UCLA MO Recs

[Still_in_shock]

Sooooo, Im going on Medicare!!! Gonna get me a supplement too!!

Since Im in remission. PSA <.02, PSMA/PET NED (no evidence of disease). Im not going to seek out City of Hope just yet, most likely UCLA, it's a 20 minute drive, and plenty of satellite offices here in the San Fernando Valley, for other specialties.

Any recommendation for an MO at UCLA? Tall Alen? any suggestions? Please!!

The U.S. News & Special Report 2023-2024 best hospital specialty rankings named the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center No. 1 in both California and the Los Angeles metropolitan area and No. 4 in hospital cancer care in the country.

[Tall_Allen]

I think Edwin Posadas at Cedars-Sinai is very good, if you can get him.

[Still_in_shock in reply to Tall_Allen]

Left message to call me back. He is accepting new patients. But Im calling 4 months in advance. Darn Lupron shot is due January 17th. Or Maybe the PDP I choose will allow oral ADT, like Orgovyx!!

Thanks Tall one! Im guessing youre 6'4"?

[Tall_Allen in reply to Still_in_shock]

Only 6'3"

[Still_in_shock in reply to Tall_Allen]

I called C-S Posadas and UCLA Rettig. Why do I feel like IM auditioning for the Doctors?

[Tall_Allen in reply to Still_in_shock]

I love Rettig, but he devotes most of his time to veterans at the VA. Everyone wants the best doctors, so their dance cards fill up quickly. As a patient, you may have to make a trade-off between a doctor who spends a lot of time with you, and a doctor who is at the forefront of his or her field.

[Still_in_shock in reply to Tall_Allen]

UCLA just called, Im on his dance card in January!!

I had to write out my PCa history, I guess its intriguing. 😐

[Still_in_shock in reply to Tall_Allen]

Nothing against Posads, but I already made a appointments for Cardiology, and endocrinology with UCLA Drs in various locations!!

[Schwah]

i really liked Dr. Drakaki there. Smart and personable. More than once I emailed her thru the UCLA internal system late in the afternoon and she replied late that evening.

Schwah

[PELHA]

Some supplements don’t include Mayo or Cancer Centers of America. Just a point if this could apply to you. Husband didn’t have it at first then our broker switched him. Just in time too as the beast came back and he now has a MO at a Mayo location.

[JustAnotherCancer in reply to PELHA]

Supplements don’t care, they just pay the 20%Medicare doesn’t.

Maybe you’re confusing with Medicare Advantage.

[PELHA in reply to JustAnotherCancer]

Then I meant the Part B. We don’t have advantage plans.

[Concerned-wife]

Even though Medicare is a national plan, supplements vary by state. I don’t know the rules for California but where we live , the supplement is underwritten so nearly impossible to change so choose carefully. Buy a drug plan, too…Part D …but this you can change every year, which is sometimes needed because of pricing.

Medicare.gov has great tools but you might want to find a broker..just be careful to understand they only sell what they sell.

[Don_1213 in reply to Concerned-wife]

And they sell what makes them money. I had a broker analyze my Plan D options for several years and he always came back with a plainly lousy choice.

Also the Medicare Plan D calculator isn't always accurate. Some of the more expensive drugs (Repatha in my case) were inaccurately calculated, under cost in their yearly estimate. Don't rely on it 100%>

[Still_in_shock in reply to Concerned-wife]

No underwriting during AEP.

ALL supplements in CA are the same, they pay the 20% of Medicare approved Part B, plus excess costs. Just premium price difference.

Can change Supplement (Plan G ) every year to an equal or less value during 60 days around Bday.

If one wants to leave an Advantage plan in CA, then any change in the ANOC that causes less benefits allows one to join a supplement with no underwriting.

[Concerned-wife in reply to Still_in_shock]

Nice rules for those of you who live in Calif! Here are the rules for most other states. medicare.gov/coverage/home-...

[BrianF505]

I see Matthew Rettig whom I really like.

Are you a veteran?

[Dachshundlove]

Our experience with Mathew Rettig was also positive and we’d recommend him.

[Carnivore45]

Also at UCLA is John K. Lee who works with Matthew Rettig and is brilliant. He joined UCLA in about July 2023 from Fred Hutch at UofWashington where he headed research on PCa. UCLA moved his entire operation and staff to SoCal. You can find his creds on-line.

[Lasered]

I met with John Shen of UCLA Encino for a second opinion. I was very impressed and if I was still in SoCal he would be my MO.