home monitor

[kevin young]

How do you find someone that will follow you at home.

All my docs are affiiated with their hospital coumadin clinic and they want you to come to their clinics. Also the clinics won't follow a home monitored patient.

Help?

 

[Blanche]

We have a similar situation here now. Many of the cardiologists have their own anticoag clinics. Al's internist (PCP) is in charge of his anticoagulation management, even though this doctor has his own anticoag clinic.

You might try persuade your cardiologist to let you manage your own anticoagulation. You might also want to contact Lance at QAS. They have different programs that you might be a good fit for you.

 

[Ross]

Most people must be on 'Coumadin for 90 days before they are eligible for home testing. You'll need to get a prescription for the machine and supplies, which may or may not be covered by your insurance company. You might want to call and inquire about it. Don't be surprised if they play the game of not knowing what your talking about. Most of them do this. You can get the forms and such from the link below and as Blanche said, give Lance at QAS at a call:

http://www.ptinratio.com/patient_how_to_get.asp

 

[kevin young]

I'm very fortunate to work for a privately owned an operated home health. Our home health nurses carry the home coagucheck machines. The owner has offered to buy a machine for me and have our nurses instruct me.

My only problem is now getting someone to follow me as a home monitored patient.

 

[briansmom]

If you don't have any problems getting the prescription, then IMHO, you don't really need anyone to follow you. Buy Al's algorithms and spend time on this board and you will be able to manage yourself.

 

[Karlynn]

I'm very fortunate to work for a privately owned an operated home health. Our home health nurses carry the home coagucheck machines. The owner has offered to buy a machine for me and have our nurses instruct me.

My only problem is now getting someone to follow me as a home monitored patient.

Yes, you are very fortunate!

In my humble opinion, a cardiologist that is up to speed on Coumadin management should have no problem following someone who home monitors their INR. There have been several articles published (and Ross may have them in the References forum) that report that patients who home test AND self-dose have better success than those followed by labs and clinics. Europe seems to be some years ahead of the US in this thinking.

I would simply ask your doctor this "If I were diabetic, would you make me go to a lab 2 or 3 times a day to have my finger stuck for a glucose test." If his/her reply is "no", then there's no reason they should have a problem with you home testing. And if you'd also like to manage your own dosing, ask them if they'd make their diabetic patients call in every day for insulin dose adjustments.