"I have not met Dr. Fox yet, in fact I am at the bottom step of starting the ball rolling. I am planning on attending his mandatory discussion group on 1-12-00. His office staff is very patient as I called them about 3 times inside of 15 minutes because I kept coming up with questions I wanted answered. I will update this as time goes on.
1.21.00 I felt the discussion group was satisfactory. I have done research on Dr. Fox, and found some things I have to talk to him about one on one before I put myself in his care.
He said I could probably get into a size 8 after weight loss. Sure hope he is right. I was hoping for a 5-6, but I have a medium to largish frame, so he is probably right. I have yet to meet with him one on one.
2.21.00 I am still waiting for 3 out of 9 doctors to send in my records. This has been a frustrating month. I want everything to move ahead yesterday. I will call Dr. Fox's office again on the 23rd if they don't call me first. They have been great at talking to me, and returning my calls. This is really important, as i know I am going to need their support if and when I have surgery.
5-28-00 Well, I had my consult with Dr. Fox, and found him to be compassionate and personable. He seemed to feel sorry that I have to use a cane, and that my knees are in such bad condition. I feel he is competent to do my surgery, and I am very impressed with the coordination of things when the ball finally gets rolling. His aftercare program is impressive, and I signed a paper stating I was his for life. He has had many years experience and is constantly reviewing and updating his program. I have met many of his patients at Michelle Curran's support group, and the one thing I noticed about them is thier glow of health and their wonderful color. He is a stickler for taking a lot of protein in drinks, and vitamins. His main concern for you is your success, and that is reiterated to me on numerous occasions. If something isn't going right, or feeling right, they want to know. They have many alternative ways in which you can go that works best for you as an individual. You can say I am impressed with Dr. Fox and his Staff. I'll write more after my surgery which is coming up in 2 days.
Sept.25,2000
Well, I filled this out, and darned if AOL didn't knock me off and destroy everything I typed. GRRR!!!
I obviously had my surgery, and am very happy with the results. My first big problem arose when I recieved my first bill from Dr. Fox's office. $175.00 for an appt with a PA!!! First, I was not told that there was a 90 day cut off on the aftercare, nor was i told I would be "on the clock"..paying in 10 minute increments. Since I am self-pay, my insurance will not pay for this, and I am stuck with a bill that is going to take me awhile to pay off. Glad I "caught on" as no one was about to tell me of the policies of this office. It's hard to get answers for things when you don't know the questions!! I found the office staff unyielding and unwilling to "work with me" on this problem. After much questioning on my part...I found that I cannot even call a nurse in the office without paying a minimum of $80.00 for the phone call!!! I am very sad that my relationship with Dr. Fox must end like this on such a negative note. They will not deal with you on an individual basis, and I see now why Dr. Fox will not discuss financial matters with you..as his office is inflexible on these matters. Had I known of the 90 day cut off, my last appt could have easily been made within this period of time. I mean, who is going to knowingly throw away $175.00 and not even talk to the doctor himself? I must say I am extremely disappointed that they will not work with their patients that don't have good insurance. My surgery was very successful, and as a surgeon, I have nothing but praise. But I can no longer afford to see him. I will be dealing through my PCP from here on out, and am wondering if they are going to charge her if she calls for information. I said a lot more in my "lost" message, but guess this all about covers my disappointment. Any preops that are considering Dr. Fox to do their surgery, and are self pay....Please ask this question....how long does my aftercare last, and how much will I be charged for visits and phone calls after this time period has elapsed! Now you have the questions that I didn't have going into this. Hope they are more flexible with you than they were with me.
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