyphosis, etc. that I had ever seen. The parents leave the children at the

hospital for several months for the surgery and subsequent P.T.

and recovery. The children's stories had my husband and I in tears...we

realized how blessed we are that I have been able to have all of the surgeries I

have gone through rather than suffer witht the pain and physical deformities

that these children and their families do.

If I ever see this program scheduled again, I will let you all know. It was

quite an amazing program and even though I have never been a patient of Dr.

Boachi, after seeing the incredible work he does and hearing him talk about his

dedication to these children, he certainly gained my deepest respect.

All the best,

Beth

---------------------------------

8:00? 8:25? 8:40? Find a flick in no time

with the Search movie showtime shortcut.

[Guest guest]

Dear Beth,

Dr. Boachie operates in Ghana where he was born. He was befriended by an

American doctor as a boy and it changed his life. Now he is paying back. He

operates twice a year (again in May) and teaches other doctors with him his

techniques. Seeing a young child with a curve of 150 is eye opening. The

program is on Discovery Health Channel under Surgeries That Save My Life and it

repeats regularly. You should be able to look it up online. The team is called

Focus and they take needed medical supplies that are donated by Americans.

Our scoliosis support group leader is an R.N. and goes with him. She says

although she can't communicate in words because of the language barrier,

communication is achieved in other ways.

What a humanitarian. As well as the best in the US. Jolene

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

Dr. Boachie sounds like a saint and miracle worker. Please let all of us

know if and when this program is replayed. It would be a pleasure to see

firsthand what he does and learn what we can about him as a doctor who actually

changes lives. Thanks.

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

I feel absoltuely blessed to be living in an area where I can actually reach

out to this amazing man. I can't thank all of you enough for sharing this

information which could help so many of us with our individual scoliosis

traumas. As I have said so many times...this forum is filled with angels.

Carol Cap

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for filling the mental blamks I had about this wonderful doctor! I know

that memory lapses are common in folks of a certain age, be it hormones,

menopause, whatever. My husband and I are also beginning to think that living in

the same house with a 93y/o with senile dementia is contagious!! Maybe not a

serious medical condition but certainly quite frustrating!!

Best to all,

Beth

---------------------------------

Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate

in the Answers Food & Drink Q & A.

[Guest guest]

I'm glad you found someone and that Dr. Boachie seems to understand your situation. It is always a relief when the doctor "gets it". If you have any questions on Dr. Hey, don't hesitate to ask. There's me, Gross and Betty Asbury although Betty hasn't had her surgery yet. There is also another woman in SC but I can never remember her name - sorry!

Peggy

[ ] Dr. Boachie

I just got back from a consult with Dr. Boachie in NYC. I didn't write in and put in on the forum's calender. I was the 1st appointment of the day and I brought my own X-rays. He spent close to an hour with me and as everyone who has had experience with him has said, he was great. I first spoke with an intern who did preliminary tests and took some bio info and drew lots of lines and angles on my x-rays. Dr. B. came in and they/we discussed what was wrong, what had to be fixed and the desired outcome. He proposed the sme type of surgery I expected but he stressed the importance of restoring my balance and corrrecting my pelvic tilt. That is, as opposed to just fixing the oringinal fusion. I know that it might be all the same thing but I felt like he "got it." I had such frustating memories of trying to explain my discomfort and pain to my oringinal surgeon after surgery and he would offer to "fix" it with the revision. And given the fact that he didn't calculate correctly when he did my original fusion, resulting in my flatback, I felt Dr. Boachie was working witn my individual situation and not a textbook case, if you know what I mean. The bad news is that Dr. B.'s calender is very full resluting in a sugery date not earlier than Feb. 2008.I still plan to see Dr. Hey. I haven't made an appoint. yet but from what I've been reading on the posts here, I'm planning to like him very much, too. Will let you know how that goes and try to be more up to date. God Bless-Jeanie

[Guest guest]

Jeanie,

Glad to hear you had a good opinion with DrBoachie ..he does inspire

confidence doesn't he?

When I had my consult with him I also had a fellow come in and do all

the drawing of angles on the charts. I always thought it was funny

that I never saw DrRand draw anything on my xrays...I should ask him

why not, since I recall that during my original surgery each checkup

was filled with those types of measurments too.

Speaking of DrRand...I recall in an earlier post you said you were

going to see him too, have you decided to stick with the other 3 you

have mentioned? At least while you are travelling around you will not

only find the surgeon you feel best about but also have the benefit

of comparing just exactly what they will do.

When DrB speaks of restoring pelvic tilt, how does he do that other

than by rebalancing the spine, or work in the old fusion? Or did you

just mean that he might actually work on other levels not already

fused?

It is a huge decision...but fortunately you have time. Will you start

trying to tentatively set a date for this winter or will you wait to

see DrHey (which is when???)?

Take Care, Cam

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeanie,

I am one of Dr. Boachie's patients. I am 10 weeks post-op and I was

very pleased with him and his entire staff. I'm happy to answer any

questions you may have. Best wishes.

Ann Marie

>

> I just got back from a consult with Dr. Boachie in NYC. I didn't

> write in and put in on the forum's calender. I was the 1st

> appointment of the day and I brought my own X-rays. He spent close

> to an hour with me and as everyone who has had experience with him

> has said, he was great. I first spoke with an intern who did

> preliminary tests and took some bio info and drew lots of lines and

> angles on my x-rays. Dr. B. came in and they/we discussed what was

> wrong, what had to be fixed and the desired outcome. He proposed

> the sme type of surgery I expected but he stressed the importance

of

> restoring my balance and corrrecting my pelvic tilt. That is, as

> opposed to just fixing the oringinal fusion. I know that it might

> be all the same thing but I felt like he " got it. " I had such

> frustating memories of trying to explain my discomfort and pain to

> my oringinal surgeon after surgery and he would offer to " fix " it

> with the revision. And given the fact that he didn't calculate

> correctly when he did my original fusion, resulting in my flatback,

> I felt Dr. Boachie was working witn my individual situation and not

> a textbook case, if you know what I mean. The bad news is that Dr.

> B.'s calender is very full resluting in a sugery date not earlier

> than Feb. 2008.

> I still plan to see Dr. Hey. I haven't made an appoint. yet but

> from what I've been reading on the posts here, I'm planning to like

> him very much, too.

> Will let you know how that goes and try to be more up to date.

> God Bless-Jeanie

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeanie,

I just saw Dr. Hey on the 10th of this month and after seeing several physicians prior, Dr. Hey was like a godsend. He spent lots of time with me and explained everything completely. I also felt like he 'got it', and that I was a patient, not just a case. I will have my surgery in January for flatback with extension of my fusion to T-3. Let me know if I can answer any questions for you. Peggy Green and G are also patients of his. I saw Peggy the day of my visit. She was having her 3-month ckeck-up. Betty Asbury

[ ] Dr. Boachie

I just got back from a consult with Dr. Boachie in NYC. I didn't write in and put in on the forum's calender. I was the 1st appointment of the day and I brought my own X-rays. He spent close to an hour with me and as everyone who has had experience with him has said, he was great. I first spoke with an intern who did preliminary tests and took some bio info and drew lots of lines and angles on my x-rays. Dr. B. came in and they/we discussed what was wrong, what had to be fixed and the desired outcome. He proposed the sme type of surgery I expected but he stressed the importance of restoring my balance and corrrecting my pelvic tilt. That is, as opposed to just fixing the oringinal fusion. I know that it might be all the same thing but I felt like he "got it." I had such frustating memories of trying to explain my discomfort and pain to my oringinal surgeon after surgery and he would offer to "fix" it

with the revision. And given the fact that he didn't calculate correctly when he did my original fusion, resulting in my flatback, I felt Dr. Boachie was working witn my individual situation and not a textbook case, if you know what I mean. The bad news is that Dr. B.'s calender is very full resluting in a sugery date not earlier than Feb. 2008.I still plan to see Dr. Hey. I haven't made an appoint. yet but from what I've been reading on the posts here, I'm planning to like him very much, too. Will let you know how that goes and try to be more up to date. God Bless-Jeanie

Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Travel.

[Guest guest]

Jeanie,

Congrats on your decision to go ahead with having surgery this year.

It's not an easy decision, but you sound like you are comfortable

with your choice to try to better your pain and quality of life! I

think many of us have moved ahead with revision for that same

reasons, though some also may choose to get the surgery done with

before things reach that point.

I think you are in a wonderful position that you have found two very

competent surgeons that you are equally comfortable with. Are their

surgical approaches to your revision the same or very similar? In

other words, do they both propose a posterior-only, or perhaps both

propose an a/p staged surgery? Do they both plan on using similar

techniques as far as number & placement of osteotomies, removal of

old instrumentation, and placement of new hardware? These might be

factors that could influence your decision about whether to go with

Dr. Hey or Dr. Boachie, as well as post-operative plans such as in-

patient rehab versus going directly home (all of which can change in

a moment's notice depending on your specific outcome).

If their approaches don't differ very much, then I think it may just

come down to which location would be better suited to your needs - if

these are important to you: which one can allow more access to

friends/family for support, which one can accomodate a spouse to stay

with you if wanted, etc. And of course, as you also stated, the

financial aspects are incredibly important too. I am not familiar

with Dr. Boachie's handling of insurance so I can't help you there,

but I DO understand your frustrations of wanting to know about these

things before getting too far into it. It drove me batty that my

hospital had not received official pre-approval for my surgery until

a few days before my revision. I think it's promising that you had

such a positive comment about your specific insurance from one

surgeon's office. I had incredible coverage with my revision this

past year - after the surgeries & 4weeks of in-patient rehab, I only

had to pay a $100 co-pay on my $600,000 pre-insurance total.

Good luck with everything! Have you set more of a timeline for when

you'd like to schedule your surgery - early, mid, or late 2008?

>

> Hi and Happy New Year to all- I've decided that this is the year I

> have the revision surgery. I am so much pain and I don't want to

> increase my meds anymore. I've narrowed it down to Dr. Boachie and

> Dr. Hey. I live in VA so they are equi-distant, pretty much. I

have

> seen both and like them both and feel either would do a very good

> job. I am a former New Yorker and have a lot of friends and family

> there. But then again, I highly respect the reputation of Duke U. I

> don't want to let the cost of this whole thing be a deciding factor

> but DR. Hey does take our insurance. The financial rep. at Dr.

> Boachie's office said, " We will work with you as far as insurance

> goes. " She also said that the insurance we have- BC/BS-(Federal

> employee) is one of the best as far as paying goes. Is there any

way

> to know ahead of time a ball park of what Dr. Boachie's office will

> be charging after all is said and done? I just feel so

uncomfortable

> not having any idea.

> If any one of Dr. Boachie's patients can help me out here, I would

be

> very grateful.

> Oh, by the way, I ruptured my bicep tendon/muscle on Dec.10th so

now

> I am having surgery on Jan 11th to re-attach that and then will be

> rehabbing my arm/shoulder before I can set a date for the revision

> surgery. That was rotten luck.

> Thanks and God bless,

> Jeanie

>

[Guest guest]

-Dear -

Thank-you so much for your quick and very compassionate as well as

informative reply. It helps so much to have surgery vets like you to

coach us along the way. I have compared the surgical approaches and

both docs have basically the same procedures in mind for me. (Mostly

all the questions I knew to ask came from you and other members of

this site-what a blessing!) Seeing as I now have to endure this

shoulder surgery and rehab 1st as the longer I let that go the more

chance the bicep tendon will retract and be harder to re-attach, I

will have more time to decide on which dr. and which venue - is more

time actually a good thing? haha. I do have to firm up the post op

plans with both docs a little more. Dr. Boachie is better for that

as I do have many friends and family in NY if I want to go back for

more appointments to discuss all the details I forgot the 1st time.

Going to NC would be for the sole pupose of seeing Dr. Hey. I just

wish I could feel more settled on the cost issue. That is so terrific

that your cost was so low - I'm sure its on this site but what dr.

did your surgery? But more important is that you were so happy with

the outcome of your surgery. I am floored by the pre- and post- op

pix of the patients of both docs I see posted. Those pix are

definitely encouraging me to go ahead with this asap.

Thanks again- I'll try to keep you and and this site posted on my

decisions and progress- maybe it will help some other " flatback "

patients out there like you have helped me.

God bless,

Jeanie

-- In , " rebeccamaas "

<rebeccamaas@...> wrote:

>

> Jeanie,

> Congrats on your decision to go ahead with having surgery this

year.

> It's not an easy decision, but you sound like you are comfortable

> with your choice to try to better your pain and quality of life! I

> think many of us have moved ahead with revision for that same

> reasons, though some also may choose to get the surgery done with

> before things reach that point.

> I think you are in a wonderful position that you have found two

very

> competent surgeons that you are equally comfortable with. Are

their

> surgical approaches to your revision the same or very similar? In

> other words, do they both propose a posterior-only, or perhaps both

> propose an a/p staged surgery? Do they both plan on using similar

> techniques as far as number & placement of osteotomies, removal of

> old instrumentation, and placement of new hardware? These might be

> factors that could influence your decision about whether to go with

> Dr. Hey or Dr. Boachie, as well as post-operative plans such as in-

> patient rehab versus going directly home (all of which can change

in

> a moment's notice depending on your specific outcome).

> If their approaches don't differ very much, then I think it may

just

> come down to which location would be better suited to your needs -

if

> these are important to you: which one can allow more access to

> friends/family for support, which one can accomodate a spouse to

stay

> with you if wanted, etc. And of course, as you also stated, the

> financial aspects are incredibly important too. I am not familiar

> with Dr. Boachie's handling of insurance so I can't help you there,

> but I DO understand your frustrations of wanting to know about

these

> things before getting too far into it. It drove me batty that my

> hospital had not received official pre-approval for my surgery

until

> a few days before my revision. I think it's promising that you had

> such a positive comment about your specific insurance from one

> surgeon's office. I had incredible coverage with my revision this

> past year - after the surgeries & 4weeks of in-patient rehab, I

only

> had to pay a $100 co-pay on my $600,000 pre-insurance total.

> Good luck with everything! Have you set more of a timeline for

when

> you'd like to schedule your surgery - early, mid, or late 2008?

>

>

>

> >

> > Hi and Happy New Year to all- I've decided that this is the year

I

> > have the revision surgery. I am so much pain and I don't want to

> > increase my meds anymore. I've narrowed it down to Dr. Boachie

and

> > Dr. Hey. I live in VA so they are equi-distant, pretty much. I

> have

> > seen both and like them both and feel either would do a very good

> > job. I am a former New Yorker and have a lot of friends and

family

> > there. But then again, I highly respect the reputation of Duke U.

I

> > don't want to let the cost of this whole thing be a deciding

factor

> > but DR. Hey does take our insurance. The financial rep. at Dr.

> > Boachie's office said, " We will work with you as far as insurance

> > goes. " She also said that the insurance we have- BC/BS-(Federal

> > employee) is one of the best as far as paying goes. Is there any

> way

> > to know ahead of time a ball park of what Dr. Boachie's office

will

> > be charging after all is said and done? I just feel so

> uncomfortable

> > not having any idea.

> > If any one of Dr. Boachie's patients can help me out here, I

would

> be

> > very grateful.

> > Oh, by the way, I ruptured my bicep tendon/muscle on Dec.10th so

> now

> > I am having surgery on Jan 11th to re-attach that and then will

be

> > rehabbing my arm/shoulder before I can set a date for the

revision

> > surgery. That was rotten luck.

> > Thanks and God bless,

> > Jeanie

> >

>

[Guest guest]

FYI - Camille is correct. As of 2008 Dr. Boachie will no longer accept

private insurance or Medicare. The patient will need to pay out of

pocket and submit statements to her/his insurance company and/or

Medicare for reimbursement.

My guess is that Dr. Boachie is becoming the president of the

Scoliosis Research Society this year, which is extremely

time-consuming, and he wants to decrease his practice. I could be

wrong - it's just a guess - and a bummer.

Best Wishes,

Andy

>

> Hi, Camille --

>

> It's good to hear from you. I can identify with some of the feelngs

> you expressed. I am one of those people who did not have revision

> surgery until I felt totally pushed to the wall. I had progressed to

> the most severe deformity, could barely get through the day, and

> felt my quality of life was zero - I did not know how I could go on

> without the surgery.

[Guest guest]

Andy,

I've heard such wonderful things about the skills of Dr Boachie. But

out of curiousity, how on earth do they expect someone to pay upfront

for a surgery of this magnitude? My surgery this summer was a two-

stage a/p procedure, which included two weeks in the regular hospital

and 4 weeks in a rehab hospital. My total pre-insurance bill for

this was about $600,000. There is NO possible way that I could have

paid for that out of pocket first, then waited and hoped to be

reimbursed. Even if the surgery was " only " costing $100,000, I do

not know too many people who could front that kind of cost. That's

sad to think that many people in need of a highly qualified doctor

may not be able to use this surgeon anymore if this poses too much of

a financial burden. Hopefully someone could submit the claims to

their insurance company without having to pay upfront first.

>

> FYI - Camille is correct. As of 2008 Dr. Boachie will no longer

accept

> private insurance or Medicare. The patient will need to pay out of

> pocket and submit statements to her/his insurance company and/or

> Medicare for reimbursement.

>

> My guess is that Dr. Boachie is becoming the president of the

> Scoliosis Research Society this year, which is extremely

> time-consuming, and he wants to decrease his practice. I could be

> wrong - it's just a guess - and a bummer.

>

> Best Wishes,

> Andy

> >

> > Hi, Camille --

> >

> > It's good to hear from you. I can identify with some of the

feelngs

> > you expressed. I am one of those people who did not have revision

> > surgery until I felt totally pushed to the wall. I had progressed

to

> > the most severe deformity, could barely get through the day, and

> > felt my quality of life was zero - I did not know how I could go

on

> > without the surgery.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I’m with you – I have no idea

how anyone, except the super-wealthy, can afford to pay out-of-pocket for

scoliosis or revision surgery.

My guess is that patients will be able to

arrange a payment plan, and a receipt for each payment will be made available

so that the patient can submit it to her/his insurance carriers.

As you say, maybe there’s a way to

have insurance companies pre-authorize payment – but the patient would

still have to lay it out, I think.

For more info, you might want to contact

Lindy in Dr. Boachie’s office: 212.606.1948 (ext 2).

Andy

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of rebeccamaas

Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008

11:01 AM

To:

Subject: Re: Dr.

Boachie

Andy,

I've heard such wonderful things about the skills of Dr Boachie. But

out of curiousity, how on earth do they expect someone to pay upfront

for a surgery of this magnitude? My surgery this summer was a two-

stage a/p procedure, which included two weeks in the regular hospital

and 4 weeks in a rehab hospital. My total pre-insurance bill for

this was about $600,000.

..

[Guest guest]

Andy --

Thanks for the clarification. " A bummer " is right. I am wondering if

anyone has confronted him personally on this issue? Is it just me,

or is this, to say the least, rather questionable PR?

I think we may want to include a reservation or qualification with

any future recommendation of this surgeon, summarizing his unusual

billing policy upfront.

He seems kind of young to be trying to retire from the clinical to

the political (SRS) arena, but I guess that's his prerogative. What

a loss to the " flatback-patient demographic. "

>

> FYI - Camille is correct. As of 2008 Dr. Boachie will no longer

accept

> private insurance or Medicare. The patient will need to pay out of

> pocket and submit statements to her/his insurance company and/or

> Medicare for reimbursement.

>

> My guess is that Dr. Boachie is becoming the president of the

> Scoliosis Research Society this year, which is extremely

> time-consuming, and he wants to decrease his practice. I could be

> wrong - it's just a guess - and a bummer.

>

> Best Wishes,

> Andy

> >

> > Hi, Camille --

> >

> > It's good to hear from you. I can identify with some of the

feelngs

> > you expressed. I am one of those people who did not have

revision

> > surgery until I felt totally pushed to the wall. I had

progressed to

> > the most severe deformity, could barely get through the day, and

> > felt my quality of life was zero - I did not know how I could go

on

> > without the surgery.

>

[Guest guest]

take me off this list! good luck to you.

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Be a better friend, newshound, and

know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

http://mobile./;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

[Guest guest]

Ditto -- me three. An incredible policy indeed. I want to

write " unthinkable, " except that it has apparently been thought and

done.

The weird thing is, I was already hearing rumors of this several

years ago. That's when people first started posting (or at least

emailing me) about Dr. Boachie's purported insistence on upfront

payment and refusal to bill insurance. I could not believe it, and I

hardly can believe it now, except that I clearly have it on

impeccable authority.

I wonder if this applies to all patients without exception?

Presumably it does, except that many doctors seem to have preferred

insurance carriers and others that are in the doctors' doghouse, so

to speak.

I will not call Lindy since I am not currently in the market for

surgery (thank heavens), but I would welcome any further reports.

I am remembering that we used to recommend one particular surgeon

who later proved to have highly questionable outcomes. Apart from

the issue of dubious surgical skill or know-how, however, I remember

being outraged, early on, when I first learned that this surgeon

flatly refused to take Medicare. But if I thought THAT was

outrageous . . .

Sadly,

, " Andy Stanton "

<andystanton@...> wrote:

>

> Hi ,

>

>

>

> I'm with you - I have no idea how anyone, except the super-

wealthy, can

> afford to pay out-of-pocket for scoliosis or revision surgery.

>

>

>

> My guess is that patients will be able to arrange a payment plan,

and a

> receipt for each payment will be made available so that the

patient can

> submit it to her/his insurance carriers.

>

>

>

> As you say, maybe there's a way to have insurance companies pre-

authorize

> payment - but the patient would still have to lay it out, I think.

>

>

>

> For more info, you might want to contact Lindy in Dr. Boachie's

office:

> 212.606.1948 (ext 2).

>

>

>

> Andy

>

>

>

> _____

>

> From:

> [mailto: ] On Behalf Of

rebeccamaas

> Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 11:01 AM

>

> Subject: Re: Dr. Boachie

>

>

>

> Andy,

> I've heard such wonderful things about the skills of Dr Boachie.

But

> out of curiousity, how on earth do they expect someone to pay

upfront

> for a surgery of this magnitude? My surgery this summer was a two-

> stage a/p procedure, which included two weeks in the regular

hospital

> and 4 weeks in a rehab hospital. My total pre-insurance bill for

> this was about $600,000.

>

> .

>

>

> <http://geo./serv?

s=97359714/grpId=1986382/grpspId=1705094709/msgId

> =14557/stime=1199901690/nc1=4763764/nc2=5008807/nc3=4718983>

>

[Guest guest]

your all nuts! take me off this list

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Be a better friend, newshound, and

know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

http://mobile./;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

[Guest guest]

A. Capobianco wrote:>> your all nuts! take me off this list

--

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[Guest guest]

It is true that Dr. Boachie does not take insurance payments upfront,

but in certain cases, if you can get the insurance company to pre-

authorize (in writing) a certain amount of the procedure then he will

agree to it. IDK if anyone has actually read any of their post-op

EOB's that the insurance company sends out, but many times the

doctors and hospitals are not even reimbursed 25% of the money that

they are owed (and I say owed because they worked for it). I do agree

that a $500 aspirin is outrageous, but to not pay the surgeon what is

due to him is outrageous.

I'm sure that by getting money that he would not normally get from

the insurance companies, he is able to go out and do his missions

work in Ghana and other things that we all know him for. I honestly

don't think that he is trying to retire into SRS, I think he is just

sick of insurance burocracy (we deal with it for months, he deals

with it for years!)

>

> FYI - Camille is correct. As of 2008 Dr. Boachie will no longer

accept

> private insurance or Medicare. The patient will need to pay out of

> pocket and submit statements to her/his insurance company and/or

> Medicare for reimbursement.

>

> My guess is that Dr. Boachie is becoming the president of the

> Scoliosis Research Society this year, which is extremely

> time-consuming, and he wants to decrease his practice. I could be

> wrong - it's just a guess - and a bummer.

>

> Best Wishes,

> Andy

> >

> > Hi, Camille --

> >

> > It's good to hear from you. I can identify with some of the

feelngs

> > you expressed. I am one of those people who did not have revision

> > surgery until I felt totally pushed to the wall. I had progressed

to

> > the most severe deformity, could barely get through the day, and

> > felt my quality of life was zero - I did not know how I could go

on

> > without the surgery.

>