tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144856674271066060.post2998098178933063736..comments2023-10-18T01:51:47.968-07:00Comments on The Remmers Report: By Working Together, A Case Study On How To Reduce Health CostsJerry K. Remmershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06431399785911786408noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144856674271066060.post-24327252314365568082010-04-23T10:21:35.384-07:002010-04-23T10:21:35.384-07:00Health Net criteria are available online. To this ...Health Net criteria are available online. To this nutritionist, it sounds like you met the requirements for short term use. <br /><br />I was questioning perpetual use, which many of my patients want cause it has a cool computer interface (and they want someone else to pay for it) You should appeal the denial!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490236492160542925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144856674271066060.post-46194272254963086562010-04-23T10:17:49.973-07:002010-04-23T10:17:49.973-07:00I work in healthcare and am astonished you support...I work in healthcare and am astonished you support the incredible waste fostered on patients and the government by "big pharma". <br /><br /><i>During the recent national debate on health reform, Big Pharma took a hit as one of the bad guys driving health costs up.<br />What was lost in the hysteria is that the major drug companies offer free or copays ranging as high as $10 for a 30-day prescription to low income patients on Medicaid.</i><br /><br />So, you've seen the commercials for a brand name sleeping pill- they're $8 each! the monthly cost to the insurance plan is triple the brand name drug that was being promoted last year. Big pharma seriously raises health care costs with these co-pay coupons that try to drive market share to their more profitable brands. <br /><br />There's only so much money to go around. In a hospital, they charge you $125 for a generic antibiotic that costs $40, because medicare and medicaid cap the price at $12, so the extra is cost-shifted to the insurance company. When they raise their rates, washington proposes price caps and cost controls, an absurd way to deal with the issue. <br /><br />Health costs will never be reduced without publishing efficacy and outcomes data. If citizens knew they could get the same restful sleep for 1/3 the cost, they would do the right thing. A nanny-state cannot accomplish this with a top-down bureaucracy, all they'll give us is rationing to fit their budget.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144856674271066060.post-50623240350156454842010-04-23T09:38:05.595-07:002010-04-23T09:38:05.595-07:00One correction to your inquiry. The 72-hour tracki...One correction to your inquiry. The 72-hour tracking computer chips would be used once every three months, not every three days. Because my meter readings taken manually and the consistent "normal" A1C averages in the low 6s, there was no need to use Medtronic's chips for repeated tests.Jerry Remmersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144856674271066060.post-5963867798749456712010-04-23T09:23:47.450-07:002010-04-23T09:23:47.450-07:00The Medtronic chip was used once to track glucose ...The Medtronic chip was used once to track glucose for 72 hours and mark a pattern. Insulin dosages were adjusted to the peaks and meal times. Continued adjustments normalized the sugars in which my A1Cs were lowered from a high of 9.5 at the beginning to average recordings of 6.2 after a year. The results were office visits every six weeks to once every three months. Insulin dosages were reduced by half. Three oral medications for cholesterol, trygliscerides and potassium as well as diruetics were eliminated. Check up with heart, pulmonary and kidney doctors were discontinued. The only costs now are quarterly checkups with primary and endocrinologist, quarterly blood lab tests and test strips for the glucose meter. I also no longer need or use the insulin pump. -- JerJerry Remmersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144856674271066060.post-22877111654012111832010-04-23T08:15:17.089-07:002010-04-23T08:15:17.089-07:00Please Prove how the cost of treating your diabete...Please Prove how the cost of treating your diabetes <b>went down 75% thanks to a medtronic device.</b> Plenty of controlled medical studies have concluded continuous glucose monitors drive up the cost of care. The alternative, having patients check their sugar 4 times a day, adjusting their own insulin or insulin pump, and monitoring their tests works <b>better</b> than these devices. For this reason, medicare and medicaid do not cover the devices, which cose $1400 each and need a $35 sensor every three days. <br /><br />For this reason, the standard of care in the United States, Canada and England is to use these devices in type 1 patients for short periods of time (72 hrs.) in order to help formulate a care plan. Using it perpetually simply wastes money, no evidence exists this <b>additional $350/month</b> cost prolongs life, reduces days lost from work or reduces long term complications. Did the lady in the skirt who chatted up your doctor mention these facts?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490236492160542925noreply@blogger.com