Insurance Coverage for Vein Treatment
May 22, 2013
Vein Treatment: Covered by Insurance?
Because insurance providers don’t cover ALL vein treatment, there is often confusion regarding which treatment(s) they do cover.
Insurance companies consider varicose veins to be a medically necessary problem when complications such as clotting, bleeding or skin changes have already developed from them, or when they cause symptoms such as heaviness, aching, tiredness, throbbing, burning, itching and/or swelling, which impact an individual’s routine daily activities or ability to work. We then have to verify that there is indeed a problem with the veins, which we do by a Registered Vascular Technologist performing a Doppler ultrasound on the patient’s leg(s) while they are standing.
Healthy veins carry blood up toward the heart, while varicose veins don’t function normally, allowing blood to flow backwards toward the feet, often resulting in dilated, bulging veins. Once we have documented the patient’s symptoms and the fact that they do indeed have venous reflux, their subsequent treatment is typically covered by insurance. Some insurance carriers require patients to undergo a “trial of conservative therapy” prior to approving vein treatment. This usually means having patients wear compression stockings for a period of time, sometimes up to 6-12 weeks. Once they have completed this, we can submit our records to the insurance company for treatment approval.
Please call The Kimmel Institute, located in Boca Raton, to schedule your free vein screening at 561-948-5560. Our experienced staff can guide you through the insurance maze if you are diagnosed with venous reflux.
-Dr. Richard Kimmel