buy vs loaner?

[Country]

what is the view on insurance buying a machine compared to renting a machine from a company like Philips Healthcare?

I just recieved a packet in the mail from philips but i did not realize that i would only be borrowing the machine if i went with their program.

Sad to say that i am only 23 and i think that i might need a machine for a while.... but then on the other hand i wouldnt have to worry about it if the machine breaks since they would send me a new one.

the other big issue i have is that i worry about going back into the sheet metal trade and being able to work like i did before with no other complications..... if i cant handle it then my insurance goes right out the window along with my inr tester...... ha

maybe these are some personal issues that i have to work thru. but what do you all think? thanks!:biggrin2:

 

[Cris N]

5 years ago when I wanted a monitor my insurance co (UHC) wouldn't go the purchase route. My service is through Phillips. My coverage takes care of it - no out of pocket. If it had been a purchase I would have been responsible for 20% & part of the cost of the test strips. But in the meantime, the insurance is paying $140/month (billed at $280). Needless to say UHC has paid for the machine many times over.

 

[dick0236]

what is the view on insurance buying a machine compared to renting a machine from a company like Philips Healthcare?
:

I had the same questions when I began to investigate home testing. More and more insurance plans are paying for home testing, so I doubt that this will be a problem in the future....and insurance is one thing you will not want to loose if you need to go into other employment. My program with Alere costs me about $6 per test and allows me to test only every two weeks. They provide all test strips, lancets along with the use of the machine (they are responsible for servicing the machine if needed). I looked at the Phillips program but they required weekly testing so I went with Alere and a bi-weekly program. For about 12 bucks per month, home testing is a very good deal.

 

[AgilityDog]

Find out what the monthly charge is! When Raytel held the lease on my Inratio I paid $50 per month. In 2 years I paid $600 for the service, and still did not own the machine.

Then Phillips took over, changed the billing codes, and billed $248 per month. Because my insurance deductible is $3000 per year, I was stuck with 100% of the charges. After trying to fix what I thought were billiing errors, I cancelled the service and bought my own machine, for $780. I pay about $250 for 48 strips. I've had my machine for 2 years, with no problems. I think I save money by buying my own machine and strips. I suppose I could try to claim the strips against my deductible, but I'm saving my breath. United Healthcare would probably push for a lease again. No flipping way.

 

[Philip B]

Purchase v. Lease

Purchase v. Lease

I decided to purchase my monitor. My insurance company initially refused to pick-up the tab, but after six months of battling I did get reimbursed. I prefer to test weekly and sometimes do twice a week if I feel it's necessary.

Insurance never has paid for test strips. I buy test strips in bulk.

Perspectives vary, but I've never relied on anyone to manage my coumadin dosing. It always seened like a hassle to mess with calling in results and having someone tell me what dosage adjustments to make... but that's just me. Others prefer to work with a manager.

-Philip

 

[Mentu]

Country, you are approaching 6 weeks when you could start Cardiac Rehab. That would be a good way for you to start building your stamina and give you confidence that you can do normal things again. My experience is that one must recondition one's body, rebuilding strength and stamina lost during the time leading up to and following surgery. This isn't something that will happen in one week or one month but if you work at it, you are likely to feel the results week by week. Besides strength and stamina, some people are more sensitive to extremes of heat for awhile but that too seems to be just a process of reacclimatization.

Larry

 

[Country]

larry

i have already been doing rehab. when has everyone else started? i have prob been going since week 3.

 

[Protimenow]

Buy a monitor - take control of your anticoagulation

Buy a monitor - take control of your anticoagulation

I'm strongly convinced that owning your monitor is a way to go. I'm also of a mind that, if a person is capable of managing his or her own anticoagulation (and you DO come HERE for advice, don't you?) that person SHOULD. Physician fears that the patients would kill themselves if left to their own care may apply in some cases -- but I've read some pretty horrible stories about these 'medical professionals' who give terrible advice.

I diet my dose - I don't dose my diet. If I change my diet (I'm thinking of becoming a 'juicer', with green, leafy stuff added to my juice), I can monitor the changes to my INR as often as I think I should, and make minor adjustments to my dosage to assure that my INR stays within range. (You can't do that on a program that only authorizes two or four tests a month).

I'll be commenting on the eBay thread here, but it's good to know that the price of used (or even lightly used) meters is dropping, and the cost of entry to the world of testing machine ownership has gotten quite low. A meter like the ProTime, which runs two quality control tests each time a test is made, should ease many concerns about accuracy. (I don't work with, or consult for, ProTime, or any other meter manufacturer or distributor, but I'm pretty comfortable with their system, even if it's not a favorite on this forum).

But, all things considered, I think that for most of us, owning our own meter, and buying the strips that go with them from a reputable supplier (and keeping an accurate diary of dosing, any unusual dietary or activity changes, and INRs) is a good way to go -- and to manage your INRs better than most 'professionals' can.