LLMD RIPPING PEOPLE OFF

I don't know in other states but here in Florida so far all the LLMDs that I contacted are just trying to suck people's money off with no mercy. One wants $1000 for the initial consultation plus $$$$$ for labs and God knows what else, The other one wants $350 for the consultation what is fair.... plus $4 thousands to $8 thousands per month for treatment + $7 thousands for lab tests. R you kidding me? Butchers!!!!!!!!!!!

Post Edited (robby vieira) : 5/31/2016 1:57:14 PM (GMT-6)

Robby
From what I've seen being on here for about 2 years now Florida is one of the states that doesn't have a lot of LLMD's so the one's that are there are likely overwhelmed with patients in need.

It's pretty universal around the country for the initial consultation to be between $650-$850 and up. With the increase in cases and therefore the increase in demand it's not surprising to see an increase in pricing.

Co infection testing isn't good enough yet to pay for it. Most LLMD's will treat based on symptoms. The only testing you should need to begin with is Igenex Western Blot which is about $250. You will also need full blood work done but your health insurance should cover that even though your LLMD won't be covered.

Keep in mind it's the insurance companies not covering doctors that treat Lyme not doctors that treat Lyme opting not to take insurance. I know that doesn't change how expensive it is to treat this disease. We've all been down the same path.

Let's be very careful about eviscerating lyme specialists (the IDSA does that for us enough as it is). If you've been around this forum long enough, you should know that diagnosing lyme & coinfections, much less treating them, is a VERY complicated process.

$350-600 for initial consultations is the norm. One reason for this is the time required to full evaluate complex conditions as lyme & co:

The good LLMDs know that it takes considerable effort to obtain the right kind of information from patients in order to truly grasp their medical histories and symptomatology. My LLMD (And many others) follow Burrascano's symptom list approach and have patients fill out 30+ pages of history and symptoms. DO you think they just file it away? No, they study it and do extensive analysis to understand what the symptoms may indicate.

Once they have information from the patient, the good LLMDs don't rely solely on testing and implement a clinical diagnosis, which takes time-consuming investigation.

And the good LLMDs spend considerable time reviewing this information and their understanding of what might be indicated and determining with the patient which tests to order and what next steps to pursue.

A second reason is that:
LLMDs are targets by malpractice insurance companies for not following IDSA guidelines. If you're unsure what this means, watch "Under Our Skin" and watch how the insurance industry, in an attempt to refuse payment for lyme treatment, has put several lyme specialists out of business. In response some lyme specialists charge higher fees to ensure that a patient is seriously there for lyme treatment. Mine did but "paid it back" in several ways (extended appointment times I didn't have to pay for, etc.)

A third reason lymees get to pay higher health care costs:

Managed health care doesn't subscribe to this kind of patient interaction. Many insurance companies demand MDs see at least 10 patients per day. There's no way any MD could get through this amount of information in a 10-15 minute "visit". They choose instead to treat lyme & co patients how they know they need to be treated in order for the MD to be successful and for the patient to heal.

Treatment varies - those who have been ill for a considerable time take a considerable time to heal. Like MANY people here on the forum, I've been in treatment 2 yrs and I'm maybe halfway done. My LLMD participates in one insurance program but I still have considerable out-of-pocket expenses because it is a complex treatment journey. No one would be suspicious of any associated costs if we were in treatment for cancer. Perspective is required.

Since MDs don't work for free (not all do - mine actually runs a 501.c3), the cost is ours. It's not fair, it's in no way easy. But it is generally not MDs "ripping us off".

If you have specific questions about finding a lyme specialist in FL please let the mods know and we can help you trouble shoot this -

-p

Yep, no wonder a lot of us are broke. The worst part ( of which I have experienced personally ) is when you shell out thousands and in the end of treatment x, y and z - you still feel and obviously are still at "the starting gate." The one I really liked ( not ) was when I was told that if I wanted to ask a question it would cost me $90 bucks per question. I'd be better off shaking a free magic 8-ball to answer my many questions.... Anyway, really is a hit and miss with these Dr.s....

$90 for question..... This is the problem it's not about the patient at all. I assume that the doc is there to explain you what you don't know and to comfort you..., so it shows that so many docs not all of them but a good number will use your suffering to squeeze your money out of you..... I understand no body works for free but when the secratary told me the guys charges up to $8 thousand per month for the treatment I'm sure that my Lyme had a heart attack and died..... lol

needhelp4 said...
Yep, no wonder a lot of us are broke. The worst part ( of which I have experienced personally ) is when you shell out thousands and in the end of treatment x, y and z - you still feel and obviously are still at "the starting gate." The one I really liked ( not ) was when I was told that if I wanted to ask a question it would cost me $90 bucks per question. I'd be better off shaking a free magic 8-ball to answer my many questions.... Anyway, really is a hit and miss with these Dr.s....

Sorry guys not trying to be bitter.....................

Agreed, we do understand, and the financial hardships that are caused by the medical industry is disgusting, but it's not just LLMD's.

Get the most out of every visit. I bring a list of questions so I don't forget. Then abx or herbs and supps should last you a while. Llmds may have to charge a pretty penny but try to plan it out so you only have to follow up like once a month at most.

And I'd just like to add that I've been thru the whole ID doctor in denial and idiot neurologist thing ..

They are subhuman ..

After testing positive for babesia on MDL and IGenex tests, I made no improvement with the LLMD, so I have insurance that covers some ID docs .... When I showed the ID doc these two results, he said asked me what country I had been to, and where I got babesia ... When I told him I haven't been anywhere other than my backyard and hiking a few miles away, he told me I don;'t have babesia because it doesn't exist in NJ .. and the tests were from "non reputable" labs ..

I wanted to punch him in the face

When I showed him a enormous rash on my hip, directly over a significant amount of pain, he told me the two were not related ..

I walked out

So believe me, I am no sympathizer to non-LLMDs

And, no, that wasn't a paid endorsement - even though it reads like one. Grin.

robby vieira said...
I don't know in other states but here in Florida so far all the LLMDs that I contacted are just trying to suck people's money off with no mercy. One wants $1000 for the initial consultation plus $$$$$ for labs and God knows what else, The other one wants $350 for the consultation what is fair.... plus $4 thousands to $8 thousands per month for treatment + $7 thousands for lab tests. R you kidding me? Butchers!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you ask what you get with that $4,000-8,000 a month. There are several clinics in Fl that charge those rates due to the specialty services that they provide. One such clinic that I know of in FL that charges that it is because they have many specialty services such as ozone therapies, PEMF, etc. I also know that there are a number of lab tests that they order that are very thorough and are at lab costs AND are not typically covered through insurance.

As others can tell you when you get into specialty testing, it can be expensive. Before even doing any Lyme related testing, I did a number of tests for different issues at the cellular level and they were out of pocket and over $2,000 a pop.

Post Edited (Krimpet) : 5/31/2016 7:40:10 PM (GMT-6)

The first ozone treatments I received were from MDs just outside Philadelphia, and were $90 each .. They were not considered 'LLMDs", just simply holistic doctors, most of whom practiced acupuncture too ..

It was a near 3 hour drive for me, so that is when I began going to the "LLMD" closer to me .. When I mentioned that I had a change in symptoms with my previous ozone treatments, she told me that I could have them done there, at her practice - but she refused to do the ozone alone - she said that IV homeopathics for detox would be administered immediately after the ozone - and it would cost $500 each time ..

I expressed shock, and told her how much I had paid in the past ..

Ozone costs next to nothing - an ozone generator and an oxygen tank - the cost is in the IV administration .... I have no idea what her idea of homeopathic IV Detox was, but I can say with some certainty that $500 for both was completely unethical ..

She has become a big speaker at the conferences BTW ..

Sounds like I need to change my profession.