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LINX U.S. Implant Centers

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 4/1/2012 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
I just noticed that the U.S. website of the LINX device has added implanting and referral centers for the U.S. There is also a note that new centers will be added periodically.
Posted 4/1/2012 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
Cool stuff! Here's a link to their list:

http://www.toraxmedical.com/linx/implantingCenters.php
Posted 4/1/2012 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Also, here's an interview with the first doctor on that list (Dr. Santiago Horgan) who participated in the trial and thinks it will be a big success.

http://www.ksat.com/news/GERD-Be-Gone-Magnets-treat-heartburn/-/478452/9281776/-/item/0/-/dqrjhsz/-/index.html
Posted 4/1/2012 8:30 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the updates.
Posted 4/2/2012 6:54 AM (GMT 0)
Nice! They have one at USC in Los Angeles. It is very near my home, like 3 miles away.

I will definitely ask at their school in the next couple of months.

Thanks for the update!!!
Posted 4/2/2012 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the update as I know many of our members are looking for the latest information re where to go for this procedure.

Kitt

Posted 4/3/2012 2:23 AM (GMT 0)
Looks like they updated the implant centers for the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
Posted 4/3/2012 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
Because I am a patient at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, I contacted Dr. Daniel Smith, the Chair of the Surgery Dept., and listed as one of the Linx implant contacts.

Currently, the Linx will only be made available to patients with typical symptoms (heartburn and regurgitation), documented reflux based on abnormal pH test, and no Barrett's, hiatal hernia, or prior GERD procedure. This disqualifies a lot of people. Most GERD patients have at least a small HH, and many who have symptoms still test in the "normal" pH range.

It is unlikely it will be covered by insurance until there is more data from many implants. This process could take years.

-Bruce
Posted 4/3/2012 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Bruce for the information even though it is a bummer. 

I have to say though it makes sense because they want to implant the devices on patients that have the best likelihood of success which could translate into a quicker approval process from the insurance companies....politics at its best.

Posted 4/3/2012 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
Perhaps thats Mayo, but others are stating no HH over 2 cm. Also, yes it will probably be out-of-pocket, but insurance could still cover some of the smaller expenses. Also, if you have a medical FSA, you could absorb some of the cost tax-free.

And finally, back to the HH, there will be surgeons who will do a hybrid meaning they will correct the HH and then put the Linx in. There are docs who do the same for the TIF, calling it a "hybrid TIF".
Posted 4/4/2012 2:52 AM (GMT 0)
I was able to reach someone at the Linx office in the US and they would not give me the Doctor's names in Oregon, but said they called the Doctor in my area and put me on the list. I guess it's just wait and see now. My insurance did not have a CPT code for the Linx yet. I'm holding off on the Nissen until I fully research the Linx.


SL
Posted 4/4/2012 2:24 PM (GMT 0)

I wonder how much would TORAX charge for the LINX procedure ?    If they want this to become popular and successful, they would probably offer sustantial discounts intially....USA has a different healthcare model than the rest of europe, it will be interesting to see how much they charge for this.

Raj

Posted 4/4/2012 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Torax makes the device - the cost will depend on the surgeon as well as the OR and hospital charges.  As it is a new procedure I suspect it will come with a high price tag as many people have been waiting for the procedure. The waiting list of patients will most likely be long.

Kindly,

Kitt

 

Posted 4/11/2012 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
Saw an article about the Mayo clinic in Florida offering the Linx procedure.

A couple interesting quotes:

“I expect this device to be a game changer for the treatment of (gastro intestinal reflux disease) in select patients who have failed management with drugs,”said Dr.C. Daniel Smith,chair of the Department of Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida, in a statement from Mayo.

Smith expects Mayo in Florida will do 40 procedures using the Linx system in 2012, said a Mayo spokesman in Florida via email.

There's also a video of Smith talking about the Linx.

www.medcitynews.com/2012/04/mayo-clinic-florida-to-offer-acid-reflux-treatment-using-torax-medicals-device/?edition=minnesota
Posted 4/28/2012 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
Any posts regarding LINX Implant Centers and surgeries in the U.S. since 4/11/12?

Anyone know of any upcoming implant centers coming to Chicago any time soon?

Anyone know how to get on an Implant center patient list - for either Florida or California?

Are those currently the only 2 official LINX implant centers operating now in the U.S.?   (Non-clinical - but since the U.S. offiically began implanting LINX - April 2012?)

Thank you!  

Posted 4/28/2012 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
Downers, the other names on the list not only were part of the clinicals, but they implant the LINX since FDA approval as well......
Posted 4/29/2012 12:15 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the info - I checked out the official TORAX site the moderator has kindly provided on this thread - and saw there are indeed several implant centers now in the U.S. - the gal in SAN DIEGO told me that they were the only one presently!   Not sure how she was misinformed....

I guess the nearest one to us would be MINNESOTA... 

I sent an email to TORAX asking if they had any idea when a CHICAGO-area implant site would be coming...

I imagine the wait lists and numbers of interested recipients has to be enormous!    They can't open more of these sites soon enough!   There is an incredible demand for this new device. 

Again - thanks for the information!

Posted 5/2/2012 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Looks like a new center has been added to Torax's website. This one is very close to Philadelphia: Einstein Minimally Invasive Surgery, Dr. Ramsey Dallal & Dr. Philip Katz.
Posted 5/10/2012 11:52 AM (GMT 0)
I see a new one for Wisconsin has been added, so they are up to a total of ten centers now. Still nothing very close for people in the northeast. I hope they'll get something set up in the Boston and New York areas.
Posted 5/10/2012 3:04 PM (GMT 0)
speden,

Wouldn't Philadelphia be within your range ? I would suspect they will soon have something in the Boston area also.

Posted 5/11/2012 1:11 PM (GMT 0)
I am excited to hear that there is a center about 20 minutes from my house. If I am a candidate, this is good news for me. I hope they will be opening m ore centers soon.
Posted 5/11/2012 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kitt,

Anywhere is the U.S. would be in my range, but I'm not thinking of getting the Linx for a few years. I'd just like my local doctors to start using it as soon as possible so they start getting a lot of experience with using it. Then the day the PPI's are no longer working well enough for me and I need surgery, they'll hopefully be complete experts at it. :-)

Torax seems to be adding about one site every week or so, so I like what I'm seeing so far. But there are still huge population areas with no nearby center, so they need to keep at it.
Posted 5/11/2012 5:51 PM (GMT 0)

Its just amazing to see how many centres they have in Germany itself.    I think the initial success stories and number, when they publish,  will itself cause many doctors and hospitals to jump into the LINX market.  Insurance companies would also have to catch up at some point.

Raj

Posted 6/21/2012 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
Looks like they've added three new Linx implant centers in:

Rochester, New York
Mount Vernon, Ohio
and Charlestown, South Carolina

Glad to see they are adding more centers. Hopefully that means they are getting good results so far in the U.S.
Posted 6/21/2012 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
I'm interested in the linx procedure, but why does barrets disqualify you? I don't understand.
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