Dr. Clavel-Consultation Fee

[ansnj]

Hi:

I had posed a few questions to Nicci at Dr. Clavel's office. One question was, when would I be able to speak with the doctor himself? The response was she could arrange it and there was a consultation fee of 180 euro. Has anyone else had to pay this fee?

I spoke with Dr. Beirstedt at no cost, and was somewhat caught off-guard at her response.

I wondered if any other ADR members have paid to consult with Dr. Clavel. In other words, is this the norm for him?

Thanks!
Abbe

[Boxer78]

Yup two different times I paid 180. Zero w Bierstedt also

[ansnj]

Thanks Boxer just needed to get a gut check on that.

[jss]

I didn't have to pay anything, but that was four years ago. It sounds like he's now using $$$ to ration his time. I'm told that you have to pay about $1000 for Dr Zeegers' opinion.

Good problem to have if you're them.

[Conan26]

I didn't have to pay anything, but that was four years ago. It sounds like he's now using $$$ to ration his time. I'm told that you have to pay about $1000 for Dr Zeegers' opinion.

Good problem to have if you're them.

Thats correct my sister just had a bill from him for €550 for cell phone chats

[NJ Gene]

ansnj,

If your decision is between Bierstedt and Clavel, I would personally go with Bierstedt assuming all other factors equal. Both are great surgeons, and I've read a lot of positive things about the rehab program associated with Bierstedt. It sounds like Clavel is capitalizing on his popularity. I hope he doesn't become like Ritter-Lang.

I was going to use Bierstedt myself before my surgeon here talked me out of ADR.

Gene

[TPatti]

I paid for consult with Dr. Clavel as well and have heard that was standard for him. It was nice not having to pay Dr. Bierstedt but I have no problem paying for someone's time, I don't like working for free.

[NJ Gene]

TPatti, I don't like working for free either. However, sometimes there is a cost of doing business especially when you try and recruit new clients/patients. Part of these doctors' business is doing just that (recruiting new patients). If one is going to answer questions for me at no cost and the other is going to charge me money and both are about equal in the quality of their work, you know which one I am going to choose.

Gene

[ansnj]

Spending the money on the consult didn't bother me, I viewed it as a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of surgery. Yes, it would have been sweeter if Clavel didn't charge but that's all okay.

What isn't okay, is Post-op forum members who are not getting their questions or concerns answered by Clavel or his staff. We all want to be treated as if we are the doctors only patient, so a return call, email etc, makes a world of difference. A good reputation isn't easy to come by and even harder to maintain.

Gene, I hope you're wrong about Dr. Clavel becoming so popular, perhaps so much so, for his and our own good?

[NJ Gene]

ANS,

I hope I'm wrong too. Did you have surgery already? If so, add it to your signature, so we all know where you're at.

Gene

[ansnj]

No Gene, haven't had surgery yet. Will certainly add to my signature when the time comes.

[2Confused]

I didn't mind paying Dr. Clavel, I considered it no different from a consult with my Neuro here, who also was paid for his time and opinions. And I fully expect to pay when I return for a follow up visit in October. As someone else said, I do not like working for free and I'm sure doctors don't either. The final result has been worth every $$$ spent.:shedance:

[NJ Gene]

Dear 2Confused,

I will accept that you are correct. Any doctor here in the U.S. will charge a consultation fee, so it should be no different in Europe. It is an added bonus that some surgeons like Dr. Bierstedt will do a consultation for free. However, I agree with ANSNJ that post-op questions should be answered in a timely fashion. IMO, surgeons here or abroad should be available for follow-up for post-op issues for a certain period of time a no cost. In fact my insurance requires surgeons to offer 90 days of post-op care at no cost. After that period of time, they are free to charge as usual.

I haven't read the postings on these boards as much as I did prior to my surgery. If what ANSNJ is saying is the case, and Dr. Clavel isn't getting back to post-op patients with their issues, I would be concerned about using him. That doesn't mean I wouldn't. If I had a box with one side of positives and one of negatives, this issue would hit the negative side (if determined to really be the case).

Gene

[Harrison]

"... Any doctor here in the U.S. will charge a consultation fee..."

This is definitely not true, happy to say. Many docs will not charge. Perhaps many do, or most due, but there are dozens that do not. Maybe more.

[Cheryl0331]

Is Dr. Clavel in Barcelona? I know there is one in Germany too. Thx. Cher

[NJ Gene]

Cheryl,

There is only one Dr. Clavel. He is in Barcelona. I suspect that if you went onto Dr. Ritter-Lang's website, Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery (http://www.betterdiscreplacement.com) , you probably saw Dr. Clavel's name there. While Dr. Ritter-Lang is in Germany, Dr. Clavel is not. If you look deeper into that website that I just gave you, you will see that Dr. Clavel is located in Barcelona.

If you are interested in using Dr. Clavel, I recommend using his own website, which is www.bcn-sc.com .

Gene

[2Confused]

Harrison,

I should have said "many" instead of any....
However, I saw several doctors for consultations here in the USA and everyone of them charged me a fee for that consultation.



Regarding Dr. Clavel and post-op follow up. As a general rule, the response has been timely. The one time that we had an issue and needed immediate response and answers, he responded very quickly allowing for time differences. For general questions post-op it took longer for him to respond. But again, when it was a pressing issue, one of possible medical concern, his response time was very reasonable in my humble opinion.

"... Any doctor here in the U.S. will charge a consultation fee..."

This is definitely not true, happy to say. Many docs will not charge. Perhaps many do, or most due, but there are dozens that do not. Maybe more.