Insurance on procedure

I have a couple of questions. #1 Have you had any patients that have used McFee Technologies Vitrectomy Support Systems? If so do you have any recommendations or suggestions? #2 Information I received from McFee indicated that Medicare would not pay for the rental of this equipment but it did indicate that there was a good chance that supplement Insurance would cover at least a portion of the costs Do you know anything about the insurance coverages? #3 Would my vision be restricted, (reading, TV, computer use etc) during the recovery time?

Answer:

The company you mention, and many others which you can find on the internet, will rent or sell you devices to make your face down positioning after macular hole surgery more tolerable. Medicare will not pay the cost. Some insurance companies will pay, and most retinal surgeons will write you a letter of medical necessity to help. Most retinal surgeons have surgery schedulers who are knowledgeable in helping you find out about the reimbursement policies before you have the surgery so that you are not surprised. I have found that patients find these devices helpful, although they are not mandatory for a successful outcome. Your vision will be inhibited by tearing and scratchiness from absorbable sutures, and the face down positioning will cause the soft tissues of the eyelids to swell, sometimes alarmingly, but without any longterm adverse consequence. It will not hurt your eye to try to read or watch TV in the face down position using one of these devices, but it may be difficult to do.