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monolith
climber
SF bay area
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Jun 25, 2013 - 08:42pm PT
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Extremely dumb and dangerous advice, specialistclimber.
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losbill2
climber
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Jun 25, 2013 - 09:13pm PT
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must be nice having a choice as to whether to get one or not...
most americans dont
Speaking very personally I am very lucky to have medical insurance coverage from an employer and to make a relatively decent living. I do not regret for one second my tax dollars going to provide medical care to my fellow citizens. I have been a regular contributor to Doctors Without Borders for many years. It galls the hell out of me and saddens me to no end that here in my country with the wealth, resources and blessings that we have that so many fellow citizens do not have access to the most basic of medical care.
That said, I do believe, although I may be wrong, that come 1/1/14 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will make available affordable medical insurance for many,many currently uncovered individuals and colonoscopies are one of the tests considered to be basic and effective medical care.
For all that are currently covered or can scrape together the $600 or so needed to get it done, consider yourself damn lucky and get it done.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Jun 26, 2013 - 08:45am PT
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Whichever way you go, yer gunna die!
Bits and pieces of "biological dirt" from inside people's colons are being left on three in 20 of the instruments inserted in people's rectums to examine their lower digestive tract, according to a study at five hospitals nationwide.
"Three out of 20 is an unexpectedly high number of endoscopes failing a cleanliness criterion," said Marco Bommarito, an investigator with 3M's infection prevention division, which conducted the study. "Clearly, we'd like no endoscopes to fail a cleanliness rating."
Rates for biodirt were as high as 30% for reusable endoscopes used for upper gastrointestinal exams, according to the study, presented at the annual conference for the Assn. for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The study comes after thousands of patients in the last four years have had to undergo HIV and hepatitis testing after authorities uncovered improper cleaning practices at hospitals, including several run by the Veterans Affairs Department.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-dirty-colonoscopy-20130607,0,3042313.story
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Jun 26, 2013 - 10:13am PT
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Fortunately, I grew up a hillbilly. We got baths twice a week, whether we needed them or not, and generally we needed them. Being an active kid, I was covered in dirt most of the week, the same dirt the chickens were pooping in! We drank untreated country water, our cistern was filled with a combination of rain water and whatever ran off from the corn fields.
This is why I'm impervious to germs to this day.
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losbill2
climber
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Jun 26, 2013 - 10:46am PT
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$600.00 does not sound right. Must have got that one in an alley somewhere. Couple grand minimum.
Cragman I know it does sound low. But remember there is nothing systematic nor organized about the terms Healthcare System or Organized Medicine. Costs for common medical procedures within a single geographical area can vary by as much as 10-fold. Everyone shops for the best price in buying a car. Hardly anyone shops for the best price in medical care.
Medicare rate for colonoscopies in an outpatient setting in the Boston area is (drum roll please)…$611.77. see this link for information
http://capsules.kaiserhealthnews.org/index.php/2013/03/how-much-simple-question-complicated-answer-in-medicare/
A different story which was focused on colonoscopies in the hospital in the Boston area can be found here http://www.wbur.org/2013/01/10/colonoscopy-quality-cost. It reveals that two hospitals surveyed will perform colonoscopies at the Medicare rate for anyone. I believe that with some phone work and negotiating one should be able to find similar pricing in an outpatient setting.
Finally I found this site online quoting $950:
http://www.colonoscopyassist.com/Cities/Boston_MA_colonoscopy.html
I recently did some online research for my brother who lives in the Reno area and is going to get his first colonoscopy. There are 8 outpatient clinics in the immediate Reno area that do more than 2500 procedures per year. This for an area of about 500,000. I have to believe there must be some competition among the clinics for patients. I advised him to call all of them and get price quotes. I will post up regarding what he pays.
One fly in the ointment maybe you will be required to have a basic physical exam prior to the procedure. It will add to the cost but ... consider the alternative and shop around and it is probably not a bad thing to get.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Dingleberry Gulch, Ideeho
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Jun 26, 2013 - 10:54am PT
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I got one scheduled for August 12 at 830AM.
I won't webcast it, but I will post the YouTube. And pics. Lots of pics. Maybe they'll find some corn in there, or something.
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Johnny K.
climber
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Aug 21, 2013 - 04:32pm PT
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Up...
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Aug 21, 2013 - 05:59pm PT
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"There are two, no three methods of pain control for these procedures."
I'd told the Dr I didn't want the drugs/sedation for the procedure. He said: "very few choose that, but I respect it so how about we'll put the IV in and have it ready but we won't inject them unless you choose to do it, which you can do at any time, is that fair?" I thought so. He told me exactly how it was going to feel.
It was fine without the drugs. There is basically no recovery time, you jump up and get on with your life as soon as you're done. Not sure that it's for everyone though, as it takes some mind control. The real benefit is having the Dr describe what he is seeing inside your colon as you are both looking at the monitor.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Bungwater Hollow, Ida-ho
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Aug 21, 2013 - 07:03pm PT
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It's a real thrill to have someone I barely know stick a camera up my butt and look around. A serious thrill.
But I had mine, and I don't have to go back for 5 years, so at least I got that going for me. Priceless.
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doughnutnational
Gym climber
its nice here in the spring
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Aug 21, 2013 - 07:07pm PT
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I just had mine and chose the unsedated option. Nothing like seeing the inside of your colon in real time! It was not fun but(t) I do enjoy knowing I don't have colon cancer.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Aug 21, 2013 - 07:14pm PT
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My guess is that this thread is gonna save a life or two. Good idea, Rick.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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One of my best friends died of colon cancer because he didn't get a colonoscopy. One of the most treatable forms of cancer if caught in time.
I thought the whole procedure, prep included, was pretty much a non event.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Sep 10, 2013 - 12:33pm PT
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^^^Me too!^^^
But conversely, think of all the critical places your money is going. Places like the military hiring 29,000 full time staffers just to convince people that the Pentagon is doing good in the world. And the Dept of Homeland security budget is $46,900,000,000 - why should you not pay to have some federal gov't dudes monitor all of your emails and phone calls or pat your ass at the airport? And of course, there is the $220,000,000,000 to pay for interest on old debt. That's just the interest, and we are borrowing 40% of that number just to pay that.
Kind of makes one wonder what will happen once we get this debt hole deep enough. Our kids will be thinking of us I'm sure.
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M R
climber
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Jul 19, 2014 - 09:01pm PT
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There's a new site that's starting to post facilities' cash-up-front prices. You should encourage the Idaho facilities you worked with to list there - they're likely to get a bump in volume from cash payers. Click for the colonoscopy page.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 28, 2015 - 06:01pm PT
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got my first screening yesterday... after years of FOB tests...
all clear on the colon front, nothing there... so I guess the next one won't happen for a while (like 10 years).
But it's definitely nice to know that all's quiet on the southern front.
Probably a good thing to get!
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Mar 28, 2015 - 07:24pm PT
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Biggest scam of the current Medical decade.
My Doc has been pushing this test on me for the past three years with the zeal of a Used Car Salesman...all for the low low Out-Of-Pocket Not Covered by Insurance cost of 18 hundred bucks thank you very much please pay on your way out.
Only thing is - when I look at the rationale for this test - it seems to only apply to people with questionable PSA counts (no), or Fecal Occult Positives (no) family history (no), eat red meat (not in 27 years), alcoholic (meh...does three beers count?).
What I also find from my friend Google are numerous documents showing the increasing push by the Medicos to have every Boomer Baby get the tube, but also how this procedure has evolved from one Doc and one Nurse to 2 Docs, an Anesthesiologist, a couple of support Nurses...talk about packing the proverbial azzhole!
In the end (hah) - I finally told Doc to chill out on the tube - I change my oil at every 5000 and don't need an engine flush with complimentary undercoating just so you have another BMW in your personal parking lot.
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thebravecowboy
climber
Greyrock, CO
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Mar 28, 2015 - 07:34pm PT
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My Doc has been pushing this test on me
had to be quoted
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Mar 28, 2015 - 07:43pm PT
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Drinking the gallon of antifreeze the day before the exam was the highlight for me. Whoa, not cool.
Now they are finding out many people get passed infections/bacteria by the ass scope as they are difficult to clean properly. My stomach wasn't the same for a year. I thought the whole experience was pretty gnarly.
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Mar 28, 2015 - 07:56pm PT
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^^^^Have you inquired about Fecal Transplants?
Swallow some poop from a 6 year old Vegan child and your worries are over.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Mar 28, 2015 - 09:55pm PT
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Ricky D, I encourage everyone at 50 to get this test once. If you are completely clean, like Ed, and me, they won't recommend you get another one for ten years.
If there are polyps, they will remove them and those polyps will not go on to become cancerous and kill you. I sat with one of my best friends and watched him draw his last breath at age 60 because he refused to get a routine colonoscopy at age 50. I watched him suffer horribly for 6 months after a diagnosis of stage four colon cancer.
Yes it certainly sounds like you are in a low risk category. That's great. But it is a reasonable thing to do.
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