donnag131
Active member
I did a search through these forums before I made a decision on home monitoring and read both pros and cons about Raytels program. I chose Raytel for two reasons. First, my insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, will cover the rental of the unit and all the supplies 100%.This is not billed as Durable Medical Products. If I was to buy a unit and supplies myself, they will only pay up to $1500 per year under Durable Medical Products. Last year I topped the $1500 amount with orthopedic supplies alone, so I figured the rental option was my best bet. Second, Raytel is located less than 20 miles from my home, so I figured if I had any problems, I could go knocking on their door.
Here's an overview of my experience so far:
Thurs. 1-10-08: I called Raytel to have them fax the Physician Order Form to my PCP. They were very informative.
Thurs. 1-24-08: I called Raytel to see how things were going. They told me my insurance is covering their service 100%, but BCBS won't start coverage until 4-10-08 because I have to wait 3 months since starting anti-coagulation. It turns out my PCP filled out the form wrong and put down 1-10-08 as my starting anti-coagulation date instead of 6-24-04. As soon as I explained this, my very friendly customer rep. told me to pick out a machine (I chose the INRatio) and that it will be sent out on Monday 1-28.
Tues. 1-29-08: I received my machine. I called Raytel to let them know I received it. They said they will fax their nurse, and she will call me to make an appointment for my home instructions.
Thursday 1-31-08: The nurse called and set up an appointment for the next day at 9:30 a.m.
Friday 2-01-08: The nurse called exactly at 9:30. She was very professional and extremely friendly and I performed my tests. (I messed up on the first blood drop.) I called in my results to Raytel, and 45 minutes later my PCP called with my new dosage.
The process is extremely easy and I give Raytel an A+ so far. My next step is to find a coumadin manager who knows how to dose me correctly. My current PCP has made one to many mistakes. (Another long story.) Maybe someday I will feel comfortable doing it myself, but not right now.
Here's an overview of my experience so far:
Thurs. 1-10-08: I called Raytel to have them fax the Physician Order Form to my PCP. They were very informative.
Thurs. 1-24-08: I called Raytel to see how things were going. They told me my insurance is covering their service 100%, but BCBS won't start coverage until 4-10-08 because I have to wait 3 months since starting anti-coagulation. It turns out my PCP filled out the form wrong and put down 1-10-08 as my starting anti-coagulation date instead of 6-24-04. As soon as I explained this, my very friendly customer rep. told me to pick out a machine (I chose the INRatio) and that it will be sent out on Monday 1-28.
Tues. 1-29-08: I received my machine. I called Raytel to let them know I received it. They said they will fax their nurse, and she will call me to make an appointment for my home instructions.
Thursday 1-31-08: The nurse called and set up an appointment for the next day at 9:30 a.m.
Friday 2-01-08: The nurse called exactly at 9:30. She was very professional and extremely friendly and I performed my tests. (I messed up on the first blood drop.) I called in my results to Raytel, and 45 minutes later my PCP called with my new dosage.
The process is extremely easy and I give Raytel an A+ so far. My next step is to find a coumadin manager who knows how to dose me correctly. My current PCP has made one to many mistakes. (Another long story.) Maybe someday I will feel comfortable doing it myself, but not right now.
