Possible Breakthrough Diagnostic Possibility

[Guest guest]

Recently, during a mold exposure reaction, a technician who was trying to give

me an echocardiogram, mentioned that she was having a difficult time in " seeing "

my heart clearly, with the ultrasound, when trying to view it, in the frontal

view, which had to pass through my very irritated lungs. She said that something

in my lungs was bluring the image. During a subsequent echocardiogram, months

later, when I WASN'T suffering from a mold reaction, there was no difficulty in

getting a clear picture, and a better ejection fraction, of my heart.

To my way of thinking, this ultrasound " interference " is a diagnostic validation

of the effect of mold exposure on the lungs. But, since none of us would ever be

able to get medical insurance coverage for ultrasound diagnosis of our LUNGS, as

there is no medical code number for such a use of ultrasound technology, it

occurs to me that any serious lung irritation, from TOXIC mold exposure, even

WITHOUT the patient having asthma, might be " provable " through use of the

diagnostic procedure discussed below. And the BELOW diagnostic procedure DOES

have a medical reimbursement code [the doctor can get paid], and a major health

insurance company has set the precedent of being willing to pay the doctor.

Doctors LOVE any test that they can get PAID FOR. It's something to start asking

our doctors for, when they disbelieve our suffering.

Joe

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Aerocrine: Major Insurance Company Covers Aerocrine's Method For Asthma Control:

Calls ENO Measurement " Medically Necessary " 21 Aug 2009   

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the largest health care insurer in the

Mid-Atlantic region of the USA, has adopted a policy stating that measurement of

exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) is considered medically necessary in the management

of asthma patients.

Uncontrolled asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic medical conditions in

the United States, responsible for millions of emergency room visits, days lost

at work and school, and billions of dollars in direct and indirect costs. Airway

inflammation can lead to life-threatening asthma attacks, and long-term

inflammation can drastically compromise lung capacity over a lifetime.

The founders of Aerocrine made the original discovery that nitric oxide in

exhaled breath is elevated in patients with asthma and the company has since

pioneered the development of the method to monitor airway inflammation by

measuring eNO.

In its July 2009 policy update, CareFirst refers to studies stating that eNO can

be used effectively to predict and avoid relapse and to monitor compliance with

medication, as well as improving diagnosis and indicate possible environmental

influences affecting the patient. Concluding that eNO measurement is the only

routine clinical test for airway inflammation that can be performed conveniently

in the office setting, CareFirst makes specific reference to Aerocrine's

portable eNO measurement device NIOX MINO®. " CareFirst's policy is an important

stepping stone towards improved asthma treatment in the United States " , says

Chip Neff, President of Aerocrine Inc.

Aerocrine's first device, NIOX, received CE clearance in Europe in 2000 and US

FDA clearance in 2003, and NIOX MINO, the first handheld device was cleared for

clinical practice in Europe in 2004 and by the FDA in early 2008. To date, more

than 2.5 million patient tests have been performed using Aerocrine's systems.

" Aerocrine's method to improve asthma control is rapidly gaining acceptance

across the world through inclusions in clinical guidelines and health insurance

systems " , says de Potocki, CEO of Aerocrine AB. " We are very happy that

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has decided to change their policy to now cover

exhaled Nitric Oxide for its members " .

Source

Aerocrine

Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161499.php