This letter confirms what we have always suspected; that we are sadly surrounded by incompetence, lack of interest, complacency and stupidity! BlueCross BlueShield, one of this nations largest health insurance companies reviewed a members’ complaint about how her series of epidural steroid injections (ESI's) using Pfizer’s Depo-Medrol, resulted in her contracting Avascular Necrosis of the Hip or ANH. This serious health condition usually results in the need for a total hip replacement.
A CLOSER LOOK
“After researching the information regarding your epidural injections we have determined the Lumbar Epidural Injections, which you received… is approved by The Food and Drug Administration.”
WHAT? What did Mr. Ellery Ellis and his director Dr. Robert Lufrano just say to her? These guys just said that ESI’s with Depo-Medrol are FDA approved! What a disservice to their client, and a disgrace to the insurance industry. They didn't even look in their PDR because if they had, they would have discovered that there are NO steroid injectates that are approved by the FDA for epidural administration... none!
This statement comfirms that the whole ESI treatment thing must have been built on disinformation, lies, laziness and ignorance.
So I decided to give Mr. Ellis a call (a nice guy) to allow him and his company a chance to provide the EDNC with any evidence to substantiate his claim before we published his letter. Unfortunately, he was unable to provide us with any. I kindly explained our position, and that if he and his company ever took the time to review the costs and expenditures of pre and post ESI procedures, he would find that these injections actually worsen the symptoms in many more cases than once believed, thus spiking the costs of care to the tune of millions of dollars a year payable to the doctors and institutions providing such bogus services... a royal scam of scams!
Sadly, being a nice guy is no excuse for this type of professionalism. This poor woman is in serious pain that will last her a lifetime... They should be fired in my opinion.
