Claire Kolff lives with depression and was looking for much needed alleviation from her pain. Kolff “sought out the latest therapy available Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) but was rejected twice by her insurance company that claimed it was experimental.”
The facts are the FDA approved VNS for depression just last summer. VNS therapy “implants a pacemaker like device on the chest and stimulates the nerve as you go up the neck actually stimulating a number of different areas in the brain and causing a cascade of chemical changes" according to Dr. Deborah Schroter at St. Raphael Hospital.
Kolff was eventually assisted by a mediator who okayed the VNS therapy. Kolff now “looks forward to getting up and doing things. I don’t feel like I’m at the bottom of a deep black hole.”
If you know of anyone who faced similar challenges obtaining this type of treatment then let us know.
Dear Andrew,
Ms. Kolff is not the only individual up against the objections and denials of the insurance carriers for this FDA approved treatment option for TRD (Treatment Resistant Depression).
You and your readers are more than welcome to become informed as to the experiences of others and their challenges but to also learn that there are a reasonable percentage of patients benefiting from this therapy where other treatments have been failures.
We have established a proactive advocacy website and message forum to share information and experiences related to the VNS Therapy™ option.
The site name is: VNSdepression.com
The link to the site is: http://www.vnsdepression.com
Warmly,
Herb
VNSdepression.com
.
Posted by: Herb | July 16, 2006 2:49 AM | Permalink to Comment