A diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy can be just as frightening as the symptoms that led you to seek medical care. Peripheral neuropathy may begin with tingling, numbness, or prickling in the toes or fingers, and can spread up to the feet or hands. Once it spreads, peripheral neuropathy can cause a shooting pain that often worsens at night. The pain from peripheral neuropathy can be constant or intermittent.
If your doctor has recommended a specific treatment following your diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy and then you receive a peripheral neuropathy treatment denial from your insurer, it can be devastating. It is important that you have a strong legal advocate in your corner who can fight for you and your rights. That advocate is attorney Scott Glovsky and his team at the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky.
What is Peripheral Neuropathy?
Additional symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:
- The sensation of wearing a sock or glove – when you are not
- Freezing pain
- A burning sensation
- Sharp, jabbing, shooting, or electric-like pain
- Sensitivity of touch
- Weakness in muscles
- Cramping or twitching of muscles
- Loss of coordination and balance
- Insomnia due to pain in the legs and feet
- Excessive sweating
- Blood pressure or pulse abnormalities
- Difficulty walking
- Weakness or not being able to hold something
- Difficulty moving the arms
The symptoms of peripheral neuropathy depend on the nerves that have been damaged (sensory, motor, or autonomic). Most people suffer from polyneuropathy, which is an umbrella term for the damage to many different nerves. Common causes of peripheral neuropathy include:
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Obesity
- Kidney disease
- Diabetes
- Deficiency of Vitamin B12
- Rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases
- Certain pharmaceutical drugs
- Hypothyroidism
- Some physical injuries
- Shingles
- Chemotherapy
- Carpal tunnel
- Metabolic disease
- Infection
- Hormonal imbalances
- Lyme disease
Attorney Scott Glovsky In “Global Autoimmune Institute” Feature
What Are the Treatments for Peripheral Neuropathy?
Your treatment recommendation will depend on the cause of your peripheral neuropathy as well as which nerves are damaged. If an underlying condition like diabetes is the cause of your neuropathy, then that condition will be treated to prevent the neuropathy from worsening. Some treatments and medications for peripheral neuropathy include:
- Nerve blocks
- Steroid injections
- Nerve stimulator
- Acthar gel
- IVIG
- Antiseizure drugs
- Antidepressants
- Mexiletine
- Physical therapy
- Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation
Early diagnosis and effective management of the underlying causes of peripheral neuropathy can help those diagnosed with PN to lead a long, fulfilling life.
Why Could You Receive a Peripheral Neuropathy Treatment Denial?
In some cases, a peripheral neuropathy treatment denial could be the result of a simple issue that can be easily fixed, like an error on the claim form. Other times, your insurance may require prior authorization or may specifically deny certain treatments. Much of the time, a peripheral neuropathy treatment denial is based on the cost of treatment, cloaked in such language as “not medically necessary,” “experimental,” and “investigational.”
What Should You Do if Your Treatment for Peripheral Neuropathy is Denied?
If your treatment for peripheral neuropathy is denied, this denial can affect your health and your future. You can file an internal appeal, which essentially asks your insurer to reconsider its decision. If your insurer still denies the treatment, your attorney can assist you in filing an external appeal. In an external appeal, a neutral third party will decide whether your treatment for peripheral neuropathy is necessary for your health. If the decision is in your favor, your insurer will be bound by this decision. That said, the path you take depends on the type of insurance you have. That’s why we recommend speaking with an experienced health insurance denial attorney prior to submitting an external appeal.
What Insurers Are Known to Deny Peripheral Neuropathy Treatments?
Any insurer can deny a treatment for peripheral neuropathy. Some of the California insurers more likely to do so include:
How the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky Can Help Following a Peripheral Neuropathy Treatment Denial
Peripheral neuropathy is a potentially serious illness that can have long-term effects on your overall health and well-being. If you have received a peripheral neuropathy treatment denial, you need an attorney who will fight for your right to treatment, your health, and your future. That attorney is Scott Glovsky. Scott has been tirelessly fighting big insurance companies on behalf of people just like you for many years.
Scott and his team understand how demoralizing it is to receive a treatment denial from the insurance company you have faithfully been paying your premiums to for years, even decades. Now is not the time to give up. Attorney Scott Glovsky will work with you following your peripheral neuropathy treatment denial. We take fewer cases so we can devote the necessary time to each case we take. Contact the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky today.