I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the Doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.
So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank you' they muttered.
A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.
Mastectomy Bill in Congress
It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important .. please take the time and do it really quick!
Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill - Important legislation for all women.
Please send this to everyone in your address book.
If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.
There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.
PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.
This takes about 2 seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family.
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Done. It's unfortunate that insurance companies dictate your health care so much. Everything is about money to them. We went through the hell when my mom had brain cancer. They practically don't care, they just want their money.
Guys, I don't wish to throw a wet rag here, but the company I own has specialized in group insurance brokerage for 35 years and we work daily with our accounts on benefits and claims. I have NEVER seen a mastectomy treated as an outpatient procedure.
Even my secretary have a mastectomy last year and was in the hospital for 3 days. The insurance carrier had no problems with it at all.
Now because of my business, I have to do battle occasionally with insurance carriers and I'm not normally the one to defend them...however, I do like to deal in facts rather political drama.
All insurance carriers have their own ways of doing things but they do have a few things in common. Most insurance plans (group or individual) utilize networks of providers (doctors, hospitals, specialists, labs, pharmacies, etc) where negotiations take place to lower their costs to both the ins. carrier and patient alike. These networks (and the insurance carriers themselves) rely quite heavily on information provided quarterly by outside independent organizations that measure (by locale or region) average charges and length of stay for practically every known medical problem.
The ins carriers and provider networks then incorporate this information in their rate structures, their claims procedures and there UCR (usual, reasonable and customary) determinations.
I have never witnessed an insurance carrier allowing only outpatient charges for a mastectomy......and I have group accounts with practically every major insurance carrier and TPA in the marketplace.
Almost all 'provider networks' allow one more thing....if there is a certain 'length of stay' period for a procedure and as the end of that period approaches, if the attending doctor feels that a patient 'medically' needs additional hospital days, they make a request, provide their reasoning and it is allowed. Over all these years I've been working with this stuff, I've only seen one doctor turned down on this type of request (and that was because of his habitual practice of doing this out of personal gain for himself).
Sorry, I just don't buy the 'outpatient' propaganda. It looks to me more like some politicians trying to get publicity at the expense of the bad 'ol insurance companies without a basis in fact. I also don't want the Federal Govt involved in the health insurance world after the bloody mess they've made with medicare.
I make a living working in the healthcare industry in the construction and remodeling side of the business. One thing I have learned over the years is the fact that the LAST place you want to be is in the hospital. You NEVER want to be discharged too early but as soon as you are physically capable you want out and in your own CLEAN home. Hospitals, no matter how clean they appear, are full of infectious diseases. Unfortunately I have had a family member in for a mastectomy recently and her doctor, not insurance company, did everything SHE could do get her home to avoid secondary infection. Be careful to look at the length of any hospital stay. Get home as soon as your doctor says.
I waited till tonite, so my wife could vote:
She added a comment:
"being frightened,with stitches and tubes, unsure of medication, and scared out of your mind, not knowing what will happen to you if you roll over on your side is horrible. the only insurance workers even qualified to make the release decision are those women who have gone through the PROCEDURE personally. 48 hours minimum hospital stay!"
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afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance.
Quote:
I have NEVER seen a mastectomy treated as an outpatient procedure.
There is some emotion tilting the the scales toward "trying" to make it outpatient, but if toned down it could be construed that it may be heading that way (someday) but isn't the norm yet.
Hopefully docs do what the patient needs and the bills get approved/paid.
On another note, I was in once and left way too early after a gang banger was dumped in my room after an altercation. His homies visit to plan the retaliation. Once home I realized I shoulda went back but the trip back was too much so the entire deal went nightmare. I tuffed it out but the next three days were hell. Gotta love los angeles.
Doc said I didn't have to leave, and said I could come back for what it's worth. Uninhibited, I woulda demanded another, or a private room, but then who would I displace into my room with the banger anyway if I stayed?
What I learned is when you are in that condition, you can't make things better for yourself until the junk wears off and you recover. If everything doesn't fall into place perfect, you'll suffer.
At least they paid for the helicopter ride, all I got to see was the ceiling!
DONE - I support the effort, even if it's to prevent it from happening instead of stopping it.
Guys, I don't wish to throw a wet rag here, but the company I own has specialized in group insurance brokerage for 35 years and we work daily with our accounts on benefits and claims. I have NEVER seen a mastectomy treated as an outpatient procedure.
Even my secretary have a mastectomy last year and was in the hospital for 3 days. The insurance carrier had no problems with it at all.
Now because of my business, I have to do battle occasionally with insurance carriers and I'm not normally the one to defend them...however, I do like to deal in facts rather political drama.
Mike
Hi Mike,
I don't want to argue because you know a whole lot better the process....but I took this as a measure to stop the future possibilities of making it into an outpatient procedure.
I completely agree that "home healing" is far better for recovery........but in the right timing
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Outpatient surgery........UFB!!!!
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