Meet Bill Horne
As the Chief Executive Officer of Laser Spine Institute, I have the fortunate opportunity to help people get their lives back every day after experiencing years of chronic neck and back pain. As a former patient of our renowned Chief Surgeon Dr. James St. Louis, I can certainly sympathize with anyone suffering from the excruciating symptoms of conditions like spinal stenosis and pinched nerves. No one can possibly understand the pain and suffering unless they have experienced it.
As an athletic youth, I put a lot of stress on my neck and shoulders through years of high school and college football. For the next twenty years, I went through constant conservative treatments such as massage, injections, physical therapy and chiropractor care just to help me cope. Then, after overexerting myself in physical exercise five years ago, I began experiencing stabbing pains in my neck, with burning spasms in my shoulders and numbness in my hands and fingers, and soon had difficulty sitting at my desk to work and started to eat Percocet frequently.
With no solution to my worsening condition, I began a nationwide search for the best spinal surgeon around. Every doctor I saw wanted to perform a radical open neck procedure. After exhausting my efforts, I elected to have surgery with a neurosurgeon in Miami, FL, who was planning a 3-level anterior cervical fusion with a six inch incision through the front of my neck and the insertion of a plate and six screws for stability.
Three days before this terrifying appointment, I had the amazing fortune of being introduced to Dr. James St. Louis, a great family man and an incredible spine surgeon, who was having great success with a new technique called minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery. Through an incision of less than a half inch, my neck muscles would only be dilated and not cut, and my bulging disc and pinched nerves could be corrected without any hardware or foreign objects. Through this education, I changed my mind and had surgery with Dr. St. Louis. The surgery lasted one hour with absolutely no pain; I enjoyed a mile walk later that afternoon, went back to work the next day and played a successful round of golf one week later. Dr. St. Louis gave me my life back and I feel I have an obligation to tell everyone about our unbelievable doctors this cutting edge technology with our premier services and hospitality.
As an athletic youth, I put a lot of stress on my neck and shoulders through years of high school and college football. For the next twenty years, I went through constant conservative treatments such as massage, injections, physical therapy and chiropractor care just to help me cope. Then, after overexerting myself in physical exercise five years ago, I began experiencing stabbing pains in my neck, with burning spasms in my shoulders and numbness in my hands and fingers, and soon had difficulty sitting at my desk to work and started to eat Percocet frequently.
With no solution to my worsening condition, I began a nationwide search for the best spinal surgeon around. Every doctor I saw wanted to perform a radical open neck procedure. After exhausting my efforts, I elected to have surgery with a neurosurgeon in Miami, FL, who was planning a 3-level anterior cervical fusion with a six inch incision through the front of my neck and the insertion of a plate and six screws for stability.
Three days before this terrifying appointment, I had the amazing fortune of being introduced to Dr. James St. Louis, a great family man and an incredible spine surgeon, who was having great success with a new technique called minimally invasive endoscopic spinal surgery. Through an incision of less than a half inch, my neck muscles would only be dilated and not cut, and my bulging disc and pinched nerves could be corrected without any hardware or foreign objects. Through this education, I changed my mind and had surgery with Dr. St. Louis. The surgery lasted one hour with absolutely no pain; I enjoyed a mile walk later that afternoon, went back to work the next day and played a successful round of golf one week later. Dr. St. Louis gave me my life back and I feel I have an obligation to tell everyone about our unbelievable doctors this cutting edge technology with our premier services and hospitality.
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The Laser Spine Institute provides minimally invasive procedures to combat spinal and nerve conditions, which often times cause neck and back pain.
Dear Mr. Horne.
I am a past patient at the Institute and I have been trying to contact Laser Spine to see If i was a candidate for future surgery. I had done so in the past but I thought I would try again especially after a surgeon here in Miami recommended surgery again for me. I thought you should be advised that nobody responds to my calls and emails. it is very discouraging and does not speak well of the care and responsibility of your organization to past and potential patient. As you know medical care is so much about the patient's feeling that he or she well be thoughtfully looked after as a person and not just as a source of income.That the medical problem is a source of concern to you as well as to me. As Ceo I THOUGT YOU SHOULD KNOW
ED LEVINE
Dear Mr. Levine,
Please accept my sincere apology. I will check into this matter to ensure that this does not reoccur. But, most importantly, I will have your process expedited and follow-up through its entirety. I am happy to inform you that your MRI has been sent to our Medical Director for review. I like to hear directly from patients, so that I can continue to improve our service. Thank you for posting and I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Sincerely,
Bill.
My 85 year old mother was told you can help her with her spinal stenosis using lasers. Can you send me your results, outcome data, on your patients with this condition.
Dear Dr. Horne,
I had contacted your institute for possible back surgery, but when jessca call me back she said she needed some up front monies, I have first and secondary insurance I have been suffering with this back pain for a long time my dr here in pensacola want to do major surgery but i don't want to go through that type of surgery so i did some internet surfing and i found your insititute. My question to you why is so much money is needed up front and why isn't two insurances good enough to cover the doctors fees.
Anthony
Dear Anthony,
There are several factors that determine upfront cost, one of which is the particular insurance provider. Every patient pays a “maximum commitment,” but the amount varies according to the terms and conditions of each patient’s insurance policy. Therefore, the “maximum commitment” is determined on an individual basis. We understand that medical procedures are costly and we endeavor to continuously provide the highest quality care to our patients, while making our procedures financially accessible. Clay Grossman, our Consumer Finance Specialist is an expert on issues relating to medical procedure financing and he assists patients in exploring and selecting the best options available. He will call you within 24 hours for a more in-depth discussion of your question and to see how we may be able to help you.
Sincerely,
Bill Horne.
P.S. I have a great deal of admiration for doctors, but I am not one. :)
Dear Mr Horne,
I am a patient at LSI, scheduled to have surgery next Tuesday for a discetomy and Facet Thermal Ablation. Unfortunately for some reason, LSI filed for the wrong surgery with my insurance company. I have been waiting for LSI to refile my case again for over a week now but to no avail. Therefore unfortunately i will have to cancel next Tuedays surgery. This is my second time having to cancel. I am in considerable physical pain, to which i know you can relate, having had spinal issues. Therefore a prompt resolution is something i live for daily.
I have spoken to prior patients who have had wonderful things to say about your surgery staff and the relief they have experienced. I look forward to being one of these patients and extolling the virtues of you and your staff.
If you could have someone look into this and contact me i would greatly appreciate it.
Hi Bill,
I just got finished reading your blog. I am very interested in finding out where your institute is. I live in Spokane Washington. I have suffered low back pain, sciatica for years and have recently found out that L5 S1 are bulging and that I have a tear in the nerve root. I am in so much pain and could really relate to Ruth Meyers story about wanting to have your life back and to not being able to walk or do fun activitys with my family. That really pulls on my heart strings. I am glad that there is some hope for me. Anyways I would appreciate it if you could let me know if you have a laser Spine institute here in Spokane or if you know of a laser Spinal institute here in Spokane. I currently have an apt. with a neurosurgeon named Dr. Cynthia Hahn on March 24Th. I have suffered from pain on my left side and severe sciatica,but since I had a hysterectomy on January 12 2009 I have had massive pain on my right side causing my foot and toes to go numb and to not be able to control my urine it just comes out without me knowing it. That in itself is very embarrassing. I currently have Molina BHP for insurance and am not sure if or who could help me with that kind of insurance. I desperately need to be able to have my life back and to stop being on so many narcotics. Since this has happened to me I can't exercise because I am in to much pain witch in return makes me gain weight and cause more back problems. Anyways I just wanted to say way to go on your excellent work ethic and business practice and would really appreciate if you could find out the information that I have requested. It is a shame that I am having all of these issues and am only 38 years old. Most days I feel 60. Anyways thank you in advance for reading my email and for any help that you may give me. Take care.
Hi Serena,
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for your kind words. I am happy that you were inspired by Ruth's story and I hope that one day, you will be able to tell your own story of triumph over pain! Regarding your questions, we are located in Tampa, Florida and Scottsdale, Arizona and we are one of the few institutes that offers procedures this minimally invasive i.e. our incisions are usually less than 1 inch. I spoke with our Medical Director, Dr. Michael Perry and his recommendation is that you send in your MRI films for a second opinion after you have seen your neurologist and based on his findings, he could advise you of your best option for getting your life back!
Sincerely,
Bill Horne.
Good Morning Laura,
I certainly understand the urgency of your need to find relief from pain and hope that you will soon be able to get your life back! I apologize for the delay in the pre-certification process, but I spoke with Lisa Arbaszewski and can assure you that we are diligently working to resolve the issue ASAP. Lisa will continue to communicate with you and provide updates throughout the pre-certification process. Please feel free to email me at anytime to keep me posted on your progress and I will continue to follow-up until you get your life back!
Sincerely,
Bill Horne.
Quoting Email from Laura:
Good Morning Bill,
I can safely say that any frustrations i have had to date with LSI have been mitigated by the actions of Lisa. She has been absolutely fantastic and highly efficient (dare I suggest you give her a raise).
I have appreciated your and her help immensely. I am in high hopes that I will see you in person soon :-). Thank you so much !
Sincerely,
Laura
Good Morning Laura,
I am extremely happy that we were able to resolve this issue and that you are satisfied with our service. I recognize the value of having dedicated employees, such as Lisa because they are essential to achieving our goal of delivering excellent patient service. I shared your email with Lisa and I wish you could have seen the look on her face! Your satisfaction was a huge incentive, but we will consider your suggestion nonetheless :). In recognition of her diligence, I asked the site Administrator to post your email response. Please keep in touch and I look forward to meeting you as well.
Sincerely,
Bill.
Dear Bill,
I have followed up with numerous patients of yours these past years. Why don't you go back several years on your previous patients testimonials? It just appears you are hiding the past results of your successive rates. There are no long term studies on these procedures.
Dear Mr. Horne,
I was considering a consultation with your spine surgeons. As part of my due diligence I wanted to check on the background of Dr. St. Louis.
I went to the State of Florida website but for some reason I cannot find him
http://ww2.doh.state.fl.us/IRM00PRAES/PRASLIST.ASP#theBottom
Perhaps it is because of the spelling of his name?
Can you direct me to his online profile with the State of Florida Dept of Health please.
Thank you kindly!
Dear Stan,
This is a good question and I am sure that many readers will benefit from the proceeding information. We began performing surgeries in March 2005 and the testimonials on our website that date back to April 2005. To better equip ourselves to collect, analyze and record our surgical results, a Research Department was established approximately 18 months after inception.
Complementary to our website testimonials, we are in the process of filming an educational video, which features a number of patients who had our procedures in 2005. In fact, our first patient, Carl Karnes will be giving an update on his progress since surgery on March 23, 2005!
With regard to long term studies on these procedures, we have been in operation for 4 years, during which, we have accumulated data on patients. Our goal is to publish information relating to patient outcomes by the 4th quarter of this year. Thanks for your inquiry and please let me know if I can provide additional information.
Sincerely,
Bill Horne.
Kudos on the blog - a great way to communicate with patients and others who want to learn more. Such openness and transparency is commendable. And the main website seems to be very well done, with information about back problems, staff bios, and more.
Dear Bill P,
Kudos on your diligence! It is difficult to find information about Dr. St. Louis on the Florida Department of Health website when you search by name. I will definitely contact the relevant parties to rectify this technicality. In the interim, you may follow the instructions below to find information about Dr. St. Louis, including his educational background, training, etc., and verify the status of his license. I appreciate your patience, as we work to resolve this issue.
• Go to the main page http://www.doh.state.fl.us/
• From the main tab, select A-Z Topics
• From the tabs on the left, select MQA Online Services
• From the main tab, select Citizen/Consumer
• Under Health Information Services, click Search Practitioner Profile
• In the license field, enter OS6763
• Hit the Search tab and Dr. St. Louis’s information will appear
Sincerely,
Bill Horne.
Bill can you tell me what is the relationship if any with LSI and the Bonati Institute? Are they one in the same or just performing similar procedures. Thank you.
~ssb
Dear SSB,
There is sometimes a misconception among some individuals that the Bonati Institute and LSI are the same and/or related. However, the Laser Spine Institute has no relationship nor affiliation with the Bonati Institute whatsoever. Both institutes perform minimally invasive spine surgery and are both located in Florida, but that is the extent of similarity between the two.
Sincerely,
Bill Horne.
Bill,
I went to the seminar in San Mateo recently. I am confirmed as a candidate for the surgery. Recently my symptoms have worsened some. It started with a simple slip on an icy deck. My foot slipped a couple inches, and I caught myself. Not a problem for a person with a healthy back. Then I was involved in a minor fender bender, which was more like just stopping quickly. I have been to the Chiropractor 3 x per week, but that has limited results. Extreme tightness in low back, and all the way down the left leg to the calf, and even affecting the tendons in the bottom of my foot. These are not new symptoms to me, but it has been bearable for a long time, and now has worsened. I have no insurance that can help with payment. Last winter holiday season, there was some special pricing for procedures, so I am hopeful that there will be similar opportunity this year as well. I also have questions about if different levels need procedures, does that affect the cost?
Regards
Bret
Dear Bret,
Thank you for posting! The specific type of insurance coverage that an individual has is a major factor in determining the cost of procedures and that may have been the "special pricing" that you referenced. I will have your Patient Advocate contact you within 24-48 hours to discuss your questions in details and see how we may be able to help you. We also have a Consumer Finance Specialist, who is an expert on issues relating to medical procedure financing. Together, they will assist you in exploring the available options.
Sincerely,
Bill Horne.
My name is Kirk Brugger from Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. I am male, 41 years old and recently (May 24th to May 31st, 2009) travelled to LSI in Tampa. I had been in Tampa, Florida in March of this year and dropped by unannounced with a CD with 3 MRIs and CT Scan from Canada. The staff at LSI gave me a full tour of the facility and its procedures. They told me that their medical staff would review all of the records and get back to me. They were very prompt and I was told that I was a candidate for LSI's procedures. My main issue was my L5/S1 area with a herniated disc and spinal stenosis.
My wife, Robyn, and I traveled down at the end of May to have the procedure done. The first day, Tuesday, I had 2 X-rays and an MRI done in about half an hour. They informed me that on Wednesday we would meet with the doctors to confirm all of reports and map out the surgical procedure.
On Wednesday, we met with a couple of the medical staff to go over everything. We then met Dr. Kevin Scott, the surgeon. He asked me a number of questions about my existing pain levels. The pain was not running down my left leg, and I had spent the past 18 months stretching and working on my condition. The pain was isolated to the lower left back area. After giving Dr. Scott the information, he felt it was in my best interest to NOT proceed right now with surgery! I was disheartened but respected his decision. Due to the fact we had traveled all of this way, I asked LSI if I could meet with Dr. Scott again. On Thursday (my scheduled surgical date), Dr. Scott met with me again at 8 am. Again, he answered all of my questions and told me to go home and try some facet blocking and continue my workout regime. Dr. Scott also asked me to contact him over the next few months to see the effects.
As a Canadian, we carry no health insurance. The cost of this procedure is out of pocket and was to be paid up front. I want any potential surgical candidates to know that LSI was very impressive in their approach. The patient is first, and Dr. Scott explained, "we make our money doing surgery, but I feel it is in your best interest to not proceed at this time."
From day one, I have been extremely happy with the service of ALL of the LSI staff. They truly care about their patients and are not "just after your money." My patient advocate, Dawn Bader has been great. One of the staff had a birthday while I was there and they even invited me in for a piece of the homemade red velvet cake. If I end up needing surgery, I will be back at LSI and encourage anyone considering their options to contact LSI. I have also instructed LSI that if anyone from Canada wants to contact me about my experience they are more than welcome to do so. Do not be skeptical as LSI is working in their patients best interests.
My deepest gratitude,
Kirk Brugger, BA, CFP
Certified Financial Planner
kirk@bruggerwealth.ca
Brugger Wealth Management
2800 Victoria Ave. Unit A
Brandon, Manitoba R7B 3X1