Friday, July 23, 2010 Sharon asks

Q: Cervical Radofrequency Ablation research

I was sent to the Michigan Head-Pain & Neurological Institute (MHNI) or daily chronic headaches I've had 24/7 for seven years due to a whiplash accident.

So I have head and neck trauma with daily chronic headaches. The MHNI determined, after performing facet blocks 2-6 on both sides that Cervical Radiofrequency abalation would in fact be perfect for my headaches. My insurance now states it's experimental and I have to prove it isn't??? HELP.

I am 54 years old and live in Wisconsin. I have Dean Health Insurance. They say they need peer to peer reviews of studies that have been done proving this is not an experimental procedures. Can anyone help me find this information? THANKS so very much!

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Answers (2)

Teri Robert, Health Guide

7/27/10 9:32am

Sharon,

Insurance companies tend to call anything not approved by the FDA "experimental." That's not to say that the procedure has never been approved by the FDA, but it's not approved for the treatment of Migraine. Your doctor would be the best source of peer-reviewed articles. You could try a PubMed search at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/, but many of the articles you find there will be available by subscription only.

Good luck,

Teri

tliacrain

7/23/10 5:58pm

I have had the exact same problem. i was told I did not need it "precerted" and now that it was done(the ablation) to several areas , with no relief experienced, my insurance has deemed it experimental/and or uneccessary and is refusing to pay. anyone have any ideas? I have exhausted all "traditional" treatments, charged 10,000 on my credit cards for alternative treatments, and i just can't"absorb" anymore. I am not working due to the severity of my headaches. Any help would be greatly appreciated

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Q: Cervical Radofrequency Ablation research

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