Cost of treatment
May 12, 2010 by admin
Filed under Family News and Updates
Each year thousands of families search for medical care to treat a vascular anomaly. Some have to travel out of state for care, this creates complications with health care insurance. The few fortunate ones are able to get authorization from the insurance companies for out of network care at in-network benefits because of an exclusion policy that allows for out of network care when in-network care is not available for a specific treatment. However, most are not so lucky. They may get some out of network benefit but in the end most families have to search of other options to pay for care. Many of the NOVA family of physicians offer reduced fees of service for families that do not have insurance or when the insurance is not paying the in-network benefits. The generosity of our physicians is above and beyond what any one expects. I can not even count all the patients NOVA has referred that have been treated at various Vascular Anomaly Centers with minimum or no fee charged by the doctor. While most of the doctors will work out payment plans and clearly outline fees for services some offices give verbal indication that there will be no out of pocket cost to the family when in reality this is not the case. NOVA is advising ALL patients and their families to ask for a written estimate of charges for care from the doctor in advance of any treatment and for an explanation of the payment plan that is available. NOVA is also advising ALL patietns and families to read the fine print of contracts of service with the doctor, the hospital and any associates of either. While doctors may waive or reduce fees hospitals are not typically included in this agreement!
Here at NOVA we want to protect our families from any hardship that may occur when unexpected medical costs arise. We have had recent concerns voiced to us about billing practices and unexpected charges by some offices. Upfront communication and clear expectations by patients and physicians can prevent financial heartaches later.
Please feel free to share your stories and experiences with us here.
cynthia alva on Sat, 15th May 2010 6:49 pm
hola yo tengo una nena de 1 año y 1 mes q tiene un hemangioma en el labio.actualmente esta con tratamiento de propranolol hace 5 meses.pero se lo tengo q suspender seguido porque le hagarran broncoespasmos,quisiera saber si hay otro posible tratamiento y cual seria el costo.muchas gracias.
admin on Tue, 1st Jun 2010 8:08 am
Translation: Hi I have a baby 1 year and 1 month. She has a hemangioma in the lip. Currently we are treating this with propranolol treatment for 5 months. but I have it suspend treatment because of bronchospasm followed because he would like to know if there is another possible treatment and what would be the cost. many thanks.
Reply:Bienvenido a NOVA.
Las opciones de tratamiento para los hemangiomas incluyen una variedad de servicios médicos, quirúrgicos y opciones de láser.
Las opciones médicas incluyen los esteroides, vincristina, un medicamento tópico llamado REGRANEX y propranolol. Hay efectos secundarios de todos los medicamentos y los beneficios del tratamiento deben compensar los riesgos antes de usarlo.
Las opciones quirúrgicas con láser y se retirará el hemangioma y / o utilización de los láseres médicos para disminuir el color, el crecimiento lento y reducir el tamaño del hemangioma.
Los costes de tratamiento varían de centro a centro. Sería importante preguntarle a su médico acerca de los costos y los procedimientos de facturación antes de comenzar cualquier tratamiento.
¿Dónde están ubicados? Si en el correo electrónico NOVA khall@mail.novanews.org puedo darle más información.
Reply Translation: Welcome to NOVA.
The treatment options for hemangioma include a variety of medical, surgical and laser options.
The Medical options include steroids, vincristine, a topical medication called regranex and propranolol. There are side effects to all medications and the benefits of treatment must outweigh the risks before using.
The surgical and laser options include removing the hemangioma and or using medical lasers to lessen the color, slow growth and shrink the hemangioma.
Treatment costs vary from center to center. It would be important to ask your physician about costs and billing procedures before starting any treatment.
Where are you located? If you email NOVA at khall@mail.novanews.org I can provide you with more information.
camelia onofrei on Tue, 13th Jul 2010 4:01 pm
Hello!My name is Camelia I am 29 years old and I am really desperate to get rid of my birthmarks for many years.As now it started to affect my life seriouslly like I avoid to go out and I can t relationate well with people I will need help from a good doctor or an advice were to go.I have it on my face near forehead on left hand side is inside the skin because laser treatmant didn t help..I had it for 9 months and it didin t work.It is a vascular birhmark and it look like someone really heat me…very dark brown.Please I need some help,as every single day I suffer because of it.Thank you very much!
Thanks on Sun, 18th Jul 2010 2:53 pm
If you want more information about port wine stain
http://www.portwinestain.net
admin on Wed, 28th Jul 2010 5:28 pm
NOTE from NOVA: we have visited the http://www.portwindestain.net web site and do not fine the site to demonstrate priciples for reilable health information on the internet. It does not meet the HONcode principles for medical information on the internet either.
Reliable Medical Information should make it easy for you to know
*who is responsible for the online resouce
*purpose of the online resource
*purpose of the website itself
*references and citations for the medical information including dates of publication
*direct contact information with the individual that maintains the web site
This website does not provide these checks at this time. NOVA has done a whois search and have contacted their webmaster requesting verification for this PWS information- until that time we do not reccomend you use this site for medical content. There are several reliable sources for PWS.
admin on Wed, 28th Jul 2010 5:30 pm
Camelia: Welcome to NOVA.
Determining where you should seek a medical opinion depends on where you are living and they type of vascular anomaly you are affected by. If you could email me at khall@mail.novanews.org and send a photo to me I would better be able to address your concerns. You can also look at our Resources page and view the physician listings for different states and countries. There are several places we can suggest in the UK.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Karla
admin on Wed, 28th Jul 2010 5:35 pm
Bienvenido a NOVA. Las opciones de tratamiento para los hemangiomas son los esteroides orales, láser y esteroides. El propranolol es el nuevo medicamento se utiliza. Todavía se está estudiando. ¿Dónde está tu hija está siguiendo? ¿Quién es el tratamiento de ella?
Karla