does anyone know how much this costs?

[patti]

I finally convinced mom’s doctor today to give her irradiated blood. I’m not kidding when I say it was like pulling teeth. But he said to me that since it’s against protocol for mom’s disease she is going to have to pay for it and it’s expensive. Does anyone know how much it costs to irradiate blood? Or, where I could find this information?

It wasn’t until I told him we would leave to find another doctor that he threw his hands in the air and said, “fine! I’ll give you what you want.” He’s such an arrogant jerk.

Anyway, if someone could direct me to where I could find this information out I would sure appreciate it. Also, the pineapple and black sesame seeds are working great at increasing mom’s platelets! When we told the doctor what she was doing they just blew it off. Typical.

Patti

[eve]

i would check about the payment part – i think your doctor is just being very difficult – see if your hospital can provide a patient advocate for your mother-in-law – personally i would find another doctor – i don’t like this guys attitude

eve

[andrzej g.]

Moving within the strict protocol. Typical.
Arrogance in responce to patient’s questions and demands. Typical.
Typical worldwide, not locally.
If you have a choice do find another hematologist.
That’s my piece of advice.

[gemloyear]

Hi Patti,My husbands hemo,/onc. office told me that they only use irradiated/filtered blood. This gives me some peace of mind , one less thing to worry about.Can you explain the pineapple, &
sesame seed, I havn’t heard about that before.You do need a doc that you can trust and are comfortable with.
Ellie

[Neil]

Hi Patti,
Most “modern day” facilities use irradiated/filtered blood. It is automatic.
It is a bit more expensive due to the irradiation and filtering, but once the equipment is purchased and amortized over time the cost is a minor issue.
There are those docs and hospitals that are still primitive in their thinking and/or try to pass off anything that might work on older patients.
Have a friend who has had over 400 tx. He does not have any antibodies!
You could try your local blood bank—Red Cross, to see if they have an idea of the cost of irradiation/filtering.
If she is on Medicare and has a supplement the cost would be covered depending upon the type of supplement.

[Jimbob]

Patti,
what hospital is your doctor working at? At OHSU, there was not even a question about filtered, irradiagted blood. My doctors said that was the norm. We did not have any problems with cost or insurance questioning its use.
Jim

[patti]

Sorry I’m just getting back to you all. I don’t get to check this list very often. Neil, good idea about the Red Cross. I will call them tomorrow.

Yep, this guy is a jerk. The reason we’ve stayed this far is that mom actually sees the nurse practioner who is really good and willing to do anything we want. But, she has to run everything by this guy so he has the final say.

Jim, we are at Providence Portland right now. Who do you see at OHSU? Do you like him/her? I think mom would be hesitant to change right now because she likes Bonnie so well. Also, her insurance is a providence plan so she has to stay within that system – I think.

Neil, is he lying when he says mom will have to pay for it? Mom has medicare. My understanding is that if they pay for it that’s just how it is. I’m assuming once the doc gives his okay then he has no say in how it’s billed, etc. Am I wrong?

Ellie, I got the pineapple and black sesame seed info from a gal on this list. I’ve already forgotten her name. Marie, maybe? My memory is shot with everything that’s going on. But it works for pulling up the platelets! Not to mention who doesn’t like fresh pineapple juice?

Thank you all for your help. You guys have been lifesavers in helping me to keep my MIL healthy and safe from these doctors. Thank you.

patti

[Neil]

You are right on the billing—as long as the doc does not get involved. The rules are a bit complicated. They cover their mandated amount and my supplement covers the rest.
Remember Medicare does not always pa yht ebilled amount. It the doc accepts assignment he gets the amount they cover.
Neil

[Jimbob]

Pattie,
I started with Dr. Mazierz with Dr Hayes-Latin as the backup. When I had my extreme leukemic event, Dr. Jose Leis was the doctor on call and he managed the emeergency care. All of the doctors in the department have regular conferences on the patients in the BMT clinic so you get the benefit of all of them. Dr Hayes-Latin took over as my primary care provider after we decided that we would do the SCT. I am very pleased with his care and empathy. He is a cancer survivor himself and has biked with Lance Armstrong to promote awareness to cancer treatments and survivors, capabilities. Even if you are not a patient at OHSU, you may want to check out their patient and family library. I will be going in for my quarterly check-up next Wednesday and may take part in a media event at noon regarding an upcoming Lance Armstrong event.
Jim

[Bill and Mary]

Patti,
I think I’d look for a new Doc. I can’t believe he would give you a load of crap about ir blood. What does he think of filtering? the real problem though might be your local blood bank. Does Scapoose get its blood from PDX or some plac else. The bigger the cente the less of a problem to get Ir and filtered blood.

Good Luck
Bill

[patti]

Hi,

Sorry I’m just getting back here. Bill, mom’s doctor is actually in Portland. It’s about 45 mintues from here. So we go there every tuesday and friday. The blood bank is the Portland Red Cross. I’m tending to think after reading everyone’s post is that the biggest problem is mom is being treated at a place where MDS is well known and everyone is up to speed on new treatments, etc. I am going to look into changing her insurance so we can go outside the Providence system for care.

Jim, thanks for the doctor info. I’ll check OHSU (I REALLY don’t like that place) if I can change mom’s insurance.

Thanks again, everyone for all of the help. I think I’d better get proactive in finding another doc.

Patti

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