We received many letters to present to CMS, explaining why reimbursement coding for maggot therapy is so important. I will post a few over the next several days. They speak for themselves, for the authors, and for the biotherapy community at large.
Dear Sirs:
While I can not be physically present at your meeting, I would like to comment via this email on Medicare coverage of medical maggot therapy. I treat diabetic ulcers on a daily basis in my podiatric medical practice. It is heartbreaking to see the loss of limbs and lifestyle changes my patients must undergo. Personally I have treated some of the worst of these patients with medical maggots and gotten very gratifying results. Unfortunately, this therapy is not covered by their insurance and the patient must bear this financial burden. The people that find themselves in this position are usually the least able to afford it. This means they are denied a treatment that could potentially save their limb. I have seen both sides of this: the saved limb by maggots and the lost limb because the patient could not afford the maggots. It is imperative that Medicare develop a code for medical maggot therapy.
Sincerely,
Dr. D, Michigan
No comments:
Post a Comment