Who approach's or exceeds Dr. Myers as an advanced PCa Oncologist in the Eastern US?

Ok, here's the details. I am located within one days drive of 80% of the US east of the Mississippi and can spend the next day getting to the other 20%.. I have good Medicare and Supplement insurance and want to use it. The question is who else is available to me/us on HW, who takes insurance and in knowledgable about advanced PCa treatments, especially ones who will push the envelope like Dr. Myers does? The closest major cities to me are Atlanta, Raleigh, Washington, DC, Cincinnati, Nashville, Birmingham.

Do I need this info yet? No,not yet, but I would like to have a list to work from to begin to research the ones recommended here. It is my expectation that I will move on to BCR, not will I but when, so I always try to keep info for one treatment ahead.

Any info will be appreciated...

I see Dr Myers and yes you can take the receipts and submit them to your insurance. I would imagine each is different. Mine did not reimburse much at all, perhaps the gas it took to get there and back. I highly recommend him however. I believe having access to him through email and phone is important beyond the appointments which are very thorough.

Casey when I clicked on the link my browser intercepted and told me that the site is well known for distributing malware and blocked it. You may want to remove the link.

Since Compiler mentioned Sloan in NYC, I'll throw out Howard Scher who is highly regarded in the field and someone who pushes the envelope. He has access to some of the newest and best clinical trials. Just a suggestion.

Zimac

Hey Guys--I must live in the sticks--LaCrosse, Wi--but I've never heard of a Dr that doesn't take insurance! Dr Myers must be trading in on his reputation for another purpose. I use both the VA and Gunderson/Lutheran's HMO for my care...Both are excellent in their own sphere. I'm too old to have the best anyway!
age 70 now--dx Sept 2010--psa 4.89--5 g8's and 4 g7's out of 10 cores--pni both sides and ece..79'2 gy's imrt and 3 yrs lupron--1 year to go--psa after rad--.06 and now <.03..Doesn't look good for the long run but I'll run!

I have refused to deviate from a peer reviewed practice. Evidence based medicine is very important to me because I want to know results and side effects ~ at least as best as possible. Right now I have no reason to change it. Most of the guys that sway from this format offer little to zero evidence of the effectiveness of protocols that have not been peer reviewed.

I prefer a researcher who has published much work through large research groups. Hussain has done so. Scher, Vogelzang, Thompson...etc. You'll have no problem finding what protocols they use and/or the results of those protocols. If you are concerned about disclaimers ~ they'll reveal them for you.

Interestingly, these are among the folks listed in the back of Scholz's book.

There are more too...

Tony

Tony,

You made a comment regarding "cash only" doctors. I am seeing some of that (I followed my GP as he left a large practice that did exactly that). I am also seeing the conversion of doctors into "boutique" practices that charge a yearly fee to join. They bill you less, or nothing for some services, and it is up to you to deal with insurance as needed.

Your comment "based on it not being enough to compensate for their services" struck a nerve, in that my cousin, who is an OB-GYN, just gave up and closed his practice. Now he does consulting, not sure what kind. There were a number of concerns, with the biggest being:
- Malpractice insurance that cost more than some employees each year.

- Insurance companies that paid months after the service (there has been some improvement in this, I'm told).

Even for his well-established practice, you can't pay salaries and fixed costs if the income is delayed, and at unpredictable percentages of the original billing.

I suspect he would have stayed in medicine if the malpractice costs had not driven him out (he had never lost or chosen to settle a case of the few brought against him over the years, so should have been an ideal "insured").

I'm afraid we are hijacking the original thread -

 

Hey Tony, who is this Thompson you mentioned? thx

I wouldn't worry about a doctor not accepting insurance. Any doctor who does so is in a position to do it because he is in demand because of his skills, and this separates him from the pack.
By not taking insurance he has much more freedom to treat his patients, and the time spent processing and haggling with ins companies or Medicare is better spent with patients.
As someone already mentioned the consierge service is rapidly expanding and will be a large part of our medical system in the near future. A single doctor cannot make it on his own anymore because of the overhead and reimbursement rates, and either has to join a group and be an employee or go to some sort of pay for service from the patient that doesn't require the overhead required to process insurance claims.

I agree with John T.  A doctor has much more freedom to treat the patient when they don't accept insurance.  I've heard doctors say that they enjoy practicing (or wish they could) under these circumstances.  They can take as long as they want with the patient and their business doesn't have to worry about all the paperwork, etc... compliments of the insurance companies (or Medicare).

I've also found the following reasons online:

- Medicare regularly cuts the rates of reimbursement, which means doctors earn less for office visits and various procedures.

 

- There is a longer delay than ever before for doctors to get reimbursements from Medicare.

- Medicare has a very convoluted, bureacratic process .... and limits how a doctor can practice medicine.

- Private insurers set low reimbursement rates for various services and treatments, rates that may not even cover a doctor's overhead.

- Insurers often systematically make reimbursement deliberately difficult, complicated and time-consuming.

When reimbursement is approved, payments from insurers can be extremely slow to reach the physician.

 

- Doctors may need additional staff to handle the extra paperwork, phone calls, resubmissions, and negotiation with insurance companies.

I think if I was a well regarded physician...say Dr. Jerry...  I think I would run a more effective and efficient practice if I did't accept insurance.  Then again, I'm not Dr. Jerry.

I will say that when I see Dr. Myers...I am in his office the whole morning.

On my comments about "cash only" approaches...

I did not rate the performance of such doctors. But I will state that many of those that have high visibility do so to circumvent affordable cost approaches by insurance carriers. To excuse it by saying that slow paying carriers prevent their business practice is funny to me. These guys are very rich. From book sales, from speaking engagements, and TV...

Let me put it another way. I asked for one that had been to our group in the past to come back a decade later. I need to have 300 present at a minimum and allow book sales. Or I had to pay $10g and expenses for them to come out.

I have other top notch folks come out on their dime to volunteer to help. I dunno, we comment about the "greedy urologist" here. Almost like it's limited to their practice.

On the topic of having peer reviewed health care. It's a checks and balances I believe in.

These are just my opinions. I know many won't agree with them. I know that many rely on hope that "the one" like they say in the Matrix, will deliver that. I certainly hope so. But if you are on a standard of approach ~ your insurance will likely cover it. If you are at an established institution they are not practicing from check to check. If you need a trial, you need that institution that offers it, anyway. Perhaps what slows a carriers to payment is when doctor practices theory based medicine leaving evidence based medicine out the door. It does not mean it won't work, but if the current regimen is standard to the approaches of evidence based medicine the only reason to not accept insurance has nothing to do with whether it's covered or not. It likely has to do with the amount being charged...

Tony

Post Edited (TC-LasVegas) : 10/29/2012 2:03:53 PM (GMT-6)

Friendly fire one this is friendly fire two, over. "I'm too old to have the best anyway!" We deserve the best and we not old. Just seasoned.

I do agree with a team approach. Before I decided, I saw 2 GU and 1 RO.  Then saw the MDAnderson Team to check on them. Glad I did.

I've dropped "cash only" doctors in the past.

My current doc has started a "concierge" service where for $1400 cash a year you get better treatment. I kid you not. I'm now a second class citizen in his practice even though I pay $1200 a month insurance.