National Reimbursement for Biofeedback!

[Guest guest]

>

>The following was posted to PSYPHY list but no one

>responded. Perhaps people here will be more

>concerned. Note that the sender is not (yet)

>a member of this list, if you want to reply to

>him.

>

>-

>

>

> [PSYPHY] National Reimbursement for Biofeedback!

>

>

>Hi Everyone:

>

>My name is Heffernan. I have been involved in clinical

>psychophysiology, both as a researcher and clinician for over 20 yrs.

>I

>have a reimbursement issue to discuss with anyone who cares to

>respond.

>

>Under HCFA policy, biofeedback has limited coverage for treatment of

> " pathological muscle abnormality, or incapacitating muscle spasms not

>due to simple tension states, that has been unresponsive to

>conventional

>treatments of heat, rest, massage, and exercise " .

>

>I think most clinicians recognize a pathological muscle abnormality as

>a

>pathophysiologic process which affects muscular function. The

>identification of an " non psychogenic, incapacitating muscle spasm " is

>a

>bit more obscure. The definition would obviously entail functional

>limitations in the patients activity, e.g., impairment in normal range

>of motion that impairs basic activities needed for daily living:

>walking, standing, using arms, moving the head and neck. What about

>the

>common pain-spasm cycle in physical disease, where the basis of the

>pain

>is not psychogenic, e.g., DJD, rheumatism, osteoarthritis,

>sprain/strain injuries. These are common diagnosis in the aging

>population, almost always marked by pain and protective muscle spasms.

>Such spasms induce eschemia which causes more pain which causes more

>spasm. Often this process becomes functionally limiting. If this

>process is due to a physical cause (as much as we and the government

>insist on separating mind and body, still to this day), and not due to

>anxiety or stress, is it not appropriate to use biofeedback to treat

>these problems and expect coverage under HCFA guidelines? HCFA does

>not

>necessarily agree! They think many of us psychophysiologists are on

> " uncharted " and " unscientific " ground on this. Anyone have any

>research

>rebuttals. To make the matter even more confusing CHAMPUS, using the

>same policy for biofeedback coverage, lists joint disorders, and

>sprain/strain injuries as common diagnosis for which they consider

>payment when " incapacitating muscle spasms " are present. What can we

>do

>as clinicians to get HCFA and others to recognize scientific and

>clinical reality?

>

>Dr. Heffernan

>heff@...

>

>

R. Kovacek, MSA, PT

KovacekManagementServices, Inc.

The FOCUS Group, Inc.

20225 Danbury Lane

Harper Woods, MI 48225

Fax

Email Pkovacek@...

<http://www.theFOCUSgroup.net>

Join PT Manager-- The Electronic Rehab Leadership Community

To subscribe, send an empty message to ptmanager-subscribe@...

----

Read this list on the Web at http://www.FindMail.com/list/ptmanager/

To unsubscribe, email to ptmanager-unsubscribe@...

To subscribe, email to ptmanager-subscribe@...

--

Start a FREE E-Mail List at http://makelist.com !