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
|