Lawyers for Consumers and Victims of Injury
| Who pays for Guidant Recall surgery? |
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The recall of a medical device isn't quite
as simple as, say, pulling tainted beef or suspect drugs off store
shelves. There's the gritty little matter of who pays for taking the
device out of the patient and putting a new one in.
Guidant, which recalled or issued alerts for
about 50,000 devices in the past month, has offered to provide a
replacement device for free and reimburse the patient for up to $2,500 in
uncovered out-of-pocket expenses. While that is a significant offer,
considering the ICDs run $20,000 to $25,000 each, it still leaves someone
picking up the tab for doctors' fees and hospital charges, which average
$23,000.
As for surgical costs, Guidant would not comment, but a Chicago doctor said the company has indicated it will pay patients up to $2,500 in unreimbursed costs. ... more
Guidant said it would replace the devices, which can cost $25,000, at no charge if the patient and physician decide it's necessary. The company did not say whether it would pay any of the surgical costs, which can run between $8,000 and $14,000 if performed on an outpatient basis. ...more
Nervous Patients Call Doctors to Have Potentially Faulty Guidant Heart Devices Checked Out Stock analysts predicted the recall could cost Guidant up to $400 million. The Guidant devices cost between $20,000 to $35,000. ...more |
