ADRSupport Community  

Go Back   ADRSupport Community > General Discussion > The Big File

The Big File All issues not easily categorized in the above forums are here. Comments on general health, diet, "getting comfortable," and more are here.


Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 05-10-2005, 05:52 PM
Kim Kim is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 267
Default

I found this on the DePuy site and thought others might be interested in reading it. States that Kaiser has approved Charite too! Hooray. Now lets get Great West and a few others to do it!
Kim
April 6, 2005

DEPUY SPINE ANNOUNCES CHARITə ARTIFICIAL DISC DETERMINED MEDICALLY APPROPRIATE BY HORIZON BCBS OF NEW JERSEY


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RAYNHAM, MA - April 6th 2005 � DePuy Spine, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, announced today that Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (BCBSNJ), the state�s largest health insurer, has determined that the CHARITə Artificial Disc is medically appropriate for patients who meet certain criteria based on the FDA-approved indications.

Horizon BCBSNJ is a not-for-profit health insurer that provides health insurance coverage to more than 3.1 million people throughout all of North, Central and South Jersey. The medical policy on "Total Disc Replacement with Artificial Intervertebral Disc" was formally approved on March 21.

Horizon BCBSNJ joins a growing list of insurers including Aetna and Kaiser Permanente that have reached positive coverage decisions about the CHARIT� Artificial Disc.

"In the last few months coverage has significantly expanded and we expect more and more insurers to follow suit," said John Argiro, Director of Reimbursement, DePuy Spine.

Horizon BCBSNJ�s policy covers the use of the CHARIT� Artificial Disc as the only FDA approved device in the category. Horizon BCBSNJ ranked first among all Blue Cross Blue Shield plans nationwide in member experience, a composite measure of overall customer satisfaction, likelihood to recommend the plan and likelihood to renew with the plan.

The CHARIT� Artificial Disc is made of two metallic endplates and a movable high-density plastic center. It replaces a worn out damaged spinal disc. Spinal discs maintain the position of the spine and allow for the flexibility to bend.

In clinical trials comparing artificial disc replacement to spinal fusion surgery, CHARIT� Artificial Disc patients experienced pain relief, maintained their range of motion in flexion/extension, had a shorter hospital stay and were more satisfied with the procedure. There were no significant differences in complications.

Artificial disc replacement is not for everyone. As with any major surgery, there are possible complications that can occur including unresolved pain, nerve damage, device displacement, and/or infection. Patients should ask their doctors to see if artificial disc replacement is appropriate for them.

Additional information about the CHARIT� Artificial Disc is available at www.charitedisc.com or by calling 1-866-DISC523.

About 65 million Americans suffer from low back pain every year, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). Americans spend about $50 billion each year on low back pain, the most common cause of job-related disability and lost work days. More than 12 million people are reported to have degenerative disc disease and more than 200,000 have lumbar spinal fusion surgery each year.
__________________
Kim
Herniated disc L5/S1 2000 Discectomy 10/2003 Rhizotomy 8/2004 and 3/2005Discogram 11/04 grade 7 tear L5/S1
L4/L5 Grade 5 tear with herniation and stenosis
Evaluated by Dr Blumenthal at TBI
2/2005 ADR 2 level recommended
2 level lumbar fusion
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-10-2005, 07:16 PM
Harrison's Avatar
Harrison Harrison is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 7,010
Default

Yeah! About time. Jeez. Thx for sharing!
__________________
"Harrison" - info (at) adrsupport.org
Fell on my ***winter 2003, Canceled fusion April 6 2004
Reborn June 25th, 2004, L5-S1 ADR Charite in Boston
Founder & moderator of ADRSupport - 2004
Founder Arthroplasty Patient Foundation a 501(c)(3) - 2006
Creator & producer, Why Am I Still Sick? - 2012
Donate www.arthropatient.org/about/donate
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-11-2005, 01:11 PM
bmills bmills is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 204
Default

Kim, another thank you for sharing and posting this. I'm going to print it and include it in my 3rd level appeal packet.

Brady
__________________
15+ yrs chronic low back pain.
L5/S1 DDD
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-11-2005, 01:17 PM
David David is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 455
Default

Here is the direct link to the article, in case anyone is interested:

http://www.depuyspine.com/about/about.press.040605.asp

David
__________________
47 years old
Surgery: 14-NOV-2006; Straubing, Germany (Dr. B.)
L4-S1: Prodisc
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
another article about Charite and Medicare (Prodisc also mentioned) David The Big File 1 03-18-2006 09:13 AM
bcbs The Big File 1 10-17-2005 07:37 PM
Regence BCBS - I'm approved! (sort of) djscal The Big File 5 07-12-2005 01:21 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:03 PM.


© Copyright 2006-2023 ADRSupport.org All rights reserved.