Woman denied MRI payment by insurance company because of breast implants ... and much more 'news.'

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Woman denied MRI payment by insurance company because of breast implants

KARE

Minneapolis, MN, USA

They are not the kind of photos one typically looks at to remember one's mom. But Kate knows the x-rays of her mother Rosie Gephart -- who died last year of breast cancer -- say something about her too.

So when felt pain in her breasts a few months after the death of her mother, she obliged when her doctor recommended a breast MRI.

" It scares me and it scares any woman who has a history of breast cancer in their family, " said .

What didn't expect was a letter from her insurance company denying payment for the $1877 procedure. Nor was she prepared for the reason given for that denial by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.

" It just put it in black and white, they're denying payment due to augmentation. I couldn't believe it, " said an exasperated .

Five years ago got breast implants. In its letter of denial her insurance company claimed her " condition " was a " direct consequence " of her " augmentation. "

Joe Gryskiewicz M.D., the Burnsville cosmetic surgeon who performed 's implant surgery, isn't buying the insurance company's reasoning.

" Family history of course is not a consequences of having had breast augmentation " said Grysckiewicz.

In addition to her mother, says several other close relatives have died of cancer; several of them of breast cancer.

Denial of MRI insurance benefits on the basis is breast implants is not common, according to Deborah Day M.D., chief of breast imaging at Piper Breast Center.

Dr. Day says MRI's are often recommended in addition to mammograms for women with a strong family history of breast cancer, " and that's regardless of whether they have breast implants or not, "

In response to an inquiry by KARE, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois sent a statement saying the company " provides coverage for a procedure when it meets the criteria in our medical policy. "

The company went on to say it would be willing to override its earlier decision if can provide further information on family's cancer history. " We have contacted the member and offered to reconsider this coverage, if she and her doctor can present us this documentation. "

Ban on cosmetic surgery for teens

NEWS.com.au Australia

By Darrell Giles

April 06, 2008 12:12am

LAWS banning teenage girls from getting breast enhancements, tummy tucks and botox injections to improve their looks are expected to go before State Parliament within weeks.

Premier Bligh said she was not against cosmetic surgery procedures to correct deformities or negate any medical or psychological impact caused by specific body features.

" But major surgery for purely cosmetic reasons for young people must be questioned, " she said.

The first woman to hold the state's top job said there was anecdotal evidence that suggested more and more Queensland teenagers were demanding cosmetic surgery.

" I know teenagers feel a lot of pressure to look perfect in an increasingly competitive world obsessed with beauty and celebrity but to resort to a surgeon's blade is an adult response best left until one is an adult, " Ms Bligh said.

No Australian state or territory directly regulates the provision of cosmetic surgery to minors or solarium use by minors.

Ms Bligh said Cabinet would consider new regulations relating to cosmetic surgery and solariums when she returned from her trip to China, Japan and India on April 14 and they could go before Parliament when it resumes on April 15.

The Premier released a discussion paper on the subject last October and has been encouraged by the overwhelming response. About 300 submissions were received from mostly parents and young people, with 95 per cent in support of greater regulation.

" I said when I became premier that I wanted to see Queenslanders doing more to prevent illness and doing more to encourage healthier lifestyles, " Ms Bligh said.

" This is about protecting young Queenslanders. "

Last month an 18-year-old high school student in Florida in the US, died during corrective breast surgery. The death prompted Australian plastic surgeons to warn against industry " cowboys " creating " trashy " fake breasts.

One surgeon said between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of girls aged 18-23 wanted to look like former Big Brother contestant Krystal Forscutt.

A recent Sunday Mail investigation revealed there had been a 20 per cent increase in inquiries from teenage girls for plastic surgery.

The average cost of breast augmentation is $10,000.

Cosmetic surgery business sags as purse strings tighten

After years of steady growth, the multibillion-dollar industry has hit a rough patch. Consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending.

By Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Los Angeles Times

CA, USA

April 5, 2008

It used to be a high point of Goldy 's life. Every six weeks or so, as a kind of personal morale booster, she and a group of girlfriends would make appointments to see a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon for little touch-ups -- getting lips plumped and frown lines on the forehead smoothed out. He was " an artist " with Botox and Juvederm, she said.

Afterward, in a carefree mood, the ladies would dine at a popular restaurant on the Sunset Strip.

No more. The sub-prime loan crisis, the housing slump and the general decline of the economy have claimed another covey of victims. is in the real estate business, and under current conditions, the cosmetic treatments -- at $1,800 or more a pop -- can no longer be squeezed into her budget. It's the same with others in the group.

" We used to make appointments together, " said. " Then they started saying, 'I can't go next week.' People didn't have the money, but they were ashamed to tell you. "

" I would rather have Botox than go out to dinner, but it's just gotten so bad, " said , 41, who is looking for a job since her career in the mortgage business went sour. She has not had the facial treatments in months.

And what's been happening in Beverly Hills is apparently happening around the country. After years of steady growth, the cosmetic surgery business seems to be going through a rough patch.

Doctors don't like to talk about it publicly, but plastic surgeons from the Southland to South Florida said some colleagues are struggling to stay in business.

A leading manufacturer of breast implants recently reported that surgeries declined toward the end of last year.

" I think we're going to feel it, " said Dr. D'Amico, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, who practices in New Jersey and teaches at a New York City medical school. " When people get concerned about the economy, they tend to cut back on the discretionary items. "

At a time when several million families face the loss of their homes and possible financial ruin, the travail of relatively prosperous women -- and, increasingly, men too -- is hardly the stuff of tragedy.

But cosmetic surgery was a multibillion-dollar industry last year, so a slowdown is a blow to more than vanity. Doctors alone collected more than $12 billion in fees for such procedures, and nearly that much more went for nurses, anesthetists, operating rooms, materials and other costs.

The economic impact is even bigger when the expected decline in the rest of the " luxury healthcare sector " is factored in, including such procedures as Lasik surgery to correct vision problems.

" While healthcare spending as a whole has traditionally moved independently of the economy -- a safe haven -- that really isn't the case with plastic surgery, " said Jeff Viksjo, a Morningstar analyst. " Consumer confidence is at multiyear lows, and it's clear to us that patients, as a whole, will cut back. "

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons does not compile monthly statistics. Last year saw a slight drop in more complicated procedures such as face-lifts, while cheaper procedures such as Botox increased. The overall number of procedures increased 7%, so " 2007 was still a good year for most folks, " D'Amico said.

Beyond the economics, there is another dimension: Once largely confined to movie stars and rich socialites, cosmetic surgery has been democratized -- thanks in part to the popularity of " makeover " television shows and decades of prosperity that have put such treatments within reach of large numbers of people.

Botox, breast enhancement and " body sculpting " have joined designer clothes, upscale cars, and kitchen and bathroom upgrades as common symbols of the good life and success.

" No one can have a practice built on the ultra-wealthy, because there aren't enough of those people to go around, " said Dr. Kotler, a Beverly Hills surgeon who specializes in the face. " The reality is that cosmetic surgery became popular when the middle class became enamored of it: flight attendants, professional people, businesswomen -- people whose appearance is important to them. "

In Los Angeles, a world capital for plastic surgery, doctors are hoping that globalization will provide a cushion. Some are looking to European patients, who can capitalize on the weak dollar and combine their plastic surgery with a Hollywood vacation.

" This is a mecca, " said Dr. Stuart Linder, who specializes in breast augmentation. " I have women flying in from all over the world because this is Beverly Hills. "

But Linder said his surgeries were off by about 5% in January and February. He has heard some doctors are off by 30% to 40%.

CURTIS: 'PLASTIC SURGERY IS A FRAUD'

USA

Lee Curtis has urged all women to think carefully about plastic surgery, because the entire industry is based on the " fraud " that a nip and tuck will make you feel better about yourself.

The 49-year-old actress has revealed she underwent surgery on her lower eyes when she was 35 after a cameraman told her she was too " puffy " for him to shoot, and she has had work done since.

But now Curtis is urging all women to grow old gracefully because it's rare that people really do feel better about themselves after they go under the knife.

She tells Oprah Winfrey, " I did it all but, you know what, it didn't work. The fraud is it doesn't work; it doesn't work because there are complications, and I got them all.

" It doesn't work because you still look in the mirror and you see the fraud of what you were trying to do. "

BIG PHARMA

Baxter Faces Lawsuit over Contaminated Heparin

NJBIZ

New Brunswick, NJ, USA

By Shankar P.

4/4/2008

Pharmaceutical and medical device company Baxter Healthcare, Inc., of Deerfield, Ill., is facing a personal injury lawsuit over its drug heparin that was filed in federal court in Camden, the law firms representing the plaintiff announced late yesterday evening. The claimant had " a near-fatal adverse reaction " to heparin and seeks damages for " physical pain and medical expenses, as well as punitive damages to deter Baxter from similar wrongdoing in the future, " the law firms of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP and Locks Law Firm, PLLC, said in a statement. On March 19, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration announced that the active ingredient in heparin sold by Baxter was contaminated at some Chinese manufacturing facilities. The FDA said the contamination was with a chemically altered form of chondroitin sulfate, a dietary supplement made from animal cartilage that is widely used to treat joint pain, according to the lawyers' statement.

In late February, Baxter said it voluntarily recalled all lots and doses of its heparin sodium injection and heparin flush products, " although the vast majority of the reports of adverse reactions have been associated with the multi-dose products. "

Glaxo Fights Against Public Paxil Trials

Submitted by Pringle on April 7, 2008 - 7:26am.

Government attorneys appointed by the Bush Administration have been supporting GlaxoKline in a number of courts across the country in an effort to convince the courts that lawsuits filed by victims of Paxil-induced injuries should be dismissed before ever making it to a jury.

Read More Here

MEDICAL DEVICE NEWS

Woods and Woods File Lawsuit Against Medtronic, Inc.

Emediawire

Ferndale, WA , USA

Lawsuit claims that Sprint Fidelis® heart defibrillator resulted in unnecessary shocks, hospitalization of client.

ville, Ind. (PRWEB) April 8, 2008 -- ville-based law firm Woods and Woods filed a lawsuit against medical device manufacturer Medtronic, Inc., alleging that a defect in the company's Sprint Fidelis® heart defibrillator cardiac lead wire resulted in inappropriate shocks, severe pain, and hospitalization of their client. The suit also claims that Medtronic, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, concealed or downplayed the known health risks to continue marketing and selling the device worldwide (Case No. 3:08-cv-RLY-WGH filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, ville Division).

According to the suit, Woods and Woods' client received the Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Lead Wire (model no. 6949) Feb. 7, 2005, and on March 28, 2006, the device began to malfunction. Specifically, the lead wire in the device fractured, causing the defibrillator to send unnecessary and painful shocks to her heart.

" Many people have been affected by these devices and may be in danger of experiencing life-threatening side effects, " said Woods, managing partner at Woods and Woods. " We are offering our assistance to anyone who has been harmed by one of these products and are here to help in any way we can. "

On Oct. 15, 2007, Medtronic removed its Sprint Fidelis heart defibrillator cardiac leads from the market after reports surfaced that linked the devices to patient deaths. The same day, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that these electronic wires may be prone to fracture, which can cause the defibrillator to deliver unnecessary shocks or not operate at all. The FDA also said it was aware of some deaths and/or major complications occurring after the leads had fractured.

What Is a Lead Wire?

The Medtronic Sprint Fidelis has an electrical wire that connects implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) to the heart. This wire is called a " lead. " Defibrillators (ICDs) monitor the rhythm of the heart and will deliver electric shocks directly to the heart if it begins to beat dangerously fast. The cardiac leads in question are placed on the heart's muscles and then attached to a device implanted in the body that is designed to maintain an appropriate heartbeat. These leads, however, may break down and deliver unnecessary, painful, and life-threatening shocks to people who have them implanted in their heart muscles.

How Many People Are Affected?

Medtronic said 235,000 people have these Sprint Fidelis cardiac leads in their bodies. The affected models are in the " Sprint Fidelis " family of Medtronic leads. The affected model numbers are 6930, 6931, 6948, and 6949, and these encompass ALL Sprint Fidelis models. These leads were manufactured between September 2004 and October 2007.

Read More Here

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