Where to start to getting CI?

JoeyDeafNinja

JoeyDeafNinja

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I had old CI when I was 3 (1996). Never gotten new one after 1996. So I have no idea if I have to go through surgery again for new mapping. I have heath insurance but how can I know if they will cover cost of CI and surgery? I can't afford any of that with my own money. I am 21 years old if that make any difference. Where can I contact for CI? (Getting one, not ask questions about CI.)

EDITED:I called my heath insurance about covering the cost of CI. Unfortunately for me, they only covering the cost by 80%. I am required to visit doctor and request for signature form and send to Ci company to receive CI. So where do I find doctor for this? I live in Lexington, KY if that helps.

I am not sure if my heath insurance were clear on these so if you have knowledge on that, please let me know. I don't think I actually understood.
 
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find a CI clinic close to you and go from there. They can determine if your old implant is still in good shape and possibly help you upgrade to a newer processor (but at the very least they can do new maps for your old processor, no surgery needed for that). Or if you want to go bilateral and get a 2nd one, the CI clinic can help with that.

But the first thing you need to do is find a CI clinic that will work with you. If you do need surgery, they will help you find out if your insurance will cover it or not. The clinic will work with you.
 
cdmeggers said:
find a CI clinic close to you and go from there. They can determine if your old implant is still in good shape and possibly help you upgrade to a newer processor (but at the very least they can do new maps for your old processor, no surgery needed for that). Or if you want to go bilateral and get a 2nd one, the CI clinic can help with that.

But the first thing you need to do is find a CI clinic that will work with you. If you do need surgery, they will help you find out if your insurance will cover it or not. The clinic will work with you.
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What if my old CI is serve damaged? Coil and wires are destroyed. Body is badly damaged as well but still do works. it is spectra 22 by the way.
 
If it is damaged or unusable, then it would need to be replaced. The CI clinic will determine that. Find a CI clinic close to you, make an appointment, and you can discuss this with the team there to figure out what your next step should be. And they will help you figure out if your insurance will cover this or not.

I just now saw your edit in the original post. Do you have a doctor you regularly see for your health needs? If not, find a primary doctor that will accept you as a patient. Let him/her know you need a referral to a CI clinic to proceed with the CI process due to your insurance requirements.


When I first started the process for myself, I had to get a referral from my primary doctor. He was more than happy to send one to the CI clinic for them to get things rolling. Did the testings, etc., went through the surgery and activation, etc. I have Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare covers 80%, and Medicaid covered the rest.
 
cdmeggers said:
If it is damaged or unusable, then it would need to be replaced. The CI clinic will determine that. Find a CI clinic close to you, make an appointment, and you can discuss this with the team there to figure out what your next step should be. And they will help you figure out if your insurance will cover this or not.

I just now saw your edit in the original post. Do you have a doctor you regularly see for your health needs? If not, find a primary doctor that will accept you as a patient. Let him/her know you need a referral to a CI clinic to proceed with the CI process due to your insurance requirements.


When I first started the process for myself, I had to get a referral from my primary doctor. He was more than happy to send one to the CI clinic for them to get things rolling. Did the testings, etc., went through the surgery and activation, etc. I have Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare covers 80%, and Medicaid covered the rest.
Click to expand...

I don't have a primary doctor and I have no clue where to find. I found a clinic near me but they are closed now so have to wait till Monday to call to make appt. Wow I need to get medicaid as well!
 
How far are you willing to drive to a clinic? I don't know what there is in Lexington, but the CI clinic at Vanderbilt in Nashville it top notch. Without seeing your insurance, they will probably cover 80% up to your out of pocket maximum, not 80% of the total surgery cost. Do you know what your out of pocket maximum is? The clinics will be able to help you with some of this. I know Advanced Bionics has assistance with insurance as well. Not sure about the other manufacturers. I would make an appointment at a clinic near you or go to Vanderbilt if you can (that's about 3 hours away) and see what they have to say.
 
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