[newleaseonlife]

I'll try to provide as much information as I can for people here. I'll stare upfront that I am on neither AIMIS's or NuVasive's payroll. All I can post is from my own experience.

AIMIS is not owned or a subsidiary of NuVasive. When AIMIS was first started it was by a small group of surgeons who used NuVasive products here in the USA. NuVasive is a preferred supplier, but all surgeons are free to use any and all devices that the patient needs or wants. Not all the surgeons use NuVasive products.

I think it like when you go to the Dr. and you have to see if they are in your PPO group. The insurance companies get a break on the price versus and pass that on to their subscriber. Otherwise you have to pay more to see a surgeon who is not in your network.

From what I can gather, having preferred suppliers is a common and acceptable practice in Europe. Others, myself included, have wondered if Spinal Kinetics is not a preferred supplier of ADR devices for Ritter-Lang/Stenum hospital because they are promoted so heavily on their website.

Nate was a paid consultant for NuVasive. I don't know if he still is or not. He started that foundation and wrote that book a few years ago. He is NOT a paid consultant for AIMIS. Claire, at one time, asked if he would be willing to give a testimonial about his surgical experience. He doesn't even do that now because they both felt that it would be a conflict of interest.

I don't know why Dr. Pimenta would write a forward for him. I have not read the book, so I can't answer anything about it.

Dr. Pimenta is for some unknown reason either not receiving emails or providing consultations. They had been in contact for awhile and then his office stopped responding. Claire was furious about this, and repeatedly tried to contact him. She had been booking surgeries, making travel arrangements, and consultations for him with the expectation that he would follow through. She was understandably upset. After a couple months of waiting, she decided to send out the MRIs that were waiting on Dr. Pimenta's review to other AIMIS surgeons and continued trying to contact his office. I believe she communicated the delay to the patients and told them that she was sending their files to Dr. X for review, but would continue to try to contact Dr. Pimenta.

I do not know if the communication issue has been resolved or about his continued business with AIMIS. I do know that as of a couple months ago, they are currently NOT scheduling him any surgeries or sending him any MRIs. This is all the information I have on the subject.

I don't believe this to be a bait and switch as the patients were informed of the delay and offered an alternative. The patient is totally free to say, "No thanks," and take their MRIs to another surgeon.

The AIMIS surgeons are almost all US based with active surgical practices. They fly over to Cyprus to perform surgeries. None of the surgeons live in Cyprus. The cost of their flight is NOT paid by NuVasive. It is built into the cost of the surgical package that the patient pays for. It also comes out of the money that is paid by the surgeon to be involved in AIMIS.

Some surgeons, like Dr. Smith, fly over multiple times a year. Others maybe once or twice a year.

Yes, the surgeries like all other surgeries performed out of the USA, are non-FDA approved.