Gary M Berke, MS, CP

Dr Gary Berke and his staff are simply amazing. He has cared for my son and his prosthetic needs following a motorcycle accident which took his leg from the knee down. Gary has a great sense of humor and is attentive to every need. His staff are efficient and kind. I can’t say enough good things about Dr Berke and how pleased I am with how well he has cared for my son.

My son had his leg amputated above the knee shortly after birth. Gary was recommended to me by both my son’s orthopedic surgeon and his physical therapist as being one of the best prosthetists, especially with children. My son received his first prosthesis when he was one year old and has received new ones every year (since he keeps growing). While we have often been frustrated by the lack of really good prosthetic knees for children, Gary has been fabulous to work with. He keeps trying new solutions to find what will work best for my son. He talks directly to the manufacturer when things don’t work as well as they should (it doesn’t always make a difference, but at least he tries) and is willing to think outside the box to get things to function better. When the prosthesis needs emergency cleaning to work or adjustments (playing in the sandbox tends to be hard on the device), he has always been accommodating at getting us in for last minute appointments. The few times he has been out of town, his junior prosthetists have been great and very helpful. He is responsive to emails. Gary has very warm and friendly personality and my son adores him. I haven’t worked with anyone who is better with kids (and we see a lot of people in the medical profession). The office staff is always friendly and helpful.

TL;DR: Gary’s a great prosthetist and will work with you to meet your needs. I cannot speak higher of him and his staff. They’ve treated me like family.
I’ve been a below the knee amputee (along with a host of other injuries) for nearly 8 years now as the result of a motor vehicle collision that happened in my early twenties. Gary was one of the first medical professionals to work with me to improve my standard of living. It was his quick and excellent work that got me standing and walking around while I was still hospitalized. I can cite my experiences with him as a defining reason why I was able to recover as well as I have. Gary has done far more than build me a new la master in his craft, but also is very friendly and welcoming.
Gary has built me several legs (residual limbs change over time, and sometimes you need a leg for a specialized activity) and has always done an excellent job. I wish all medical professionals conducted their affairs with the patience, attention to detail, and positive attitude that Gary exhibits every time I’ve visited him.
Review of work:
Prosthetics:
— Fit: I’m difficult, but Gary has always worked with me to address any problems that crop up. He has always cautioned me to contact him immediately if I have a problem, and he has always found a way to quickly fit me in when they are urgent. Early on he told me to not worry about doing an activity I want to do. «If it breaks, we’ll fix it». Knowing I can get in to see him quickly in an emergency is a real weight lifted off my mind. Gary’s professionalism has literally given me my freedom back. I cannot thank him enough.
–Options: Gary has worked to educate me on what my options are, and has conducted outside research to help me find the best equipment for my needs. I now have a regular «all purpose» leg that I can comfortably walk long distances in, a leg with a slight angle to allow me to wear dress shoes (a must if you’re work requires business casual/​dress attire), and a swim/​shower leg with a pivoting ankle that allows me to kick well in the pool. I’m happy with all of them, and especially with the swim leg, I feel like he’s given me back my favorite activity.
Orthotics:
In addition to my legs I require an AFO on my other «human» leg, and a large elbow brace to secure my arm when I swim. Gary made me a standard AFO at first, but as my activity level increased, we eventually moved to a minorly customized 3^rd party carbon fiber one. These are great for walking (literally putting a spring in my step), but have a tendency to break frequently (I said I was rough on my equipment!). Gary works quickly to get me a replacement when they do break, and still has me trying the latest tech when its available. So far there’s been nothing I like better, but thats not his fault!
Billing:
Brenda and Marie explain the billing process and walk me through how it will work after each appointment. They are miracle workers, but sometimes what insurance will cover is less than my needs/​desires. They have done wonders to minimize this financial impact on me, but when its unavoidable, the prices are fair and never unexpected. We all know medical devices are expensive, but its nice to know your prosthetist is on your side and will work with you.

Dr. Berke has been my son’s prosthetic doctor for a little over 10 yrs. He has been great, he listens to our concerns and address our needs. He works really well with my son and my son is very comfortable with him and his staff. The prosthesis that have been provided to my son have been excellent. I highly recommend Dr. Berke and his staff. You won’t be disappointed.

I went to Gary Berke for custom running orthotics almost two years ago; they completely solved my metatarsal problem. Recently, I started having a sore left foot. Wrote to Gary on the 23^rd of December; he wrote me back right away, and agreed to see my on the day before Xmas; was waiting for me in reception, saw me right away; talked to me for a good while along with the exam; re-​tooled the orthotics while I was waiting in the clinic; charged me nothing, saying this was an «adjustment» to the existing orthotics. Is this American medical care??? Can’t recall being treated so well in any clinical setting ever.

I’ve never dealt with ”medical professionals” that are more incompetent and completely unethical as I did with Gary and Brenda. Brenda (billing) did not preauthorize my new prosthetic leg with my insurance company. It appears as though Brenda tried to cover-​up the mistake sending me documentation that she misrepresented to me. Worse yet, Gary skips a critical step and builds the worst leg I have ever had in the 27 years that I’ve been wearing prosthetic legs. I believe Gary took steps to hide his mistakes from me. I know by 2011 Gary saw a ”pressure sore” and chose to say nothing (this is the most critical issue.) It’s 2012 and I now have to use crutches due to pain caused by the ”pressure sore/​alignment” issue. It takes until March 2013 for me to realize that this alignment issue was the cause of all my pain. I’m convinced Gary knew why I was experiencing so much pain if not from the beginning (when he realized there was a major measurement issue), then certainly by 2011 when I noticed him inspecting this ”pressure sore.”
To this date (Sept 01, 2013), Gary has never admitted to doing anything wrong.
I have extremely compelling (and reproducible) photographic evidence that illustrates my point. Here is a link to my photos and a more detailed explanation of what he did:
I have read Brenda’s response (see next post) and completely disagree with every point Brenda B has made:
1) Seems like Brenda is implying that I would be without a leg? The only reason I went to Berk Prosthetics when I did is because I just got out of the hospital so my deductible was paid and therefore the cost was going to be minimal (ironic.)
2) Brenda disputes my claim that she did not get a preauthorization from my insurance company. I called Blue Shield and they confirmed the documentation Brenda B sent me was not a preauthorization. I have documentation that supports this. The fact that I spent $ 7,200 thousand dollars pretty much speaks for itself.
Furthermore, I went to Hanger Prosthetics in San Mateo, CA to get an estimate from them (January 7, 2010.) I said nothing to them about my insurance cap (it would have defeated the purpose.) They called me the next day and told me about this cap that Brenda B couldn’t find. This is documented not only by me but also by Hanger.
3) Brenda B claims they wrote off over ½ the fee. The original invoice to the insurance company was $ 12, 618.55. Of which Blue Shield paid $ 2,000.00 and I paid $ 7,200.00 this leaves $ 3,418.55 or 27%. Furthermore, Blue Shield would have deducted (I’m guessing) around 25% if this were covered under my insurance. Blue Shield typically deducts around 50% when I visit the doctor. Anybody with insurance knows this. Now couple this with the fact that I specifically told Gary that they need to check with my insurance company regarding a complete leg. They failed to check and that cost me $ 4,350.50 for an extra foot I already had. If I stop here it is a complete rip-​off! But I’m not going to stop… just click the link below and you will see just how bad my $ 9,200.00 dollar leg is. I had to rent a wheelchair in 2011. I had to buy a pair of crutches in 2012 after one week in Europe. Last time I was in Europe I spent six weeks there and never even thought about crutches.
Is this what they do when they make mistakes with other patients? Berke Prosthetics made 3 major mistakes with me alone: 1) failed to preauthorize with insurance. 2) Skipped walking on test socket. 3) Makes my socket about one inch too short which would have been detected if I got to walk on my test socket.

The people here were very nice and helpful. They fit me in last minute after an appointment with my doctor. They also billed my insurance for me, bonus!
The device I got ended up not helping my problem, but that’s not their fault.