Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing in oxygen while inside a pressurized hyperbaric chamber. This therapy is backed up by significant medical research and has been used across the globe for many decades to treat a wide array of acute and chronic health conditions. The pressurized use of oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber helps the human body fight infection and heal from illness and injury.
If you or a loved one have received a hyperbaric oxygen therapy insurance denial, speaking to attorney Scott Glovsky could be extremely beneficial. Scott routinely goes up against big insurance corporations, forcing them to live up to their end of the bargain. If you have been paying your insurance premiums faithfully for months or years, receiving an insurance denial can feel like a betrayal. Do not simply accept a hyperbaric oxygen therapy insurance denial; call the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky today.
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides pure oxygen in an enclosed space with a higher-than-normal air pressure. It was developed originally to treat decompression sickness, which is often seen in scuba divers and those who travel in space and is caused by rapid drops in water or air pressure. The air we breathe is 21 percent oxygen.
HBOT involves breathing pure oxygen (100 percent) in a chamber with an increased air pressure to help the lungs collect additional oxygen. Too much oxygen can damage the body, so care is taken not to exceed recommended time limits. Hyperbaric chambers are usually tube-shaped chambers only large enough to hold one person, although they can also be an entire room that can hold more than one person.
What Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Do?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is believed to do the following:
- Stimulate the growth of blood vessels, nerves, stem cells, and new tissues in the body
- Assist the body’s own immune system
- Promote the healing of tissues in the body
- Provide anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and antimicrobial properties
What Ailments Can Be Treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
There are many different injuries, illnesses, and conditions that can potentially be treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. These include:
- Breathing problems like COPD, asthma, pneumonia, and more.
- Serious wounds and tissue diseases
- Air bubbles that are trapped in blood vessels
- Tissue damage resulting from radiation therapy
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Multiple sclerosis
- Skin problems
- Severe anemia when blood transfusions cannot be used, and other blood disorders
- Burns
- Crush injuries
- Sudden hearing loss that occurs for no known reason
- Skin and bone infections
- Vision loss resulting from blood flow blockage
- Diabetic foot ulcers
Why Would Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Treatment Be Denied?
In some instances, a hyperbaric oxygen therapy insurance denial may result from incomplete paperwork or an error in the paperwork. An individual may not have used an in-network provider, or the insurer may have required prior authorization. Depending on the illness or injury, the insurer may require “step therapy.” Also known as “Fail First,” step therapy means that less expensive treatments must be tried before the insurer pays for a more expensive one.
The hyperbaric oxygen therapy insurance denial could state that the treatment is considered not medically necessary, experimental, or investigational. These are code words that too often mean “too expensive.” HBOT costs can range widely, depending on the number of sessions required, the specific facility, and the type of treatment. Generally, HBOT costs between $300 and $1,200 per session. Since it may require several sessions, insurers often deny this treatment depending on the condition being treated.
What Insurers Are More Likely to Deny HBOT Treatments?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is often covered by Medicare and some commercial insurers, depending on the medical condition. Most insurers will require prior authorization, and the amount you will pay out-of-pocket will depend on the specifics of your plan. Below are some California insurers who could potentially issue a hyperbaric oxygen therapy insurance denial.
How the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky Can Help Following an HBOT Insurance Denial
Attorney Scott Glovsky and his legal team spend every single day going up against big insurance companies with an army of corporate attorneys. Scott has such an impressive win record because he is consistently better prepared, more focused, and fully prepared to fight for justice.
Attorney Glovsky worked at large corporate law firms when he graduated from law school but soon realized that the work offered little in the way of personal fulfillment or self-respect. Contact the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky to speak to Scott personally and discuss your hyperbaric oxygen therapy insurance denial or any other type of insurance denial.