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dtb
Hi, new guy on the block ?
Some back ground info. Current age 66. Had an ?On-X? mechanical aortic valve replacement in 2004 at age 62 requiring Coumadin (Warfarin) medication. My INR range is 2.5 to 3.5
The On-X aortic replacement valve I have is made from the following materials: pyrolytic carbon ? small amount of tungsten in the leaflets ? titanium sewing cuff rings ? and ? teflon sewing cuff . This valve is safe to undergo a MRI at a 4.7 testla strength. A normal MRI is generally a 1.5 testla strength.
Right after my valve surgery I was asked to participate in a Coumadin ?self-testing at home? program sponsored by On-X and the Sentara, Norfolk, Virginia Hospital with QAS collecting and processing the data. The program was conducted for a two year period with a microcoagulation tester and testing ProTime cuvettes ? the cuvette was a self-contained reaction cell constructed of molded plastic ? provided at no charge to me.
The test cuvette had five micro-channels which contained the dried reagents required to perform triplicate testing of my blood and and two control levels. In other words my blood sample entered 3 channels and the other two sealed channels contained control fluids. The down side of this system was the test cuvette required refrigeration. We do a lot of traveling.
My blood was pumped back and forth through three restriction channels, within the cuvette, until a clot formed obstructing the channels and slowing the flow of blood which was detected by the microcoagulation tester. I would perform this test once a week and phone the results into a QAS computer.
At the same time I was in the self-testing program I was also being tested, at least once a month, by my cardiovascular doctor?s ?Coumadin clinic? that was not part of the QAS self-testing program. Over a two year period the largest test difference between the two locations was about a plus or minus .4 reading.
Since my On-X self-testing program ended about two years ago I have been trying to start-up another one with my own doctor. My doctor finally setup a program with Phillips and contact with them has resulted in the following ? Phillips want $188 per month to cover the rental cost of the ?Coag-Chek XS? tester and 4 test strips (one per week). Of the $188 cost, 80 % will be covered by Medicare, zero covered by Cigna my supplemental insurance, and the remaining 20 % coming out of my pocket ($38 per month).
Maybe I?m spoiled but I don?t want to pay anything. Have not contacted anyone else besides Phillips. Anyone have additional info on costs from others sources ??
Dan.
Some back ground info. Current age 66. Had an ?On-X? mechanical aortic valve replacement in 2004 at age 62 requiring Coumadin (Warfarin) medication. My INR range is 2.5 to 3.5
The On-X aortic replacement valve I have is made from the following materials: pyrolytic carbon ? small amount of tungsten in the leaflets ? titanium sewing cuff rings ? and ? teflon sewing cuff . This valve is safe to undergo a MRI at a 4.7 testla strength. A normal MRI is generally a 1.5 testla strength.
Right after my valve surgery I was asked to participate in a Coumadin ?self-testing at home? program sponsored by On-X and the Sentara, Norfolk, Virginia Hospital with QAS collecting and processing the data. The program was conducted for a two year period with a microcoagulation tester and testing ProTime cuvettes ? the cuvette was a self-contained reaction cell constructed of molded plastic ? provided at no charge to me.
The test cuvette had five micro-channels which contained the dried reagents required to perform triplicate testing of my blood and and two control levels. In other words my blood sample entered 3 channels and the other two sealed channels contained control fluids. The down side of this system was the test cuvette required refrigeration. We do a lot of traveling.
My blood was pumped back and forth through three restriction channels, within the cuvette, until a clot formed obstructing the channels and slowing the flow of blood which was detected by the microcoagulation tester. I would perform this test once a week and phone the results into a QAS computer.
At the same time I was in the self-testing program I was also being tested, at least once a month, by my cardiovascular doctor?s ?Coumadin clinic? that was not part of the QAS self-testing program. Over a two year period the largest test difference between the two locations was about a plus or minus .4 reading.
Since my On-X self-testing program ended about two years ago I have been trying to start-up another one with my own doctor. My doctor finally setup a program with Phillips and contact with them has resulted in the following ? Phillips want $188 per month to cover the rental cost of the ?Coag-Chek XS? tester and 4 test strips (one per week). Of the $188 cost, 80 % will be covered by Medicare, zero covered by Cigna my supplemental insurance, and the remaining 20 % coming out of my pocket ($38 per month).
Maybe I?m spoiled but I don?t want to pay anything. Have not contacted anyone else besides Phillips. Anyone have additional info on costs from others sources ??
Dan.
