“We truly appreciate our patients, and when we get such amazing feedback, we’re speechless; we just love what we do here and strive to provide our patients with the best quality care available.

Thank you to every one of you for choosing us to help create the the feet that you wanted, and putting your trust in our practice.”

Ali Sadrieh

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“Your thoughtfulness and your professionalism can not be described by words. I do sincerely appreciate and thank you on what you have done for me. Looking forward to seeing you soon.”

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“Thank you for taking the time to come to Ohio to check on my feet! Your kindness is greatly appreciated! Please tell Shu Shu and the staff that we said hello! Please have safe travels and return home soon!”

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“I have been remiss in writing. I kept hoping some kind of “verse” would come up.  I think I said it all the first time. Really.

What I have not said is thank you for the joint operation which you so generously and mysteriously made possible.  You definitely have been “Heaven”, or some place like that , sent.  A blessing.

Our feet are “everything” (well, everything is “everything” really…) I start thinking about them and they’re a miracle – so are the gifts you have.  Daily miracles because of your work.

I hope to climb mountains again! Really! You already do!”

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“I have been remiss in writing.  I found this a la Japanese style card which captures so much of you spirit, the office, the decoration – and then, I couldn’t fear to write on it!!

I’ve wanted to thank you (which falls short) for making the joint operation possible.  As I told Dr S., you both have been “Heaven” or some place like that, sent.  A blessing.  I clearly see the halos!

What is especially amazing – you don’t forget your patients after their surgery.  You take care of us till all is healed.

Take good care”.

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“Dr. Sadrieh & Staff,

Thank you so much for all your help this past year with my ankle/foot!  I actually was able to finish the marathon in 5hrs 31min thanks to all of you!!!  For the New Year I will sit it out & just donate !!! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday & a great New Year. Love Alida”

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Dr. Ali -

Just to want to thank you for all you have done for me – specially your kindness and caring.  You are one of a kind.

Thank you again,

Brenda

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To the greatest man in the world, he truly saved me from my fingers!!
Much Love Dr. Sadrieh

xo Dana

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“can’t thank you enough!”

Gracias,
Lucy D.

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“I wanted to thank you for the offer you extended to me.  Mailed a card to you but confused your Devonshire and Ventura Boulevard addresses.  If you receive them both then I doubly thank you!

I will reach out to you and your Studio City office later in the year.  Will take advantage of your offer or will wait to end of year and return with new benefits.”

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“Ali,

Love,
Holly”

This is an important first video for you to watch.  Although your surgery is advanced and allows you to function and walk after the procedure, it is very important to understand that human physiology hasn’t changed in 10,000 years.  We still heal the same way.  Skin takes an average of 2 weeks to heal, and bone takes 6-8 weeks to fuse.  So it is important to respect the rules of healing and allow your body the time to heal without irritation.

One factor that can create unwanted inflammation and result in pain and possible damage to your surgical result is not walking correctly with the Post Op Shoe.  The shoe is designed with a CAM bottom.  This allows for you to walk without having to push off the toes.  I want you to make sure that during the period you are wearing your post op shoe, you keep the weight of your body on the heel and not to allow the forefoot to have any significant weigh bearing.

The patient in the above video shows us how you walk without putting your weight on the forefoot.  This short gait style takes a little getting used to, but it will make your surgical experience that much easier and ultimately result in a well healed foot with no complications.

Key Points:

1. Keep the weight on the heel at all times
2. Always wear your surgical shoe if the foot is going to bear weight
3. Never walk or bear weight WITHOUT the surgical shoe
4. Make sure the shoe is fastened tight and correctly
5. Keep the shoe clean and out of the rain

So you’ve had your surgery and it’s time for your first shower!  What now?  That’s what this video is for.  Please make sure to read the instructions written below as well as watch the video to have a firm understanding of the concepts that are important to help you keep your foot dry, and prevent infection during your post operative experience.

Human skin takes an average of 2 weeks to heal.  This number varies in different parts of the body and regions as well.  The foot is at a disadvantage because it is in a gravity dependent position and also has less blood flow due to it’s distance from the central vascular system.  This results in a 2, sometimes 3 week window of time for this region to heal.  That is why we have to keep the skin of the foot dry while it heals.  To help you with this task and increase your chances of success in keeping your foot completely dry during the post op period, you have been given a Dry Sock Shower Boot.

The Dry Sock is a plastic sock fitted with a one way valve.  This valve allows for the user to pump the air out of the sock so they can create a sealed, airtight water proof sock around the surgical site and keep it dry.  Although this is an advanced device, it is important that yo understand that like any device, it can fail.  So despite the appearance of a sealed fit, I still recommend to patients that they keep the foot away from direct water so that there is literally no chance of getting your foot wet.

As always, if you run into any trouble at all, call me directly immediately to tell you what to do next.  If your call is during business hours, call the office.  If your call is after hours, call me on my mobile number which is on the Emergency Post Op Card you were given during your Pre Op visit.

Pay particular attention to the key points since they will also help you have a dry, successful post surgical experience without infection!

Key Points:

1. Make sure the seal point of the sock is in direct contact with skin and no hair is present (yes that means men need to shave that part).
2. Make sure when you are putting the sock on that there is no disruption of your dressings.
3. Always use a sock to cover the dressings first to catch any condensation.
4. Make sure there is a tight seal and that all the air is out of the sock before going to the shower.
5. Use a stool, and a removable shower head to make the experience easier.
6. Even though the sock is tight, do not let water directly hit the foot or the sock.
7. When you take the sock off, examine the region for any water and if it appears that water got onto your dressings, call the office immediately.

Accidents happen… this is a fact of life.  But it’s very important that you make sure to take all the precautions for a smooth and easy post operative experience.  You are a team member in your surgical care, although we have had a pleasure of providing you with cutting edge procedures that reduce your post operative recovery time, it is still very important that you play an active role in your care and do what it takes to protect your foot from water and trauma.

Attention!

But it is also important to be know how to respond to a problem if something were to go wrong.  If you get your foot wet by accident, the first thing you need to do is contact me immediately.  This is very important so that I can review some of the goals of the immediate dressing change before you continue with this step.  Once again… DO NOT CONTINUE without having called me first.  During business hours call the office line, and after hours call my mobile number that is on the Emergency Post Op Card you were given on your Pre Op visit.

If your dressing did get wet, the goal is to assess how much of it got soaked through.  I will guide you through this process on the phone.  If we determined that the dressings did not get saturated, then we will use the blow dryer to dry out the dressing.  If however the dressing is completely wet or destroyed, then you will proceed to the changing section of the video below.  Once again, I will determine which steps you need to perform after speaking with you.

If you are watching this video and have talked to me about changing your dressing, you must know that it is important for you to get to the office tomorrow so that I can change your dressing to a better fitting splint type and have the opportunity to assess the incision and the surgical site.  This will insure that the accident did not damage your procedure as well as allow us to intervene early if there is an increased risk for infection.

Key Points

1. Make sure when using the blow dryer to keep a fair distance from the skin to prevent a burn.
2. Do not apply the compressive Red Coban too tight that you block off the circulation.  You should not have severe pain with the coban.  If you do it is too tight or your foot is swelling.
3. If the dressing is going to be changed, try to use gloves to keep everything clean.  These are available at any pharmacy and are available in Non-Latex if you are allergic.
4. When removing the dressings pay close attention to them and stop when you get to a dry layer.
5. If you are removing the entire dressing make sure to prevent damage or excess moving at the surgical site.
6. DO NOT pull the incision margins apart.
7. When removing the Steri Strips, make sure to remove them PERPENDICULAR to the incision.  That means remove them in a way that the incision does not split open.

Instructional Video Coming Soon!

Imagine going to a restaurant and being given a menu.  You are ready to order and meal, and fully intend to pay for it, but when asked about the prices (because there are missing) you are told by the owner that you are not entitled to that information.

Now this scenario is actually better than what your insurance companies consider normal.  In the restaurant model, you are not paying a monthly premium for services that you expect to be rendered.  In the restaurant, you can get up and walk out, walk down the street and sit at another establishment to get the meal you expect for the price you are informed of up front.

This discussion is about the elusive Fee Schedule.  This is a point of contention for many doctors and unfortunately ends up giving many patients grief.  Ultimately it is important to remember that the consumer controls the deck, and if you as intelligent consumers demand Fee Schedules of your insurance providers and demand that your physicians are given detailed fee schedules as well, things would change.

The problem is that when you see your doctor, you are under the impression that you have insurance, so you will only be responsible for specific costs that you were informed of by your insurance broker or agent.  Costs like co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance.  The thing that everyone leaves out is what is the fee schedule that these costs are calculated from? Most of our patients come to our practice because we provide a service, at a level that far exceeds any office they have been to before. We pride ourselves on this and are humbled by the thousands of patients who come to us from all over the globe.  And as I have discussed in previous articles, the formula to excellence and high quality care is simple… low volume.  To make this happen we choose to stay out of network with most insurance companies.  This however, places our practice in a precarious position.

Being out-of-network means we are not contracted with insurance companies and do not agree to participate with their restrictive activities.  To limit their costs, insurance companies play an unfair game of penalizing their insured if they choose to go to an out-of-network physician.  Now here is where it gets interesting… let’s say you are okay with these shenanigans because you really want to be at a high quality facility like ours; you are entitled to know what your out of pocket expenses would be… right?  According to the insurance providers, you are not.

Every week, we spend hours on the phone conference calling with our patients and their insurance providers demanding that the insurance provider play fair and give a clear fee schedule to the insured so that they can know in advance what they can expect to pay out of pocket for the expenses of their procedures.  We do this because we feel strongly about this issue.  The insurance company works for you.  You pay them a premium and they in return are providing you a service.  The fact that they consider it acceptable to restrict your access to their Fee Schedule is a clear indication how they perceive their role in this relationship.

We conference call with you because the insurance company has call center employees answering the phones who have no vested interest in your well being.  There is no reason for them to help you get quality care, after all, they are not providing you the care, we are.  They are only the middle man determining where your premium dollars should go.  When we get on the phone with you, the insurance company cannot get away with snowing you with terms you are unfamiliar with and explanations that make no sense to the patient.  Rather, you have an advocate on the phone with you that deals with insurance companies every day and is going to serve as your liaison, standing up for your rights.

Read the Article

I’ve been told by colleagues and patients that I take this insurance thing way to seriously.  There is a reason for this.  The health insurance industry has been instrumental in destroying the quality health care system our country had.  They have controlled both sides of the field and have created a closed market that doesn’t allow for quality care to flourish without restriction.

As an ethical American, I cannot cower and let this continue.  An article published in the Wall Street Journal, June 25th, 2009 outlines how United Health Care and their subsidiary Ingenix Inc. underpaid doctors and hospitals who were out-of-network due to flawed databases.  It is crucial that you understand that Ingenix acquired the Lewin Group who released the most optimistic assessment to date of President Obama’s health insurance reform plan.  Lewin is a leading source of independent, nonpartisan health policy analysis for the U.S. Government.  Despite assurances given in June 2007, however, no corporate policy has been written to protect Lewin from interference by it;s parent companies… Ingenix Inc., which is United Health Care.

This form of corruption has to stop.  You as the consumer can stop it, and you can count on us to support you.

Click on the document below to download the PDF file to your computer.  You can print this document out and bring it with you to the office.  You will be required to complete this document even though you have registered online.

Click to download the New Patient registration form

]]> http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/new-patient-registration/feed/ 0 http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/insurance-payment-guide/ http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/insurance-payment-guide/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:00:47 +0000 Dr. Sadrieh http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/?p=1261

Click on the document below to download the PDF file to your computer.  You will be asked if you read this form during your initial consultation.  If you have, you will given a financial agreement document to sign that confirms you have read and understand the insurance payment process.

Click to download the Insurance Payment Guide

]]> http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/insurance-payment-guide/feed/ 0 http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/post-op-instructions/ http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/post-op-instructions/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:00:25 +0000 Dr. Sadrieh http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/?p=1266

Click on the document below to download the PDF file to your computer. This is the universal post operative instruction guide to help you get prepared for your surgical experience.  You will be consulted in person regarding specific instructions for your specific procedure.  You will also be given a card on your Pre-Op visit with Dr. Sadrieh’s emergency contact mobile number as well as this document.

Click to download the Post-Op Instructions form

]]> http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/post-op-instructions/feed/ 0 http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/dmv-handicapp-placard/ http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/dmv-handicapp-placard/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:00:46 +0000 Dr. Sadrieh http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/?p=1254

Click on the document below to download the PDF file to your computer.  Once you have downloaded the document you can complete page 1 on your computer by opening the PDF document and completing your information and printing the document.  Bring the partially completed printed document to the office and we will complete the second part for you.

Click to download the DMV Handicapp Placard form

]]> http://www.beverlyhillsfootsurgery.com/dmv-handicapp-placard/feed/ 0