Mediclaim insurance challenges and solutions – Doctors supporting patients: A Medic LAWgic initiative

INTRODUCTION:Because patients covered by medical insurance are being denied legitimate claims, doctors are working shoulder to shoulder with them and have garnered significant experience in this matter. We, therefore, decided to a systematic survey under the Medic LAWgic banner and presented the data.METHODS:A short, 8-question multiple-choice survey was conducted online among doctor clinicians. Duplicate replies were removed. The remaining replies were evaluated, interpreted, and the data are being presented here.RESULTS:A total of 377 doctors responded. The majority (208, 55%) had faced problems with medical insurance claims in more than 10% of their patients. Almost half of them (48%) had outright rejection of the claims in more than 10% of their patients. Reduction in claim amounts was faced in more than 10% instances by 262 (70%). The five most common causes for refusal or rejection of claims included failure of patient to disclose pre-existing illness (234, 62%), other insurance policy terms related issues (157, 42%), oral medication (199, 53%), treatment without admission (155, 41%), and treatment with new modes of therapy (152, 40%). As many as 301/377 (80%) doctors had written letters to the insurance companies for supporting their patients’ claim. Such supporting letters from the treating doctors resulted in the claim being accepted or approved in 216 instances (57%).DISCUSSION:Mediclaim denial is a major and growing problem. People who need financial assistance the most are also the most vulnerable to denial. In the USA, such denial rates ranged from 1% to 45% of in-network claims in the year 2017. Unfortunately, <0.5% of patients appealed such claim denial. The insurance regulatory and development authority of India (IRDA) have issued guidelines that all claims need to be settled within 30 days and that insurance companies must fulfill their contractual commitment for genuine claims, even if timely intimation was not possible. Insurance companies are running a business for profit. Hence, even the most expensive plans will have a list of exclusions, in the fine print. Indian patients need to be proactive in following up when claims are rejected or reduced. Doctors are their pillar of support, whose advantage needs to be taken by them. IRDA and consumer courts are also looking after patients’ rights in this matter.CONCLUSION:Patients are increasingly facing challenge of medical insurance companies denying legitimate claims. Doctors help by writing to the insurance companies supporting their patients claim and such letters help in the majority of instances. Patients and their families need to follow up aggressively when their claims are not approved, rejected or reduced. They should also request the help of their doctors when facing such challenges.

Bone marrow morphological changes in patients of chronic myeloid leukemia treated with imatinib mesylate.

Background: Imatinib mesylate has shown promising results in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in all phases. This drug is an effective treatment for patients with CML in chronic phase as it induces hematological remission in nearly all patients and cytogenetic responses in many. The bone marrow changes produced by this drug are different from the treatment modalities used earlier in CML. Materials & Methods: We studied 80 patients of CML on treatment with Imatinib at doses of 400-800 mg per day. Morphological and cytogenetic evaluation (Ph analysis) of bone marrow aspirates was done at six months of treatment. Result: In our study, 95% (76 out of 80) patients showed complete hematological response and 63.3% showed major cytogenetic response at the end of six months of treatment. The most commonly observed changes in the bone marrow aspirates at the end of six months of therapy were in the form of reduction in the cellularity, reduction in the M: E ratio to a mean of 2:1, presence of relative erythroid hyperplasia, normalization of megakaryocytic morphology and variable increase in the bone marrow lymphocytes. None of these changes had significant correlation with the patient's Ph status. Conclusion: We advise study of trephine biopsies to overcome the often-faced problem of hemodiluted aspirates in these cases and evaluation of sequential bone marrows to check the durability of these morphological changes and their correlation with the cytogenetic response with emphasis on cytogenetic changes other than Ph positivity.

Minimizing side effects of systemic corticosteroids in children.

Corticosteroids are potent drugs used in management of various inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. The antiinflammatory effects of corticosteroids cannot however be separated from their metabolic effects. Children are more vulnerable to their side effects, particularly the effects on growth, immunity and adrenal suppression. It is essential for the treating physician to be aware of the side effects and the measures to be taken to minimize them. A side effect that is unique to children is growth suppression, which is helped by alternate day treatment. Administration of small doses of prednisolone (10-15 mg/day or velocity significantly. The potency of dexamethasone and betamethasone in suppressing growth is nearly 18 times higher than that of prednisolone. There is some evidence that the administration of growth hormone can reverse these changes.

Successful complete regression of isolated intramedullary spinal cord metastases from epithelial ovarian carcinoma with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Advances in the management of ovarian cancer by use of aggressive surgery and effective platinum-based chemotherapy have prolonged survival; this may have resulted in an alteration of the metastatic pattern of the disease and spread to unusual sites (e.g, CNS) has become more common. Also, with the availability of more sensitive imaging techniques, these tumors are being diagnosed with increasing frequency. Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis is rare. We report one such case treated successfully with chemotherapy and radiotherapy with long-term survival.

Insulin resistance and beta cell function in chronically transfused patients of thalassemia major.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the glycometabolic function in chronically transfused patients of beta- thalassemia major in terms of glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, insulin resistance index, and beta cell function index and to determine their relationship with clinical and biochemical profile. METHODS: 30 homozygous thalassemia major children (aged 8-15 years) receiving regular blood transfusion and 10 age and sex matched normal children attending a tertiary level hospital were subjected to glucose tolerance test, estimation of fasting plasma insulin level, insulin resistance index and beta cell function index. Liver enzymes, liver size and indicators of iron overload (serum ferritin, total units of blood transfused, splenic size) were recorded. RESULTS: There was no diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance test in either the cases or the controls. Fasting plasma insulin levels were significantly higher in cases than controls (P = 0.004), and correlated well with indicators of iron overload like total units of blood transfused (r = 0.41, P = 0.03), serum ferritin (r = 0.38, P = 0.038) and splenic size (r = 0.43, P = 0.03). Insulin resistance was higher in cases compared to controls (P = 0.01). It correlated well with age (r = 0.56, P = 0.006), fasting blood glucose (r = 0.8, P = 0.003), fasting plasma insulin (r = 0.95, P = 0.00001), total units of blood transfused (r = 0.52, P = 0.005), serum ferritin (r = 0.4, P = 0.02) and splenomegaly (r = 0.51, P = 0.004). Insulin resistance was higher in patients not on chelation therapy compared with those on chelation therapy (P = 0.003). The beta cell function index was higher in cases compared to the controls, but not of statistic significance (P = 0.077). It did not correlate well with total amount of blood transfused (r = -0.32, P = 0.08), serum ferritin (r = -0.138, P = 0.46), spleen size (r = 0.16, P = 0.36), or chelation therapy (P = 0.98). CONCLUSION: Diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose was not seen in chronically transfused patients of thalassemia major (between 8 and 15 years of age), in our study. Insulin resistance, compensated by hyperinsulinemia, sets in early even before the onset of frank diabetes mellitus and correlated well with age, chelation therapy and indicators of iron overload like total units of blood transfused, splenomegaly and serum ferritin.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) as second malignancy after treatment of Hodgkin's disease.

Hodgkin's disease survivors are at an increased risk of developing second malignant neoplasms including secondary bone tumors. Common secondary bone tumors are osteogenic sarcoma and fibrosarcoma. Secondary primitive neuroectodermal tumor is extremely rare in this group. We present below, a rare case of secondary PNET in an 8-year-old child with Hodgkin's disease which developed unusually early outside the radiation portal and discuss potential factors responsible for its causation.

Moebius syndrome with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

Moebius syndrome is characterized by congenital complete or partial facial nerve palsy with or without paralysis of cranial nerves and often associated with other malformations. Cardiac anomalies though known are very rare and till date only 4 cases have been reported. We present a case of Moebius syndrome with supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection which has not yet been reported in literature.

Pseudomonas sepsis with Noma: an association?

We report here a 2.5-year-old male child with community-acquired Pseudomonal sepsis showing the characteristic lesions of ecthyma gangrenosum. The child had development of gangrenous changes of the nose and face - the 'cancrum oris' or 'Noma'. We highlight the possible association of Pseudomonas sepsis and Noma, with malnutrition playing a central role in causing both the diseases.

Intramuscular midazolam vs intravenous diazepam for acute seizures.

OBJECTIVE: To determine effectiveness of intramuscular midazolam to control acute seizures in children as compared to intravenous diazepam. METHODS: 115 children in the age group of 1 month to 12 years who presented with acute convulsions were enrolled in the study. Patients who already had an intravenous access present were treated intravenous diazepam. Patients without an i.v. access at the time of convulsions were randomised into 2 groups and treated with either intramuscular midazolam or intravenous diazepam for control of seizures. Time interval from administration of drug to cessation of seizures was compared. Effectiveness of i.m. midazolam in various age groups, types of convulsions and etiology of convulsions was analyzed. Side effects of both drugs were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean interval to cessation of convulsions with i.m. midazolam was 97.22 seconds whereas in diazepam group without prior i.v. access it was 250.35 seconds and in diazepam group with prior i.v. access it was 119.4 seconds. i.m. midazolam acted faster in all age groups and in patients with febrile convulsions, which was statistically significant. i.m. midazolam was equally effective in various types of convulsions be it GTC or focal convulsions. 7 patients (10.8%) had thrombophlebitis associated with i.v. diazepam administration whereas none of the patients in the midazolam group had any side effects, which was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: i.m. midazolam is an effective agent for controlling acute convulsions in children especially in children with febrile convulsions. It has relatively no side effects as compared to Intravenous diazepam and can be used as a first line agent for treatment of acute convulsions in patients with difficult intravenous access.

Imatinib mesylate in chronic myeloid leukemia: a prospective, single arm, non-randomized study.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic stem cell disorder characterized by the balanced reciprocal translocation t (9:22). The resulting fusion gene, the BCR-ABL, is responsible for oncogenesis. Imatinib mesylate is a novel molecule, which inhibits the protein product of this fusion gene and hence has been used in the treatment of CML. The present study evaluates 174 patients with CML treated with imatinib mesylate. Of these 174 patients, 97 were in chronic phase, 47 in accelerated phase and 30 patients had blast crisis. Patients in chronic phase received imatinib mesylate in the dose of 400-mg daily, while those in accelerated phase and blast crisis received 600 to 800 mg daily. Of the 97 patients with chronic phase, 49 patients (50.5%) achieved a major (major + complete) cytogenetic response. Of the 47 patients in accelerated phase, 10 patients (21.3%) achieved a major cytogenetic response and in 30 patients with blast crisis, 7 (23.3%) achieved a major cytogenetic response. Dermatitis, mucositis, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were some of the major toxicities. Of interest, 121 of the 174 patients (69.5%) developed generalized hypopigmentation. We conclude that imatinib mesylate is a safe and effective first-line therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia.

Yolk sac tumor of vagina.

Yolk sac tumors are common in children. By virtue of being chemosensitive, they are amenable to cure by chemotherapy alone and radical surgery is often not required. Yolk sac tumors occurring in the vagina are rare and thus may not be recognized early or may be inadvertently subjected to radical surgery. The authors report a case that presented to them after radical surgery with elevated Alpha-fetoprotein level is reported. The management of this case and review of the relevant literature are discussed here.

A bedside dipstick method to detect Plasmodium falciparum.

We conducted this study to determine efficacy of Parasight-F (an HRP-II antigen dipstick method to detect P. Falciparum) in children. A total of 30 children were enrolled in the age group of 2 months to 12 years whose peripheral smear showed asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum. All patients were tested for presence of HRP-II antigen of Plasmodium falciparum in their blood by the Parasight-F dipstick test by either an EDTA sample or a finger prick blood sample. The sensitivity of Parasight-F was 83.3 % However, the sensitivity of Parasight-F to detect Plasmodium Falciparum in case of mixed Plasmodium (Vivax + Falciparum) infection was only 25 %. Also, all patients less than 6 months of age had a negative Parasight-F test. Parasitic index, prior treatment with antimalarials or severity of Falciparum malaria have no effect on the sensitivity of Parasight-F test. We conclude that Parasight-F is an effective tool for diagnosis of Plasmoduim falciparum malaria in children.

A study of Vitamin K status in children on prolonged antibiotic therapy.

Vitamin K deficiency is known to cause coagulopathy and bleeding in patients on prolonged antibiotic therapy. This study was conducted to evaluate the status of vitamin K deficiency in hospitalized children on prolonged antibiotic therapy and its role in reversing the coagulopathy. A prospective non-randomized study was conducted on children on antibiotic therapy at a tertiary care hospital. Children in the 1 month-1 year age group developed significant coagulopathy as compared to other age groups. Coagulation abnormalities were also seen to be more in children with greater grades of malnutrition, on a more prolonged course of antibiotics and in children who were critically ill in intensive care. Hypoprothrombinemia previously reported to be due to B-lactam antibiotics containing the N-Methyl Thio Tetrazole (NMTT) group also resulted from antibiotics without this side chain. Inhibition of intestinal microorganisms by antibiotics was thought to be a likely explanation of this phenomenon. We suggest Vitamin K prophylaxis in severely ill patients, on extended periods of antibiotics and inadequate diet to prevent morbidity and mortality.

Colloid cyst of the third ventricle: a cause of sudden death in a child.

Colloid cyst is a rare benign intracranial neoplasm, commonly located in the third ventricle. Though headache and visual symptoms are classical, the patients may present with sudden neurological deterioration. We present a ten-year-old male child who presented with sudden neurological deterioration due to colloid cyst of the third ventricle resulting in death. The child had intermittent headache for three months, for which medical attention was not sought. This report details the case and a short review of the condition is presented (with emphasis on the clinical features and importance of early diagnosis). Management (including surgical methods and conservative treatment) of third ventricle colloid cysts is briefly reviewed.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations rarely present in childhood. Two cases are presented in this report. Both the cases presented clinically with cyanosis and clubbing without a cardiac murmur. The second case had cerebral abscess in addition. Both the cases underwent a contrast-enhanced echocardiography which suggested the presence of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. The first case also underwent 99mTc radionuclide scan and pulmonary angiography. The cases are being reported for their characteristic clinical features and for emphasizing the role of non-invasive modalities like contrast-enhanced echocardiography and radionuclide scan in reaching the diagnosis.