This site was started to clarify/rebut comments that are being made on the Web regarding Mindy Goodin and Creek Trail Medical. You would hope comments that people make would be truthful, but unfortunately I guess not everyone holds themselves to that level of accountability.
First, I would like to address the comments regarding prices. If you have been to the office you know how much prices are. You receive a Superbill along with a copy of your payment when you leave. The prices are not outrageous. How much time does she spend with you for your appointment? At least an hour. How many other doctors spend that much time with you? Most doctors bill the insurance companies $120.00 per a 15-20 minute appointment, and then you (the patient) are also responsible for your co-pay on top of what the insurance company is billed.
A follow up appointment at Creek Trail is nowhere near that price. That would be a minimum of $360.00 for a one hour appointment... My experience has been that a follow up appointment in that office runs between $125-$250.
How many other doctors would allow you to e-mail or phone in questions as often as you need without charging you???? I have not run across any. I know that patients are encouraged to call the office with any concern, problem, question, etc.. and are not charged for those calls.
My point is that there are mis-statements made about the charges. I know exactly what I am charged when I leave that office, or have a phone appointment. The charges are clearly spelled out on the Superbill that you receive. If you call the office they will tell you what the charges are. It is not a mystery or guessing game. Please do not make assumptions about the care and compassion that this office has for their patients based upon mis-statements on the web.
The post below is the one I submitted to Bill's blog to no avail almost two weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteTo Bill-
No one can guarantee us an outcome to any illness much less a disease that is still in research. I am a patient at Creek Trail Clinic and have improved during the time I have been receiving treatment.I have been to see a doctor on the East Coast and the charges for that appointment was 4 times the cost of Creek Trail.The expense of cross country commuting plus,hotel and taxi ran into the thousands.Then add the blood draws and tests which were exorbitant. The doctor was wonderful and helped me,but the cost was not one I could afford. After I was treated by a doctor in Colorado for four years I then decided to see Dr. Martz at the suggestion of the doctor on the East Coast. When I went to Dr. Martz, I was seen by Dr. Harvey as well and I thought that I had found my treatment clinic to go forward. Sorry to say that not long after that they had to close the clinic due to Dr.Martz's own illness.When I started at Creek Trail I was just hanging on and was having trouble getting up out of a chair or off the toilet without help.In short I was going down hill from the ground up. After 6 months at Creek Trail my legs feel like legs and I no longer need to be pulled up out of a chair.I have been treated with kindness even when I screwed up the protocol and put myself behind in the treatment plan. Through the whole six years I have had this disease I have been to over 14 doctors to get a diagnosis and treatment,some were better than others. I have told my husband and children if I die tomorrow not to blame any of them. Most did not know how to diagnose me but when they could I found out my disease is still under research.I like to call them the orphan diseases that have no known cure yet.In my opinion your blog is full of unfair inaccuracies about Mindy,her staff,Dr.Martz and Dr.Harvey. Please don't destroy the hope of those of us benefiting from their treatment.
Thank you for your consideration-L.S
Since Bill would not post my positive experience (I have heard this same from others) I was glad to come across this blog in hopes to help others.
ReplyDeleteMy journey with finding hope and healing is a long one. I am from New England and went years upon years of slowly losing physical and mental abilities without any answers. I went from an active hiker, biker, still water kayaker and using my multiple degrees on the job to barely making it through the day or at times completely bed-ridden. I went to doctors and specialists and have figured out by using some old bills that I had spent well over $45k. I slowly accepted that my life would never be the same and to stop seeking care.
After many years of suffering and further loss of physical and mental capacities I moved from MA to CO. I ended up flat out on my back and could not move without assistance. An acquaintance took me to a chiropractor. As this doctor was going through my symptoms he asked if I had ever been tested for Lyme or other tick borne illnesses. I couldn't remember but after explained the testing I knew I had not been. He suggested that I call Dr. Martz's office.
That phone call began a series of events that have changed my life! The only way I can express it is to say I am "living life" again instead of "simply being alive". I hadn't seen Dr. Martz for long before transferring over to Dr. Harvey. Mindy Goodin was always active in my care. When the practice shut down I didn't know what I was going to do and was thrilled to learn that Mindy and Dr. Harvey were continuing a practice.
Mindy has continued my care and I continue to reap the benefits! I have been able to return to some hiking, rode my bike (first time in over 9 years) and have kayaked still waters again. I am crying tears of joys as I write this and am so grateful to Mindy. She is kind, compassionate, extremely knowledgeable and fair with her prices. She will also be quick to explain that with the complexities of autoimmune illnesses that there are no guarantees of healing.
I happen to work in employee benefits and analyze the cost of medical care. I know first hand the "true" cost of physicians and specialists versus what we are used to paying due to insurance. Her costs are low in comparison to other specialists. The fact that she is not contracted with any insurance companies means that she can and has spent a lot of time with me vs most specialists who see you for 15 minutes tops. When I look at the thousands of dollars that I spent trying to figure out what was happening vs. the hundreds of dollars I now spend to receive care and have quality of life there is no comparison. There is also no dollar amount to place on having health!
Again, working with benefits and business costs I imagine that she has given up a more lucrative job with benefits to have her current practice. Some of the out of pocket costs would have to be be liability insurance (extremely expensive), rent for the office space, buying individual (vs. group) insurance plus payroll for staff. With my HR experience I know the additional tax costs, workers compensation costs, etc. that a business must pay for employees. Salary is only one component.
Mindy has shared notes and thoughts from Dr. Harvey. She shares her knowledge without ever overstepping boundaries and calling her "Dr," much less being asked to is ludicrious. I want to believe it was a miscommunication vs. an out and out lie. Mindy is a P.A., an amazing one.
I truly hope that others will read this and find healing through Creek Trail Medical. Mindy will do all she can to provide help and healing.
- Sarah
Has anyone else been diagnosed with ALS and recovered while going to this clinic besides Dr. Martz? I'd love to hear your story.
ReplyDeleteI would like to try this clinic but haven't seen too many positive comments.
I spoke with Dr Bodman (whom is retired but STILL called me yesterday whom referred me to Mindy Gooden.
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to meet with her . I was just diagosed with Lymes in Saginaw MI with Dr Ledtke. I have been in constant pain for 25 + yrs and really have no life. Everything is a struggle. Dr Ledtke is the only one that has ever tested me for Lymes with the Western Blot Test ! It came back that I have antibodies and I am infected with Lymes . We are moving to CO and I am setting an appt with her from MI !! Dr Bodman told me she is excellent and for a MD to call me at home and spend 20 minutes with me on the phone and answering questions, he does not even know me ! I have great respect for Doctors like him ! I worked in the medical field for 9 years and I also know how things can be, but I am really looking forward to being a patient at Creek Trail. Dr Ledtke is also expensive but spends an hour with me and answers all my questions and explains everything. Bless his heart, he will even pray with his patients !
To all, I am so glad to find this blog. I have been a patient with Creek Trail, and was actually one of the first patients when the clinic started so many years ago. I love these guys and have been taken care of with loving care by all of the doctors, nurses, PA's, secretaries etc.
ReplyDeleteI visited a OD in Reno, Dr. Fong, last August. He almost killed me, charged me an exorbitant amount of monies, and has yet to check on me. Mindy, on the other hand, continues to take care of me as, takes my calls when I am in trouble, and besides being an exceptional care giver, is a dear sweet friend. Having lyme disease has been a horrible horrid burden. It is scary, it roars at me when I least expect it. I can tell you that if I did not have Creek Trail on my side, I would not be able to battle this disease. Thank you Mindy and gang.
Hi all, I will be happy to share my experience with Mindy and the whole staff at Creek Trail. I have MS (it's been thoroughly vetted, and following my treatments with Dr. Martz and then with Mindy, I still have MS), but not all of my symptoms fit the MS profile. MS is a funny disease; it mimics many other diseases, but some of the things that I had experienced were not normally associated with MS, things like "brain fog" and long-term memory loss (MS is usually associated with short-term memory loss, and brain fog is nearly unheard of with MS).
ReplyDeleteMy wife picked up on the subtle differences, and thank God she did. We found Dr. Martz through friends, and the treatment regimen was a success. I spent a year on the antibiotics until we reached what we felt was the "Golden Plateau," the point at which the treatment doesn't produce any more appreciable results.
It was about the middle of my treatment that Dr. Martz decided to close his practice. It was a chilling experience, knowing that I was experiencing improvement on the treatment. What would we do? There were other LLMDs (Lyme Literate MDs) in the area, but none followed Dr. Martz's protocol. Mindy stepping up and opening Creek Trail Medical with Dr. Harvey was an absolute blessing. She helped me finish my treatment, and I'm doing as well as can be expected today.
While my insurance covered the IV antibiotics, they (of course) did not cover the office visits, because the treatment is still considered "experimental" and "unapproved" by the mainstream medical community. But you can't argue with the results. I would have paid twice what I did to get that level of service. You really can't put a price on that.
However, people need to understand: this isn't a treatment for ALS. It is a treatment for Lyme Disease, whose long-term symptoms can mimic those of ALS. People have frequently been mis-diagnosed as having ALS when in fact they had Lyme. Traditional blood tests don't catch this.
People who were diagnosed with ALS and receive this treatment, and it has no effect, unfortunately probably still have ALS. Like me, there was a chance that I didn't have MS. Lyme can sometimes mimic MS. Sadly, I still have MS, but the treatment was effective for my long-term Lyme infection. Sometimes, people are bitter because of this. That's a shame, because the treatment really is effective for what it treats. And Mindy is doing God's work keeping this protocol alive, because it really is improving the lives of Lyme patients.