Hi there

Have you asked your doctor, or even contacted a health centre that may be able to give you the info you need ?

Ginger

Hello Thec,

Welcome to the Back Pain forum.

There is a laser institute in CA that I beleive is run by a Dr Chou. That facility has a very bad reputation.

My I suggest that you pose your question on the Laser Spine Surgery thread.

RichT

Thanks Ginger1 and Ritch T
I havent ask my doctor because I was thinking he would not know, but it wouldnt hurt.
Thanks for the info Ritch T. That sounds scary. I want to ask you what you meant by Laser Spine Surgery THREAD?
Take care.

Hello Thec,

Go to the Back Pain board/forum. Scroll through until you fine the thread titled "Laser Spine Surgery". Click on it and you are there. Then post your question.

Hope this helps.

RichT

Be very cautious with Laser Spine Institute. They are owned by a group of venture capitalists who only want your money. They have numerous complaints against them and I should know because my aunt is one of them. She went in for surgery and they operated on the wrong side. She is now in a wheelchair and she is getting an attorney. She choose them after talking with one friend who recommended them and another who recommended microspine. She thought they must know what they are doing because they have this hugh center, etc. Wrong, it is all smoke and mirrors. You go in and your money is gone. If you have a bad result, like my aunt, forget them helpping you. Not going to happen and they won't return your calls. worst of all, no one will touch you afterwards. My aunt finally talked with the other center called microspine and they said they could correct the problem. They seemed to act like they get a lot of LSI's mistakes. She is going to go to that center next month so we'll see if they fix her problem. After all this I looked into the doctors at LSI. Most have questionable credentials and some claim to be board certified when they are not. I looked up the doctors at the new facility that she plans to go to and their resumes appear accurate and they have done research on the actual surgeries unlike LSI who don't have any information to back up their claims. Finally, another disgruntled person told me that Laser Spine Institute is committing Medicare fraud. They said that the doctors there are medicare providers and medicare told them that they couldn't bill cash for anything since the medicare fee for the doc covers all the services including the oprating room. So if you're a medicare patient and you want your money back, just report them to medicare for fraud and you'll eventually get something back. Be wise don't go to LSI.

I had a nightmare experience with Laser Spine Institute. Dr. Craig Wolff appeared impaired to me when he operated on my spine at LSI in February 2009. He tore my spinal cord (dura) causing spinal fluid to leak into my body cavity after operating on a level not indicated in the initial examination and surgery order. Sent me to a hotel room to recover. I am in unspeakable pain now. I wondered if Craig Wolff was under the influence when he practiced on me, so on a hunch, I looked up arrest records in Hillsborough County where he practices. Sure enough, he was arrested for driving under the influence about three weeks after my surgery. RUN - don't walk away.(while you still can).

I've read several of the comments on-line here. I, too, have had an experience with LSI in Tampa. LSI was very nice and insistently helpful in the beginning. I was initially told my surgery would be around $65,000 , but I would only have to pay $30,000 up front, as this is the amount insurance would pay me back and they accept that, but my insurance would be paying them and then they'd refund me.. When I was being admitted and handing over my $30,000 payment, my husband and I had questions one regarding if the pre-certification was taken care of, etc. We were assured that it was all taken care of. As that is the way all of my many other procedures were handled, I, trustingly, believed them. (much later when questioning the amount insurance paid, they decided to tell me this surgery didn't need precertification If that was the case, I would have verified with the insurance!!) Again, when we began asking questions, the patient advocate left and came back stating they've decided I didn't need that surgery, just this other one and it was only $17,000 they would get us a refund for the balance of our check I just handed them. More blah, blah, blah and suddenly it was changed back to the $65,000/$30,000 surgery.
I was seen by 3 physicians the 1st insisted I needed injections. I tried to explain to him I believed I had already had those he pretty much patted me on the head and said, Now who is the doctor here? I was prepped for the injections when an assistant read my files and asked me, Haven't you already had injections? I said, yes, I think so. She got up and conversed quietly with another doctor. He came over and changed my diagnosis and what procedure (surgery) he felt I needed. For some reason, another doctor became involved and changed my diagnosis, again, to involve a, yet, 3rd different surgery. I was getting a little nervous at this time, but went through with it.
What a surprise it was when I was only reimbursed around $6,000. I, too, as many others did, tried e-mailing and calling them, just to be ignored. When they did answer at times, they did not address my actual concerns. The surgery didn't work and they were to get with my pain clinic doctor to try to find out what the problem was and try to remedy this. No contact was made, of course. I called and e-mailed several times letting them know they haven't gotten back to me about the failed surgery I was contacted and told, again, they'd get back to me.
When I started complaining and telling them I was going to have to seek help with this entire problem from other sources, I suddenly received a check for several thousand dollars. But that still left over $10,000 that we are out. I have sent appeals to Anthem, as I couldn't get LSI to do anything for me, but, apparently, LSI's charges are way out of line and what was reimbursed to me is it (LSI is, of course, not in-network). Also, LSI strung me along for months saying they had filed and refilled appeals for me when I find out they can't even file it'I have to! In yet another e-mail, I summed up my whole visit with LSI and demanded to speak with someone higher up could not get LSI to respond to this, either. We have been dealing with these people for well over 2 years. I can not get them to just fess up and say that I'm SOL. I have 70 e-mails, along with numerous phone calls. It has been suggested to me to contact the American Medical Association, the Better Business Bureau and/or an attorney. Has anyone had experience doing something like this? Sorry for the long scenario, but I just wanted to get my story out there. Needless to say, this stress has played havoc on my well-being, along with my major back pain. Any advice anybody???

First off, report all of this with documentation to the Better business bureau in the tampa florida area.

Second, report this to the Attorney General's office in Florida.

Third, talk to an attorney about whether you can sue LSI for the money.

Fourth, report LSI to the board of registration in medicine in Florida.

Fifth, report LSI to the AMA

Unfortunately, you are not the only one that this has happened to. There is line a many, many miles long of people with the same financial problems, same insurance problems with them and most of all same poor results surgically as you.

You are another example of the seriousness of deceit that they use, and your story really shows ineptitude on their part, at the very least, in being able to properly diagnose you.

You are another example of the serious risk that people take in using this facility. It sounds like, from your story, that you almost where given an overdose of injection medication, that you didn't say what the injection was for.

Have you been able to find another spine surgeon to help you with your spine problems?

Many times, it is very difficult to find a spine surgeon that will treat you after having surgery with one of the laser spine facilities.

Good luck and keep us posted on what happens and how you are doing.

Fran