Brachycephaly - .94 or 94%

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone, I am new to the message boards. If anyone could voice their

opinion on my situation it would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I took

my son to scope in north san diego which offers the starband. We will be going

to cranial technologies next week. Wondering if anyone has used a starband and

got good results. I keep hearing that the doc band gets better reviews but it

is 60 minutes away instead of 15. Also my DS measurements are 94%. Some places

say that is moderate brach. Some say it is severe. We are also not sure if our

insurance will cover it. We have bcbs ppo that says they will cover 90% if it is

medically necessary. I am not sure what warrants it medically necessary. If

anyone has used the starband and had to pay out of pocket did they let you do

payment plans. Please anyone share your advise, experience suggestions...etc. I

am at a loss on whether or not to helmet. I think he got his flat head from

being on an incline for his severe reflux. My husband is asian so he thinks and

I have been told by some peds that it may have something to do with it. Also he

is in the 95th percentile for head, height and weight so I have been also told

that his head is heavier than most so since the skull is still soft the extra

weight contributes to the flattening. Thanks in advance everyone.

[Guest guest]

Additional note. I just spoke with my insurance. They will not cover the

helmet for brachy cases since the flattening is in the center and considered to

be symetrical. Lovely!

>

> Hello everyone, I am new to the message boards. If anyone could voice their

opinion on my situation it would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I took

my son to scope in north san diego which offers the starband. We will be going

to cranial technologies next week. Wondering if anyone has used a starband and

got good results. I keep hearing that the doc band gets better reviews but it

is 60 minutes away instead of 15. Also my DS measurements are 94%. Some places

say that is moderate brach. Some say it is severe. We are also not sure if our

insurance will cover it. We have bcbs ppo that says they will cover 90% if it is

medically necessary. I am not sure what warrants it medically necessary. If

anyone has used the starband and had to pay out of pocket did they let you do

payment plans. Please anyone share your advise, experience suggestions...etc. I

am at a loss on whether or not to helmet. I think he got his flat head from

being on an incline for his severe reflux. My husband is asian so he thinks and

I have been told by some peds that it may have something to do with it. Also he

is in the 95th percentile for head, height and weight so I have been also told

that his head is heavier than most so since the skull is still soft the extra

weight contributes to the flattening. Thanks in advance everyone.

>

[Guest guest]

My son is now 7 months old, and also suffers from Brachycephaly. We started

treatment in the Starband shortly after he turned 6 months old. We did have a

minor problem with the orthotist shaving off too much of the helmet over my

son's ear (my son has some bulging above the ears caused by the brachy). We are

seeing amazing results with the rounding of his head though. I could not be

happier. He still has around 4-6 more weeks to go, but I always say that even if

his head stayed the way it is right now the band would be worth every penny! We

also had a consultation done at Cranial Tech, and I have to say that I was very

impressed with them. However after a lengthy appointment with our local

orthotist and speaking to another mother that had her son treated there as well,

I felt confident with them treating my son. The commute for us to CT was going

to be 2 1/2 hours each way, which was going to be made especially tough due to

the weather conditions this time of year. We had to pay out of pocket for the

band because his brachy wasn't considered " severe enough " for our insurance to

pay for it(even though CT said it was moderate to severe). They did not allow us

to make payment arrangements so my husband and I ended up putting it on a credit

card. I think it depends on where you go though? I hope my story can be of some

help to you. Good Luck!

>

> Hello everyone, I am new to the message boards. If anyone could voice their

opinion on my situation it would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I took

my son to scope in north san diego which offers the starband. We will be going

to cranial technologies next week. Wondering if anyone has used a starband and

got good results. I keep hearing that the doc band gets better reviews but it

is 60 minutes away instead of 15. Also my DS measurements are 94%. Some places

say that is moderate brach. Some say it is severe. We are also not sure if our

insurance will cover it. We have bcbs ppo that says they will cover 90% if it is

medically necessary. I am not sure what warrants it medically necessary. If

anyone has used the starband and had to pay out of pocket did they let you do

payment plans. Please anyone share your advise, experience suggestions...etc. I

am at a loss on whether or not to helmet. I think he got his flat head from

being on an incline for his severe reflux. My husband is asian so he thinks and

I have been told by some peds that it may have something to do with it. Also he

is in the 95th percentile for head, height and weight so I have been also told

that his head is heavier than most so since the skull is still soft the extra

weight contributes to the flattening. Thanks in advance everyone.

>

[Guest guest]

I would band if possible, depending on your financial situation. My daughter had

brachy with very little asymmetry. She got a lot of improvment from the band and

even if we had to pay it would have been worth it. I still see her small

remaining problem areas, and know I would have been very unhappy if we hadn't

banded her. She started at about 97% and graduated at about 85%. I have heard

good things about scope in SD, and cranial tech too. My daughter also had a huge

head, which grew a lot (more than normal) between birth and 6 mo - contributing

to her brachy. I wish I had known more about preventing it, but given that I

didn't I'm very glad I was able to band her.

-christine

sydney, 5 yrs, starband grad

> >

> > Hello everyone, I am new to the message boards. If anyone could voice their

opinion on my situation it would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I took

my son to scope in north san diego which offers the starband. We will be going

to cranial technologies next week. Wondering if anyone has used a starband and

got good results. I keep hearing that the doc band gets better reviews but it

is 60 minutes away instead of 15. Also my DS measurements are 94%. Some places

say that is moderate brach. Some say it is severe. We are also not sure if our

insurance will cover it. We have bcbs ppo that says they will cover 90% if it is

medically necessary. I am not sure what warrants it medically necessary. If

anyone has used the starband and had to pay out of pocket did they let you do

payment plans. Please anyone share your advise, experience suggestions...etc. I

am at a loss on whether or not to helmet. I think he got his flat head from

being on an incline for his severe reflux. My husband is asian so he thinks and

I have been told by some peds that it may have something to do with it. Also he

is in the 95th percentile for head, height and weight so I have been also told

that his head is heavier than most so since the skull is still soft the extra

weight contributes to the flattening. Thanks in advance everyone.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi there,I think that I may have met you in the office at Scope?   My little guy is with all of the stickers on his helmet.Anyway,

Scope will negotiate on the price.   We got them down to $2,500.   We

paid cash so I didn't find out about any payment options.  I know that

CT does offer payment plans and they will also negotiate.  When we went

to CT, I asked if they could work on the price and they came down to

$3k.    Both places are well rehersed on saying the right thing and

sending the appropriate documentation to the insurance companies.  

Additionally, CT has great insurance info with sample letters on there

site that you can use should your claim get denied. (http://www.cranialtech.com/images/stories/Files/theinsurancegame.pdf)

We have been in the star band for 2.5 months and are very happy

with the results.  Crystal at Scope has been great and she's been doing

this for years.   Here's her bio (http://www.scop.net/bio_weiss.htm). 

We also consulted with our pediatrician (Dr Gillin)  as well as a

neurosurgen at Children's (Dr. Levy) and they both said Star

was fine.  We saw both Dr's this week and they were very pleased with

the progress/ results as well. 

I hope this helps.  Let me know if you have anymore questions!-- Heidi

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much. May I ask your sons brachy percentage. The starband place is

much closer for me too. If I have to pay out of pocket I will have to go with

the starband since it is about 600 cheaper. I hear that most insurances need it

to be at the most sever to cover it. It's silly though it's like having a

broken bone if there is a fracture they are going to cover your cast no matter

what size it is or how many plaves the bone was broken. Thanks for all your

help.

> >

> > Hello everyone, I am new to the message boards. If anyone could voice their

opinion on my situation it would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I took

my son to scope in north san diego which offers the starband. We will be going

to cranial technologies next week. Wondering if anyone has used a starband and

got good results. I keep hearing that the doc band gets better reviews but it

is 60 minutes away instead of 15. Also my DS measurements are 94%. Some places

say that is moderate brach. Some say it is severe. We are also not sure if our

insurance will cover it. We have bcbs ppo that says they will cover 90% if it is

medically necessary. I am not sure what warrants it medically necessary. If

anyone has used the starband and had to pay out of pocket did they let you do

payment plans. Please anyone share your advise, experience suggestions...etc. I

am at a loss on whether or not to helmet. I think he got his flat head from

being on an incline for his severe reflux. My husband is asian so he thinks and

I have been told by some peds that it may have something to do with it. Also he

is in the 95th percentile for head, height and weight so I have been also told

that his head is heavier than most so since the skull is still soft the extra

weight contributes to the flattening. Thanks in advance everyone.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi heidi

It was a pleasure to meet you. s head looked beautiful and he is such a

cutie pie! Thanks so much for the link it helps so much. The lowest they would

go for us is 2850. I am also reading that my insurance has covered more doc

bands than star bands. Crystal was so awesome. Scope wasn't really willing to

help with the pre auth I guess since they are out of network they know they will

get a immediate no on the first try. Crossing our fingers. Keep in touch.

>

> Hi there,

>

> I think that I may have met you in the office at Scope? My little guy is

> with all of the stickers on his helmet.

>

> Anyway, Scope will negotiate on the price. We got them down to $2,500.

> We paid cash so I didn't find out about any payment options. I know that CT

> does offer payment plans and they will also negotiate. When we went to CT,

> I asked if they could work on the price and they came down to $3k. Both

> places are well rehersed on saying the right thing and sending the

> appropriate documentation to the insurance companies. Additionally, CT has

> great insurance info with sample letters on there site that you can use

> should your claim get denied. (

> http://www.cranialtech.com/images/stories/Files/theinsurancegame.pdf)

>

> We have been in the star band for 2.5 months and are very happy with the

> results. Crystal at Scope has been great and she's been doing this for

> years. Here's her bio (http://www.scop.net/bio_weiss.htm). We also

> consulted with our pediatrician (Dr Gillin) as well as a neurosurgen at

> Children's (Dr. Levy) and they both said Star was fine. We saw both

> Dr's this week and they were very pleased with the progress/ results as

> well.

>

> I hope this helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions!

>

>

>

> --

> Heidi

>

[Guest guest]

I have heard that it can be a lot harder to get brachy covered versus plagio.

Personally, I think that's really unfair, but no insurance companies have asked

me my opinion! Saying a deformity is symmetrical and doesn't merit treatment is

like saying a woman with a double mastectomy shouldn't be allowed to get

reconstructive surgery. I hope you appeal. Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now.

I don't know about the Starband provider you mentioned -you'd have to ask them

directly- but I know Cranial Tech participates with Care Credit. I used it when

my son got his helmet and we were waiting to get reimbursed from our insurance.

It's a credit card that is meant specifically for paying medical bills. It has a

0% introductory rate for (if I'm remembering correctly) 18 months, so it buys

you extra time to pay off the helmet. If you don't pay in the allotted time, the

interest rate goes up a lot. Ask for the details at Cranial Tech. They should

give you a brochure if you go for a consultation. You can also google it. The

credit card is offered by GE.

> >

> > Hello everyone, I am new to the message boards. If anyone could voice their

opinion on my situation it would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I took

my son to scope in north san diego which offers the starband. We will be going

to cranial technologies next week. Wondering if anyone has used a starband and

got good results. I keep hearing that the doc band gets better reviews but it

is 60 minutes away instead of 15. Also my DS measurements are 94%. Some places

say that is moderate brach. Some say it is severe. We are also not sure if our

insurance will cover it. We have bcbs ppo that says they will cover 90% if it is

medically necessary. I am not sure what warrants it medically necessary. If

anyone has used the starband and had to pay out of pocket did they let you do

payment plans. Please anyone share your advise, experience suggestions...etc. I

am at a loss on whether or not to helmet. I think he got his flat head from

being on an incline for his severe reflux. My husband is asian so he thinks and

I have been told by some peds that it may have something to do with it. Also he

is in the 95th percentile for head, height and weight so I have been also told

that his head is heavier than most so since the skull is still soft the extra

weight contributes to the flattening. Thanks in advance everyone.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks -

Each time I call my insurance I hear something different. I am trying to see if

I can get my droid to record the phone calls since I have heard from service rep

#1 no they dont cover brachy rep#2 said yes if it is severe and a vault asymetry

over 9 and rep#3 yes as long as your doc writes a prescription and that

pediatrician deems it medically necessary. So we will see. Thanks for the

advise with the care credit. I hope we can get that in the meantime. This

should be something pediatricians discuss when your child is first born, but now

I know so I can warn friends and family. Thanks for your help.

> > >

> > > Hello everyone, I am new to the message boards. If anyone could voice

their opinion on my situation it would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I

took my son to scope in north san diego which offers the starband. We will be

going to cranial technologies next week. Wondering if anyone has used a

starband and got good results. I keep hearing that the doc band gets better

reviews but it is 60 minutes away instead of 15. Also my DS measurements are

94%. Some places say that is moderate brach. Some say it is severe. We are

also not sure if our insurance will cover it. We have bcbs ppo that says they

will cover 90% if it is medically necessary. I am not sure what warrants it

medically necessary. If anyone has used the starband and had to pay out of

pocket did they let you do payment plans. Please anyone share your advise,

experience suggestions...etc. I am at a loss on whether or not to helmet. I

think he got his flat head from being on an incline for his severe reflux. My

husband is asian so he thinks and I have been told by some peds that it may have

something to do with it. Also he is in the 95th percentile for head, height and

weight so I have been also told that his head is heavier than most so since the

skull is still soft the extra weight contributes to the flattening. Thanks in

advance everyone.

> > >

> >

>