What insurance do you have?...
I thought some of you would find this interesting: http://m.startribune.com/business/?id=215178681 Endostim will likely face the same hurdles. Insurance companies are unfortunately killing innovation....
Your best bet is to have the surgery center where you were going to have the surgery contact Lindstrom Health Advocacy for you....
Robotaz I would look into contacting Lindstrom Health Advocacy, they will help you with your appeal and it will cost you nothing for their service. There are 3 stages to the appeal with your...
Lindstrom Health Advocacy has taken over my appeal also, hopefully they can overturn Cigna's denial for the Linx. What's great is that there is no charge to the patient for their service, I think...
Forum memeber JohnD6516 was just approved for the Linx because of Lindstrom Health Advocacy. Here is the message he posted in the main linx thread. "Great news. Lindstrom Health Advocacy was...
I found a company that claims to be able to get the Linx procedure approved by your insurance company if you have ever been denied. Apparently it's a healthcare advocacy company that has partnered...
The symptoms just started happening out of nowhere one day. I dealt with the problem for years until they finally found out what it was. I had mine dilated and was fine afterwards....
I had the same problem and it turned out to be a schatzki's ring. The gastroenterologist did not find it on the endoscopy, they found it on a barium swallow exam. Look up schatzki's ring and see if...
I see the company that makes grindcare (Medotech A/S) has sold off their assets and will not be producing anymore grindcare units. What happened? This sucks because my TMD has just started acting up...
Could you please let us know what insurance you had and what doctor did the surgery....
As of right now UHC views the Linx as being experimental. http://tinyurl.com/ahuqsyb ...
Thankfully the learning curve for the Linx is a lot easier for surgeons than that of the Esophyx. The Linx procedure is very straight forward and only takes about 20 minutes to perform. If you...
Looks like the Linx procedure has a new website: http://www.linxforlife.com/index.php According to this website there are 69 surgeons offering the procedure!...
Wow, it has only been 4 days since my update and Torax has already added an additional 7 centers to the list. There are now a total of 56 centers offering the Linx. 3 new places have started offering...
On Feb. 11th there were 31 centers offering the Linx; in just one month that number has gone up to 49. There are now 2 additional places offering the Linx in Florida and from what I hear a lot more...
I was told by my gastroenterologist that I have low IGA. As of right now I do not believe there is any kind of treatment for this condition....
NodoubtLove, Thanks for the information....
Gastricman, I would gladly update the thread if more people offered information concerning their insurance; especially those that were either denied or accepted for the Linx surgery....
Looks like there are quite a few clinics offering the Stretta procedure. http://www.mederitherapeutics.com/index.php?page=physician-finder ...
I am very surprised by this information; especially the quality of evidence grade given to the Stretta. I initially saw Dr. Smith at the Mayo clinic in Jacksonville to inquire about the Stretta...
Stretta conclusions More than 30 peer reviewed studies, including 4 adequately powered randomized, controlled studies, a comprehensive meta-analysis and multiple prospective clinical trials have...
TIF Conclusions The EsophyX device has been studied across a broad range of adult patient populations, and reported in one adolescent study. Numerous published series have reported significant...
Wow the Esophyx received a terrible grade. Here is the levels of Evidence/Definitions Both the quality of the evidence and the strength of the recommendation for each of the guidelines were assessed...
Summary of Recommendations EsophyX Long term data is not yet available for EsophyX. In short term follow-up, from 6 months to 2 years, EsophyX may be effective in patients with a hiatal hernia ? 2...
"We are encouraged that insurance companies will take note of this guideline and update their coverage policies to make Stretta available to the many sufferers of GERD," stated Bill Reynolds ,...
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stretta-therapy-for-gerd-receives-strongest-recommendation-in-sages-new-clinical-guideline-190664391.html "The new Clinical Spotlight Review for endoluminal...
LinxCR, I believe the same thing happened to Beachgirl; she also has United Healthcare. I would suggest contacting a lawyer that deals with insurance claim litigation and see if they can resolve it...
BG, You mention that when you had a barium swallow study done it looked like your Linx was moving above the diaphragm. You may be dealing with a sliding Hiatus hernia which could be causing the Linx...
Anti-acid medication does not really help with bile reflux, tums included. I have heard some people that have had success with Gaviscon. I think you might start to feel better once you get off the...
Before you try anything else though see if that Carafate works for you....
Have you ever had a gastric emptying study done? If you have a slow stomach your best approach may be to get on something that helps empty the stomach. A lot of people do not like taking Reglan...
Beach-girl, Most of the time non-acidic reflux is attributed to bile. Bile is produced by the liver, goes down the biliary tract and comes out of the sphincter of oddi which is located in the small...
Shrtcak81, I agree that an impendence test would be your best bet. This will show if you’re getting acidic or non-acidic reflux. If you’re getting non-acidic reflux then you can assume it is also...
I don't think an ultrasound would help you. I had biliary dyskinesia (low functioning gallbladder) and the only way to find that is with a Hida scan. But if you are already getting bile reflux...
Somewhat, both test use the same technique. The only difference is that the impedance measures non-acidic reflux....
I take the Carafate in pill form. The pills are good size so I take the pill which a sip of water and let it dissolve in my mouth and then swallow. This makes it a lot easier to take. They do have a...
Have you had your gallbladder removed? If they found bile in your stomach that is pretty much a diagnosis for bile reflux; the pyloric valve is supposed to stop it from entering the stomach. If the...
Beach-girl, It took them awhile before they found that I was getting bile reflux. I have had scopes that have come back normal but they were able to finally see bile in my stomach in one of my scopes...
That's not a bad idea. I think people have a tendency to be interested in innovations involving the medical field, especially when it pertains to them. So a thread that complies this information...
The device gives doctors the ability to see the detailed surface of a patient’s esophagus, but also can penetrate and image at a depth of around 10 microns—enough to allow the diagnosis of abnormal...
I see a lot of people on this board not responding to their heartburn medicines like ppi’s and h2 blockers. In some people ppi’s actually seem to cause stomach pain, back pain and cramping. There was...
I had swallowing problems for years before I was correctly diagnosed with the problem. Endoscopies always came back fine so my GI didn't know what to do. He just keep putting me on ppi’s which would...
Pretty much everyone is wondering this. The information is rather limited. The only way to find out is have your surgeon send the code for the procedure over to your insurance company and see if they...
Cigna released their updated gerd policy today and it looks like they still view the linx procedure as being experimental. I looked up United Health Care and they also view the linx as experimental....
Hopefully those who have had the surgery will chime in and let us know....
I guess I will start. I have Cigna open access plus and was denied at the Mayo Clinic in Florida on July 2012. I did two appeals and was still denied. Cigna is reevaluating their policy on December...
I started this thread so that people who have had the linx procedure or were approved for the procedure could list the insurance they have to let others know which companies are approving the linx....
Hey thanks Carrie....
For those who are wondering what code the Mayo Clinic is using for insurance it is: 43289: Unlisted laparoscopy procedure, esophagus...