Alpha Klinik insolvent?

[mmglobal]

Rumors are running rampant. I'm getting several calls and emails each day asking about this.

Most don't know that there were 2 separate spine centers running at the Alpha Klinik. Zeegers works for Hoogland spine. The other spine center, Dekkers spine was shut down weeks ago when Dekkers lost is license to practice in Germany. This has nothing to do with Hoogland spine and Zeegers.

The turmoil started when Dekkers shut down kicked of a chain of events that resulted in a declaration of bankruptcy. As of now, Toft Knee and Hoogland Spine centers will continue to operate with the same people doing the same job in the same place. Behind the scenes money folks have changed.

I have a client there this week, so I'll know more. I'll post what I can when I can. Stay tuned... more to come.

Mark

[mmglobal]

All of this started back in May. It's been tough watching this unfold. I've not posted, because with a fast changing situation and only hearing filtered information, I won't post what I'm not sure about.

Today, I spent the entire day at the Alpha Klinik. Everything is as Dr. Zeegers said. It's the same nurses, technicians, therapists, doctors, office staff, etc... providing the same excellent care that we've come to know and love.

Dekkers is gone.

I spoke to Dr. Hoogland today. As has been reported in the press, he will be retiring soon. I'm so sorry to see him stop practicing. I was privileged to see him in the OR on many occasions. Not only is he a pioneer and considered to be one of the fathers of modern endoscopic spine surgery, he's also a gifted diagnostician, inventor and is physically skilled in a way that allows him to do such delicate surgery with confidence. Many readers will remember that he did endoscopic surgery on my wife just over a year ago. He's still doing surgery now and I don't know when his retirement becomes effective, but when it happens, we will have lost an amazing resource.

I have not spoken to Jurgen Toft, but the press is reporting that the knee center at the Alpha Klinik will close and he'll resume operations in a new facility in Perlach, another suburb of Munich that is just a few miles from the AK.

The Alpha Klinik has been acquired by ATOS (www.atos.de). Press releases say that they will continue to operate the orthopedic and sports clinics. They also report that expansion of the facility is coming.

There us much more to come, but I'll only write what I consider to be reliable info, so I'll stop here.

All the best,

Mark

[B13s]

Probably would be worth mentioning that Alpha Klinik is now called ATOS Privatklinik München (ATOS Private Clinic Munich) and their website is ATOS Privatklinik München - Home

[msgrappling]

He got in trouble for sexual harrassment on one of his nurses. His ego is out of control. I got the inside dope. Don't ask me how. He is an extremely skilled surgeon tho and I liked him personally. But it seems his sex drive drove him out of the building. it was real weird. He worked with Hoogland and Zeegers and was their partner. Then he "separated" into the office upstairs and started a feud that lasted for years which really caused a lot of confusion for patients wondering who was working where and all that. Then he got into legal trouble and now I guess he's out of the building for good. It's good too coz Zeegers is a great man and doesn't deserve having an enemy working right above him upstairs.
Spinal Stenosis from L1-L5
Cervical DDD C-3, C-6
5 lumbar decompressions all successful.
I need artificial disc replacement in the neck but insurance won't cover ADR, only covers fusion. I'm changing insurance companies.

[Job13]

RIP Freedom of Speech

[Crystal33]

Good digging beneath the surface Job13. Thanks. It's tragic that patients somehow need to be mindful that greed, ego and arrogance also exist in the medical industry. They are undisclosed additional risk factors that, at times, cause horrific outcomes for patients, such as yourself.

Nothing corrupts like money and medicine is BIG money.

Rather than keeping up with the latest mode mercedes benz I think that a tiny percentage of surgeons fees should be paid into a common fund that is overseen by an independent expert body and used to quickly and efficiently help patients who have been subject to medical harm. Also the body should have power to readily discipline doctors determined guilty of negligence or misconduct. Doctors would sulk at the thought but put any of them in your shoes and they would then have something real to sulk about.

[Job13]

RIP Freedom of Speech

[gionita]

Its amazing that the Klinik had 26 cases since 2003. i was treated there by Dr. John in 2007 non-invasively through MedX, when all the clinics i consulted in the US and Thailand wanted to perform surgery - for 2 herniated cervical discs.

when my wife asked: but how do you make your money?, Dr. John replied: "madam, i want to be able to sleep at night, and to look at myself into the mirror in the morning. So that's why surgery is not our 1st option."

The corolary: when asking for an estimated cost of surgery to a florida based minimally invasive surgical center, they indicated that the 1st operation would be $25,000, and all subsequent operations would cost $20,000. Since 2007, with virtually minimal maintenance exercises, i have had no problems, and managed to return to deep technical diving (carying on land approx 100 kgs of equipment).

when i last visited the clinic in 2008, Bernie had left for Frankfurt, but Janos was still there.

it is not only amazing how the mighty (alpha klinik) have fallen, but how poor the atos website is: only in german, not as easy to navigate.

need to pass by there again soon.

[JeffreyD]

The former Alpha-Klinik and the current Atos Klinik have little in common other than the address.
In my opinion, the Beta Klinik in Bonn is the "next step forward" in world-class spine treatment (Dr. Zeegers performs surgeries and consultations there, along with the outstanding Prof. Dr. Reul).

Blessings,
Jeff

[mmglobal]

What Jeff wrote above is so true. The new ATOS clinic in Munich has little resemblance to the now defunct AlphaKlinik. In the spine patient communities that I've participated in since 2000, when we talk about the AlphaKlinik, we were really referring to Hoogland Spine. The AK was made up of 3 separate businesses, Dekkers Spine, Dr. Toft's Knee center, and Hoogland Spine. They shared hospital and rehab facilities, but were separate, even competing businesses. Dekkers was quite aggressive with his MISS procedures and seemed to have much more legal trouble than did Hoogland or Toft. Dr. Bertagnoli was unrelated to the AK except for a brief period of cooperation with Dekkers, but that didn't work out very well or last for very long. He was never a principle of the AK and doesn't have anything to do with the demise of the AK.

What Dr. Hoogland built in Hoogland Spine was amazing. Hoogland specialized in MISS. Dr. Zeegers handled the larger spine surgeries, including lumbar and later, cervical ADR. Dr. Blome was an internist who was a treasure and handled all of the Hoogland Spine cases in the most efficient, thorough and professional manner. Dr. Baumbach was an amazing addition that gave the AK the best diagnostic team and system that I've seen anywhere. The willingness of Dr. Zeegers and Dr. Baumbach to put the time needed into the diagnosis, collaborating or arguing about a confusing puzzle has lead many patients to correct diagnoses that would not have been possible (IMHO) anywhere else in the world. (Read Lorna's story on the GPN story pages.)

I truly lamented the passing of the AlphaKlinik, knowing that I might never see the ready collaboration of diagnostic geniuses in an environment that gives them the highest quality imaging systems available and all other diagnostic disciplines available on short notice.

Last March, I had the opportunity to visit the BetaKlinik in Bonn. This is a much more convenient setup for Dr. Zeegers and his home is in Maastricht, Netherlands, just over an hour drive from Bonn. To work in Munich, he had to maintain two homes. I want to make very clear that the BetaKlinik is not just a convenient place for him to do surgery.

The BetaKlinik facilities are like the AK's were... and then some. The owner, Dr. Jeurgen Reul, is a neuro-radiologist. His assessment of cases is unlike any other doctor's I've seen. He views films in a different way and he sees things that others don't. He has incorporated a perfect location with first-rate facilities and state of the art diagnostics. Real-time CT-guided procedures... no problem, you can do it there.

When I was there in March, they were the first and only center with an open MRI that could do total spine, functional MRI's. (Weighted and with flexion/extension series.) They also have superior, full digital xrays (no film)

In addition to the great diagnostics of Zeegers, Reul and Dr. Axel Jung (neurosurgeon), Dr. Hoogland will also perform surgeries there.

For surgeries that are not appropriate for a surgery center, they have operating privileges at Asklepios Hospital, one of the finest hospitals in the region.

One of the best things about the now defunct AlphaKlinik was the rehab center, and especially the Gyrotonics studio. They were planning on adding a Gyrotonics studio to their rehab center in May. I'll be there in a few weeks, so I'll update you on their progress.

While Dr. Baumbach is still in Munich, many of Dr. Zeegers patients still use him. They'll stop in Munich before coming to Bonn and Dr. Baumbach will participate in the diagnostic process, just as he did for the AlphaKlinik.

I can't say enough good things about the BetaKlinik. I've had clients go there, but I've not gone with them yet. I'll be going there soon and will update as soon as I can.

All the best,


Mark