HOORAH FOR MEDICAL MUTUAL OF OHIO INSURED CROHNIES !!!!

Medical Mutual of Ohio, the state's oldest and largest health insurance company serving more than 3.9 million individuals in Ohio and South Carolina, has updated its capsule endoscopy policy effective May 9, 2008. Under the new guidelines, Medical Mutual will allow physicians to use PillCam SB as a primary test (standard endoscopic procedures and or SBFT are not required) for symptoms indicative of small bowel tumors or Crohn's disease. Another change is that Medical Mutual will now allow the use of PillCam ESO in the evaluation of esophageal varices in patients who have esophageal varices or portal hypertension and when esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is contraindicated. The company also announced Medical Mutual's further policy expansions to include the use of the Agile patency capsule used to verify adequate patency of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with known or suspected strictures prior to the administration of the PillCam video capsule.

Prior to this update, PillCam capsule endoscopy of the small bowel under the Medical Mutual of Ohio policy could be used only after a negative upper and/or lower endoscopy to diagnose disorders such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, benign and cancerous tumors, ulcerative colitis as well as other disorders.

 

Hopefully other health insurance companies will soon follow suit and there will be less hassle for all of us to enjoy the benefits of this procedure!!!!!

Hopefully..

Matthew