Hyperbaric Treatment Success

ljoy
ljoy Member Posts: 94
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I completed my hyperbaric treatments yesterday. I had my follow up (2 weeks) with my oral surgeon today. My surgery is healing great. You may recall I had 30 hyperbaric treatments prior to my surgery and 10 afterwards. It appears the treatments were very successful in restoring circulation to the damaged bone and tissue. I did have an extensive debridement of the bone and tissue. So for those of you having dental issues I would have to say if they recommend HBOT you should strongly consider it.

Comments

  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #2
    Hi Joy
    Thanks for the up-date on HBOT, glad to hear it went well for you.

    Take Care
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #3
    Hondo said:

    Hi Joy
    Thanks for the up-date on HBOT, glad to hear it went well for you.

    Take Care

    Would be interested in
    I would be interested in knowing more of the specifics of the financial side. Did you dentist recomend it and how much was picked up by the insurance company. Do you happen to know what one treatment costs?
  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,034 Member
    #4
    ratface said:

    Would be interested in
    I would be interested in knowing more of the specifics of the financial side. Did you dentist recomend it and how much was picked up by the insurance company. Do you happen to know what one treatment costs?

    Cost of HBC
    Ratface,

    I'm not sure if I read it here or another board that I visit. A poster mentioned that they looked into the cost and they stated that each treatment would cost them $3,000. Their insurance wouldn't cover them, so they decided not to do it.

    I know that my radiation treatments ran the same amount, but my insurance covered those treatments thank goodness.

    My Best to You and Everyone Here
  • denistd
    denistd Member Posts: 597
    #5
    MarineE5 said:

    Cost of HBC
    Ratface,

    I'm not sure if I read it here or another board that I visit. A poster mentioned that they looked into the cost and they stated that each treatment would cost them $3,000. Their insurance wouldn't cover them, so they decided not to do it.

    I know that my radiation treatments ran the same amount, but my insurance covered those treatments thank goodness.

    My Best to You and Everyone Here

    HB
    I too had 30 sessions in the chamber, medicare and my freedom blue advantage plan covered ever nickel but I had it pre-authorized by getting the radiation onc to write a letter stating that the treatment was medically necessary. the cost was about $12,000
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #6
    Hondo said:

    Hi Joy
    Thanks for the up-date on HBOT, glad to hear it went well for you.

    Take Care

    HBOT

    If HBOT is really good why don’t they recommend it as an after treatment thing to help us heal better and faster, the cost is nothing compared to radiation or Chemo.
  • ljoy
    ljoy Member Posts: 94
    #7
    ratface said:

    Would be interested in
    I would be interested in knowing more of the specifics of the financial side. Did you dentist recomend it and how much was picked up by the insurance company. Do you happen to know what one treatment costs?

    Cost
    It is a medical procedure and not dental. It is being covered by my insurance through my wife's employer and secondary with Medicare. I have not seen the bills yet but the chamber advised around $1300 per treatment but they only get reimbursed around $330-$400. The oral surgery was $5,000. Again being paid as a medical exspence.

    It was recommended (ordered) by my oral surgeon. I was treated at the Hennepin County Medical center chamber in Minneapolis. It is a multiplace uint. A lot of the patients were head and neck survivors for the same radiation damage.
  • ljoy
    ljoy Member Posts: 94
    #8
    Hondo said:

    HBOT

    If HBOT is really good why don’t they recommend it as an after treatment thing to help us heal better and faster, the cost is nothing compared to radiation or Chemo.

    Post Treatment
    I ask the same question. According to the radiation oncologist here only 5%-10% of patients require the treatment. Those receiving 6,000 rads or more are at risk. Extraction of non-healthy teeth prior to radiation is one preventative measure. Also extration on side that will receive greater than 6K rads prior.
  • denistd
    denistd Member Posts: 597
    #9
    ljoy said:

    Post Treatment
    I ask the same question. According to the radiation oncologist here only 5%-10% of patients require the treatment. Those receiving 6,000 rads or more are at risk. Extraction of non-healthy teeth prior to radiation is one preventative measure. Also extration on side that will receive greater than 6K rads prior.

    Post treatment
    The answer to your question is cost. Hyperbaric treatment is for after radiation, cause your mouth gets destroyed and your teeth are a source of infection due to non saliva in part. I believe the $3,000 per session is right but we know that Medicare and its pricing structure puts the doctors and facilities in a lose-lose situation. In the town I live in there are 4 oral surgeon practices but only one will take medicare patients, and he told me that if the health care bill went through he would stop taking medicare patients. Medicare paid just $400 a session to the facility where I had the hyperbaric treatments. This health bill will knock a lot of doctors and facilities out of business if it is modeled after mrdicare & medicaid. My pcp charges $100 per visit but only gets $40 from Medicare. The oral surgeon that worked on my teeth just sent me a bill for $1,200 as Medicare only paid him, get this $150. We get prostate tests annually, colonoscopies every 4 years, women get their mammograms, pap smears etc. to find cancer in certain areas, why not just get a pet scan every year or so. Cost.

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