" I've Never Had A Patient Regret Investing In Their Health.
I've Had Many Heart-wrenching Discussions With Patients Who Regret Not Having Invested In Their Health."
- Bill Metaxas, DPM
We are proud to be one of only a handful of clinics nationwide featuring Dr. Metaxas’ expertise in minimally invasive techniques combined with advanced 3D imaging and—perhaps most critically—dedicated to delivering unhurried, personalized care.
If you are reading this, you are considering a significant surgical solution for a complex structural problem. To provide you with absolute diagnostic confidence, we invest our time heavily upfront, engineering a precise, scientifically backed treatment roadmap before any final decisions are made.
Our foundational value is to Learn, Educate, Innovate, and Advocate.
Our first priority is empowering you to choose the absolute best solution for your health—which frequently means advancing far beyond the outdated, least-expensive treatments dictated by standard health insurance coverage. Only after your optimal path is established do we work to maximize your health benefits to support that goal, ultimately helping you return to your best self.
Consultation Pathways
Depending on the complexity of your case and where you are in your treatment journey, our practice offers two pathways:
1. Initial Consultations
For patients who have not had prior surgeries, standard initial consultations to establish care and perform a baseline evaluation can often be billed directly to your health insurance, allowing us to seamlessly integrate with your existing coverage for foundational care.
2. Second Opinions & Comprehensive Reports
Patients with complex, chronic, or previously surgical cases require a diagnostic synthesis that cannot be rushed. Dr. Metaxas limits his clinical schedule to provide these intensive, executive-level evaluations.
This bespoke, in-person second opinion consultation starts at a $2,000 self-pay investment, designed to provide definitive structural answers and includes:
- A focused, thorough in-person clinical examination
- Northern California’s exclusive CurveBeam® PedCat™ 3D weight-bearing imaging
- A focused review of submitted prior operative notes and medical records
- A customized summary report and treatment proposal
The Surgical Investment
Because every patient is unique, surgical fees are evaluated individually, based on the complexity of the case and the proprietary techniques required to address it.
Dr. Metaxas’ surgical fee typically ranges between $8,000 and $10,000 or more for minimally invasive reconstructions.
This investment secures his expertise in the operating room, during your recovery, and access to advanced regenerative protocols. Routine and uncomplicated post-operative follow-up visits and imaging can often be billed directly to your insurance.
Through our extensive experience navigating hundreds of health plans, we have identified a universal truth: health insurance is a financial product designed to protect you from catastrophic medical emergencies, not to fund state-of-the-art, specialized outpatient care.
Because insurance policies are strictly governed by cost-control metrics rather than modern medical science, they routinely exclude the advanced, minimally invasive reconstructive techniques Dr. Metaxas utilizes to accelerate your recovery.
Maximizing Your Coverage: Surgery Center & Anesthesia Fees
Dr. Metaxas’ surgical fee is strictly for his private clinical expertise; it does not include the accredited surgery center, anesthesia, surgical implants, or post-operative bracing and supplies.
Our team will do everything we can to help maximize your health insurance benefits; depending on your individual plan, some health insurances may provide coverage and payment for accredited surgery center, anesthesia, and other services. As a reminder, all health insurance plans have a cost-share with patients.
To learn the exact legal and financial realities of how your coverage works—and why we never allow insurance to dictate your treatment—please review our comprehensive guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
In short, because health insurance pays for "big things" not every thing.
Health insurance is a financial product designed to protect you from catastrophic medical emergencies, not to fund state-of-the-art, specialized outpatient care.
Policies are strictly governed by cost-control metrics rather than modern medical science, which means they routinely exclude the advanced, minimally invasive reconstructive techniques Dr. Metaxas utilizes to accelerate your recovery.
• Whether you are covered by an Employer Sponsored Plan (ERISA) or a PPO plan (governed under the Affordable Care Act) insurers prioritize the least expensive, outdated standard of care.
• Medicare historically excluded Podiatric care from its original mandate, and notoriously restricts coverage and reduces payments annually under rigid bureaucratic guidelines driven by systemic budget deficits.
To understand exactly how your specific plan limits your treatment options, you can review our detailed guides on Employer Sponsored (ERISA), PPO Plans, and Medicare,
This is one of the most common questions we face, and it is frustrating because Insurance is frequently misleading to give the impression of greater value for your healthcare dollar. Here's the detail:
No. In the health insurance industry, "covered" simply means the procedure code exists in their system—it is never a guarantee of payment. Insurance representatives are trained to use non-committal language to shift financial liability back to the patient.
If an insurance representative claims a procedure is covered, we highly recommend calling them back and demanding they answer these exact questions:
• Can you certify medical necessity for this procedure?
• Does my policy consider this medically necessary?
• Can you certify coverage for this procedure?
• Does my policy provide coverage for this procedure?
• Can you certify payment for this procedure?
• Can you certify the payment amount for this procedure?
• What is the exact payment amount for this procedure?
• Can you guarantee in writing that payment will not be retroactively denied after my treatment is completed?
If they refuse to provide these guarantees in writing, they are legally protecting their right to deny your claim later.
This is exactly why Dr. Metaxas operates on a transparent, fee-for-service basis for his surgical expertise, ensuring you know your exact investment upfront without relying on insurance loopholes.
This is a standard industry scare tactic designed to prevent you from seeking specialized treatment.
Insurance companies win when you do nothing; if you are intimidated out of proceeding with your surgery, they are entirely off the hook for any expenses.
You must remember the fundamental difference in our roles: Doctors practice medicine, while health insurance companies practice cost control.
Our first priority is empowering you to choose the absolute best solution for your health.
We protect your health decisions by providing absolute financial clarity upfront, ensuring you never have to compromise your recovery due to third-party intimidation. A Doctor's job is to help a patient make the best decision for their health, not to help an insurance company's cost savings goals.