Baclofen pump FAQ

[bollefen]

I have posts on the pain board as well, but this is best here. How much do you get billed for a baclofen pump refill and how does your insurance comapny cover it? % wise, Max payment per year wise? and finally if you each your max out of pocket do you still have a drug co-pay?

I can't live without it and the costs are staggering, trying to sort through this with my insurance company and it was recently complicated by adding Prialt to the mix.

I just got a bill for $2255.54 (after the insurance benefit) and assumed it was the Prialt blah blah anyway I misread the bill and that was for the refill before they added Prialt so that is a straight baclofen refill.

this is getting very scary $$$$ wise. Can't live without and can't afford to pay for it?? How are you paying for it.

I'd like a bit more info before I call the insurance company again but already have my next refill scheduled.

help

ket

[taziar]

I have posts on the pain board as well, but this is best here. How much do you get billed for a baclofen pump refill and how does your insurance comapny cover it? % wise, Max payment per year wise? and finally if you each your max out of pocket do you still have a drug co-pay?

I can't live without it and the costs are staggering, trying to sort through this with my insurance company and it was recently complicated by adding Prialt to the mix.

I just got a bill for $2255.54 (after the insurance benefit) and assumed it was the Prialt blah blah anyway I misread the bill and that was for the refill before they added Prialt so that is a straight baclofen refill.

this is getting very scary $$$$ wise. Can't live without and can't afford to pay for it?? How are you paying for it.

I'd like a bit more info before I call the insurance company again but already have my next refill scheduled.

help

ket

I just got a pump implanted last week, so I don't know exactly how the billing will shake itself out. However, I did deal a bit with the pharmacy involved when I had the ITB test done. For that bolus dose, my insurance company got a claim from the pharmacy like $300 total. The insurance company covered 60%, but the pharmacy forgave the entire patient balance. I talked to them directly and they indicated without stating it directly, that they worked very hard to make sure they made profit off the insurance company and then tried not to go after the patient for anything. I don't know what I'll do if they try to screw me, but with the pump working now for just over 1 week, there's no way I'm letting them take it away. It's an absolute game changer for my quality of life.

Good luck!

[zagam]

Question on the Codman pump: How is the dose adjusted? It sounds like it has no electronics at all.

Strength and viscosity of the solution.

It is a constant rate, but does not rely on dodgey software or batteries. There is a bypass bolus port in it accessed with a different needle so they have to use the correct needles, strength, etc.

The FDA, TGA, etc. do not have deep experience with engineering and design of things that are to be fit for purpose. So do not have the same standards as aerospace even though I would regard the application as safety critical. They rely of "proof" of qualitative hypotheses with statistics so the device only need save a few more than it kills. (Normally in science qualitative demands an unequivocal result and quantitative passes through all the error bars.)

SCADA and automotive software has also always been at or reached rock bottom.

You need an airgap. However, this means they need to cut for physical access to make adjustments. UUCP email is not an air gap as I have seen Internet Protocol transport that used UUCP email between networks. Validating proxies between VMs is not an airgap as proxies can be tricked with escape artistry. A careful person retyping by hand info that they have verified between un-trusted PeeCee and real terminal on a secure system may be an air gap.

Karen Sandler, cyborg lawyer
https://blogs.gnome.org/gnomg/category/medicaldevices/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW1h1s_ojpM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XDTQLa3NjE

The modern day assassin is armed with a laptop equipped with WiFi and BlueTooth. If they can't crash you they can crash your car with you in it.
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/201...hwart-hacking/

[catlikekg]

Do Baclofen pumps work for people who have a syrinx above the level of injury? ty

[fireguy149]

Thinking of getting a baclofen pump due to tone. Does this mean that Botox injections would no longer be needed, or will it depend on how well the pump works??

thanks in advance

[SCI-Nurse]

Baclofen primarily works on striated muscle such as that in your trunk, legs, and (to a lesser degree) arms. Bladder Botox is targeted for use on smooth muscle such as you see in internal organs such as the bladder, gut, etc. It is unlikely that having a baclofen pump would replace the use of either anticholenergics medications or Botox for high pressures and instability of the bladder.

(KLD)