Cara,
I did meet with him. Did not get any medical advice. My sense for our meeting was that he wasn’t prepared with details; Example, no medical details were provided at all such as “Does he do Internal Jugular Vein (IJV) decompression if needed?” This question was actually raised by a forum member from this group. Answer? No he does not, a neurosurgeon is required. For my part, I was limited to a CT head scan and MRI results and did not yet have access to the vast information provided with this forum. Hence, I did not know what questions to ask. As others have pointed out, for his services he does not accept insurance. However, I did learn from another person who worked with him that he “MAY” be willing to do the surgery at a local hospital (which does accept insurance). But I had to ask, versus that information being volunteered by his office. So I’m not decided on the guy yet, and have opted to consult with Hackman in NC.
Lastly, in general I now take a hard look at ALL doctors after I was mutilated over 5 years by a dentist named bruce johnson in Montrose, CA. The guy kept my teeth in malocclusion for 5 years, causing tremendous harm including facial bone loss. I could not understand how people working for him (his staff) looked the other way as he harmed not only me, but other people I’ve come across either through forums like Yelp or through doctor visits in the area. In short, I was lied to extensively for the purpose of making money from me. Speaking of, other dentists to avoid in the LA area include Martin Gorman (Encino - bait and switch from ALF to DNA dental appliance, the DNA being useless to me and expensive…-$20,000), Karla Thompson (Pasadena–wanted me to visit a jaw surgeon in TX, bill me $3k for the management…USC school of dentistry went on to tell me surgery was not necessary), Vincent Wang (Periodontist in Pasadena, I know of one young lady he mutilated and then washed his hands of) and Dr. Robert Perkins (Malibu- general dentist who tries to play orthodontist)