My LLMD is out of state and my state hospitals won't do the PICC because he is not licensed in this state and I am struggling to find a LLMD here to help me get a PICC (that is why I had to leave the state in the first place).
My insurance is mostly local so getting the PICC put in down by my LLMD in his state of practice would be covered only at 70%.
For those of you that have had PICCs put in, what was the average cost of the procedure? Are we talking $1,500 or $5,000? Hopefully less
Thanks,
jloisu
[ 14. October 2005, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: jloisu ]
Posted by jloisu (Member # 7538) on :
up Posted by HOPE4290 (Member # 7926) on :
Joe,
I believe the PICC line was in the neighborhood of $1500 where a port is around $3500. I think that is what I was told when we were researching it around us.
This is the reason our doctor had us ask a local doc to facilitate the port insertion. Our regular primary care doctor wrote the prescriptions and oversees the treatment plan. He says he is Dr. J's "intern" in all this and takes the lead from him on what to do. It does not need to be a local LLMD, just an MD. Are there any near you that would help you out?
Posted by jloisu (Member # 7538) on :
I am struggling because there aren't many in my area that believe that you can have lyme w/o a CDC positive blot. Even w/my other tests - SPECT, Bowen, IND IgeneX, 3 LLMDs saying I need IV, etc.
I am working w/the Lyme Disease Association of Iowa to try to find a doc here that will help, but it may be a stuggle.
The MD that I saw the other day had her nurse lie to me and tell me she couldn't order a PICC even though I had just got off the phone w/the department at hospital she works at that does the PICC lines and they said any doc licensed in IA can order one. She just doesn't want to stick her neck out.
Instead she wants to send me to an infectious disease specialist. I've seen a couple around here. They laugh at you and don't believe that you could have lyme. The last one I saw among many other things suggested I may have syphilis. After 2 years of finally getting a lyme diagnosis.
I told her to her face....test me (and I let her - which I was negative), but I would have noticed sores on my privates along time ago don't you think? I wasn't quite as censored with her...She asked a stupid question...I gave her a pointed anwer. It took all I had not to walk out of my appt. w/her. She didn't believe for a minute there was a chance I could have lyme.
Thanks Hope Posted by aliyalex (Member # 6976) on :
This isn't hard enough...add all the quacking...
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by jloisu: It took all I had not to walk out of my appt. w/her. She didn't believe for a minute there was a chance I could have lyme.
Posted by pab (Member # 904) on :
Do you have a home health agency set up yet?
The kids' home health agency had a company (PICC Stat) come to our home for the PICC insertion. They also scheduled an x-ray company to come to our home to check the line placement.
We are in MN and our LLMD is out-of-state.
Jake needed to have his PICC switched from the right arm to the left arm. He had a clog in the tube that the nurses could not dissolve. He had to go to the ER and the ER doctor called PICC Stat.
Our insurance covered the insertion because the home health agency ordered it.
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
Joe,
When I saw Dr. K in Aug; he suggested a picc which I declined.
He said he would get it thru Ankeny source. Check w/Scott Taylor for his input. K quoted $1500 to $1800/month for 28 days.
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