Hello,
I just got off the phone with my boyfriend's case manager who told me that we didn't have a shot of getting approved for a home testing monitor because he is abled bodied and can get into the local clinic to have his lab drawn so they don't see any need. However, I have extensively read this forum, journal articles etc that explain the benefits of home testing in lifelong coumadin patients so I got a little irate when they told me this. In addition it bothers me that he is going to a local clinic where we live to get blood drawn and then the sample is sent 2 hours away to the larger facility for the actual test...sometimes it is 24 hours until the blood is tested and then another 24 hours before we hear the results. Maybe scientifically that doesn't matter but it doesn't seem right to me.
In addition I didn't like the way they handled his drop in INR last week. It went from 3.7 to 1.2 in two weeks. I think it was because he started eating salads at lunch with broccoli and was an increase of Vitamin K over our diets previously. They told him to eat whatever and didn't say to call them if he makes any changes it would be seen in the INR testing. When they got the 1.2 reading they just upped the dose to 7.5mg 4days and 5 the other 3 with another test in two weeks. OK but now he stopped eating the salads and he can't go in for a check on his INR until next week. If we had a home monitor I could at least test this week to make sure it didn't go up too far with increased dose. I am at my wits end with his doctors!
I will keep fighting the insurance company and his doctors or else he will just get one for Christmas!! I guess I needed to vent but would also love any advice anyone has in how they got their devices.
Cheers,
Theresa
I just got off the phone with my boyfriend's case manager who told me that we didn't have a shot of getting approved for a home testing monitor because he is abled bodied and can get into the local clinic to have his lab drawn so they don't see any need. However, I have extensively read this forum, journal articles etc that explain the benefits of home testing in lifelong coumadin patients so I got a little irate when they told me this. In addition it bothers me that he is going to a local clinic where we live to get blood drawn and then the sample is sent 2 hours away to the larger facility for the actual test...sometimes it is 24 hours until the blood is tested and then another 24 hours before we hear the results. Maybe scientifically that doesn't matter but it doesn't seem right to me.
In addition I didn't like the way they handled his drop in INR last week. It went from 3.7 to 1.2 in two weeks. I think it was because he started eating salads at lunch with broccoli and was an increase of Vitamin K over our diets previously. They told him to eat whatever and didn't say to call them if he makes any changes it would be seen in the INR testing. When they got the 1.2 reading they just upped the dose to 7.5mg 4days and 5 the other 3 with another test in two weeks. OK but now he stopped eating the salads and he can't go in for a check on his INR until next week. If we had a home monitor I could at least test this week to make sure it didn't go up too far with increased dose. I am at my wits end with his doctors!
I will keep fighting the insurance company and his doctors or else he will just get one for Christmas!! I guess I needed to vent but would also love any advice anyone has in how they got their devices.
Cheers,
Theresa