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Is thermography covered by insurance?
Payment is required at the time of service. For reimbursement purposes, each patient is provided with a universal claim form which includes CPT and ICD-9 codes for them to submit to insurer for reimbursement. A physician’s prescription may be helpful in facilitating reimbursement.
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Should I have a mammogram?
This is an individual decision which must be made by each patient. Mammographers acknowledge a 15% to 20% false negative rate, a number made higher by women with dense breasts, implants, scar tissue and fibrocystic breasts. Further it has been shown that a positive (abnormal) infra-red image is the single most important marker of increased risk for the development of breast cancer.
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What about ultrasound or MRI?
We have found out that the addition of Ultrasound to Thermography has been very useful. Because thermography can often localize an abnormality to one quadrant of the breast, we are able to provide the ultrasound technician with a”road map” so that the study could be concentrated in a small area thereby increasing the effectiveness of this test.
MRI is also effective when coupled with thermography but from the dye given for an MRI has been very noted side effects to the drug.
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Is thermography costly?
For the information you receive you would have to pay thousands of dollars, plus there are no other tests on the market that show precursors to cancer. The cost of imaging is $249 for breast exam, $375 for women’s health study and $550 for a full body
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What to expect at thermography appointment
- The room is maintained between 68-70 degrees
- The patient disrobes and puts on a hospital gown to equilibrate to room temperature
- There is no physical contact, no compression and no radiation.
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Is thermography and approved procedure?
Yes, it was approved by the FDA in 1982. Also, in 1984 the American Medical Association certified thermography as being “beyond the experimental and investigational stages”.
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Who is qualified to take and interpret images?
The technicians should be certified by a recognized thermographic organization and the interpretation should be done by a licensed health care provider (D.O., M.D., D.C.) who is also board certified through a recognized thermographic organization.
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My doctor doesn’t know much about thermography and isn’t sure it is a valid diagnostic tool. How should I respond to this?
a. The camera is FDA approved.
b. The AMA (American Medical Association) approved thermography as an adjunctive test for the diagnosis of breast disease in 1982.
c. In 1984 the AMA certified thermography as being “beyond the experimental and investigational stages”
d. Over the last 10 years there have been great technological advances in thermal imaging cameras and their accompanying software.
Medical thermography has been available for over 50 years, predating mammography by a decade.
Best explained by reading Dr. Getson’s article titled: “The use of Thermography in the Diagnosis of CRPS: A Physician’s Opinion”. http://tdinj.com/reflex-sympathetic-dystrophy.html
Over the last 10 years the incidence of breast cancer has doubled. Is it not incumbent upon us to use every proven diagnostic tool available for the earliest detection of breast disease?
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Are all thermographers created equal?
It is imperative that the study be done under the controlled conditions established by the international thermographic community. These include temperature controls, reduction of ambient light, and careful monitoring of air flow. The images should be taken by a trained technician and interpreted by a certified, licensed health care practitioner.
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How do I understand my thermographic report and when and how will I receive my report?
Color thermography is based upon the assumption that the body is symmetrical into itself. We realize that NO ONE is completely symmetrical in terms of size, shape or temperature. For that reason we allow up to 1.5 degrees C and still consider it to be normal. The only exception is at the nipples where maximum limit of normal is 1.0 degrees C.
A copy of the images and a written report of the findings will be sent to the patient within 14 days of study usually by email unless otherwise requested by patient
Do you really need that mammogram?
The problem is that not all breast cancers are equally aggressive. Some are deadly, some never develop into anything life-threatening, some go away on their own. But mammograms can’t always tell them apart. So while the test can save lives, it also leads to additional tests and treatments, many of which are unnecessary. That unnecessary testing and treatment is worrisome, since it poses risks, including exposure to radiation and complications of surgery and hormone therapy. The question is how often does that overtreatment happen.
One of the new reports cites research from an independent panel of experts, which concluded that about 20 percent of women ages 50 to 70 who get diagnosed with breast cancer will end up being overtreated. But a dissenting editorial, written by Michael Baum, MD, a professor of surgery at the University College London, says that overtreatment is closer to 50 percent. And he also says that the risks of treatment, including radiation exposure to the heart and lungs from radiation therapy, is underestimated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MCKNxYCUpM