anyone have to get their INR checked in a lab every 3 months?

[wcasey5]

This is a requirement my cardio has come up with. They say they get audited and as I own my monitor, I have to get it checked every 3 months by a lab. Does this sound weird?

 

[Cris N]

It does sound a bit odd. Sounds like they want to generate a bit more $$$. Have you asked what audit & by whom?

 

[catwoman]

Sounds weird to me!
Audited by whom?
Does the cardio use finger-stick method for INR tests, or do all patients submit to blood draws in the arm? Just curious.......
I wonder if endocrinologists, internists or family physicians ask their diabetic patients to come in to do a comparison glucose test against one in the practitioner's office???

Methinks the cardio isn't sold on the accuracy of INR home-test monitors.

 

[Ross]

There is no such standard. Someone just wants to increase their bottom line. Sure, you may want to test against a lab sometime to see if your machine is anywhere near accurate, but they'll never have matching numbers. If they do, it will be amazing.

 

[Cooker]

Their audit is not your problem ... tell em to stick it ... don't ya just love early morning puns

 

[wcasey5]

This is what I thought. They said it was a government audit, but I think they are just uncomfortible with me owning my machine, or something like that, and magically the audit started to happen. My PCP monitors INR so I may switch because they are easier to deal with. I do like my cardio, but I don't like the run-around.

I do find this an interesting reaction a disturbance in the little INR cabal here in my small town. Apparently, all cardios funnel warfarin patients to the main clinic in the hospital, which has the ONLY lab with an INR testing mackine in the small city where I live. All other labs in the area have to do a blood draw. Hell of a coincidence. Being the independant person I am, when I was being charged $45 per test for my INR testing after having being told by the hospital and the insurance company that it would be $7.13, and having exhausted the insurance/billing/insurance route, I bought my own machine. My cardio approved it but I don't think they realized it was a purchase vs lease until it was too late. So I am independant and it looks like they want to have a claw in me to still get their little bit of flesh.

On one hand it is entertaining watching the antics of the health care industry frantically protecting "their hand in my wallet" priviledges when real choice is put in the hands of a health consumer. But on the other, it tic's me off being milked in this manor.

Thanks for the help, you guys are the best!

 

[wcasey5]

I should have added, the Cardio's office has it's own machine for testing, a plain Inratio I believe. But they don't "manage" INR with testing, only for patients with their own machine. If you want a test, you have to go to the hospital.

 

[lance]

You will probably have to deal with this annoyance for a little while. I have a Coagucheck XS and I'm required to comparison test every 6 months. I think it's useless because sometimes the lab (vein) draw results take 3 days.
However, everyone involved is happy and cooperative.

 

[olefin]

Yes, I think it's weird.

Some cardiologist do not trust the monitors or don't want to give up the income. My last cardio said his office had a monitor but never used it. After he approved my home testing he still required me to come in once a month for lab test, the same as before. But the reason was because he could get pay... his office didn't know he could have made more profit from reading my weekly results than he made from his monthly test. But they didn't know how to code the charge to Medicare.

I got a new carido, my last lab test was 3/10/09. He's happy with me doing my own dosing. I never hear from his office until recently. I was on a cruise and got diarrhea, tested my INR and it was 6.1. I have to notify QAS the results and they notify the doc. I sent email since we were at sea but of course the doc's office couldn't get in touch with me. Had a message on my machine when we got home.

 

[Ross]

This is another prime example of why the entire medical field needs to get their acts together and get on the same page. Too many places doing too many different things, as well as, too many people that still don't know how to manage a patient, but are yet titled professionals. 50 years have gone by and to this day, I can walk into the hospital ask 3 different doctors a question and get 3 totally different answers when it comes to anticoagulation. There is absolutely no excuse for it.

 

[wcasey5]

2 different managers, 2 totally different styles for me so far. Something ain't right!

 

[Ross]

That's the way it is and it shouldn't be. I don't know if they'll ever get it together.