iProstateCancer http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog iProstateCancer Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:48:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 What We Do http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=10 http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=10#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:45:24 +0000 admin http://localhost/websites/iprostate/blog/?p=10 Answer your questions

Prostate cancer information portal
Help Patients who have been denied treatment by their insurer.

Appeal Help

My insurance denial CBS ….

The denial was overturned April 2008 and I was treated with the CyberKnife at Stanford May of 2008.

July 23, of 2008 BS of CA added the CyberKnife to their policy for treating prostate cancer

An advocate for Prostate Cancer Patients and Health Care Justice

Medicare Patients

Advocate for prostate cancer Research funding to improve education, screening, prevention and treatment.

Working to improve the peer-review process

]]> http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=10 0 TREATMENTS AVAILABLE http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=8 http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=8#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:44:37 +0000 admin http://localhost/websites/iprostate/blog/?p=8 What are the avaiable treaments?

Some general comments about treatment
There is a lot for you to think about when choosing the best way to treat or manage your cancer. There may be more than one treatment to choose from. You may feel that you need to make a decision quickly. But give yourself time to take in all the information you have learned. Talk to your doctor. Look at the list of questions at the end of this article to get some ideas. Then add your own.
The treatment you choose for prostate cancer should take into account:

  • your age and how long you can expect to live
  • any other serious health problems you may have
  • the stage and grade of your cancer
  • your feelings (and your doctor’s opinion) about the need to treat the cancer
  • the chance that each type of treatment will cure your cancer (or provide some other measure of benefit)
  • your feelings about the side effects common with each treatment

You may want to get a second opinion, especially if you have several treatments to choose from. Prostate cancer is a complex disease, and doctors may differ in their opinions about the best treatment options. Talking with doctors who specialize in different kinds of treatment may be helpful. You will want to weigh the benefits of each treatment against its drawbacks, side effects, and risks.

]]> http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=8 0 Medicare http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=6 http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=6#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:44:13 +0000 admin http://localhost/websites/iprostate/blog/?p=6 If your states’ Medicare Contractor is Noridian Administrative Services, Palmetto GBA, or Trailblazer Health Enterprises you know that your Medicare patients have lost the option for CK treatment of Prostate Cancer. This is unacceptable, especially when other Medicare Contractors have reviewed the evidence and are covering for patients residing in their states!

Up until now, these Medicare Contractors have seemed unwilling to listen. We can’t get discouraged. We have to keep carrying the message until these unacceptable policies are turned around. We must make our voices heard!

We can work to overturn these policies that restrict beneficiary access to life-saving treatment options under Medicare, a system which WE, the taxpayers have paid for.

How? The approach of the patient, Doctor and Treatment Center will be different, but the core message stays the same-patients should have access and the physician should be able to choose the treatment option that is safe, effective, and appropriate for their patients. These options must include Stereotactic Radiosurgery and treatment with the CyberKnife.

If you have patients that are willing to express their dissatisfaction with their local Medicare Contractors’ decision, please encourage them to contact their local Medicare Contractors, and Congressional Representatives at the local, state, and national level – even the White House! Our family members and friends can also express their view regarding the loss of stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of prostates cancer.

The list of Websites on the left side is where you can find the names and contact information of key decision makers in your state and at the national level.

]]> http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=6 0 What is Prostate Cancer ? http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=4 http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=4#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:43:46 +0000 admin http://localhost/websites/iprostate/blog/?p=4 The prostate is a gland found only in men. As shown in the picture below, the prostate is just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is about the size of a walnut. The tube that carries urine (the urethra) runs through the prostate. The prostate contains cells that make some of the fluid (semen) that protects and nourishes the sperm.

The prostate begins to develop before birth and keeps on growing until a man reaches adulthood. Male hormones (called androgens) cause this growth. If male hormone levels are low, the prostate gland will not grow to full size. In older men, though, the part of the prostate around the urethra may keep on growing. This causes BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) which can result in problems passing urine. BPH is a problem that must be treated, but it is not cancer

]]> http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=4 0 Breaking News…..Latest SBRT update http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=1 http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?p=1#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:36:12 +0000 admin http://localhost/websites/iprostate/blog/?p=1 The CyberKnife Coalition (www.ckcoalition.org) has set up this survey that allows CyberKnife patients to voice their concerns and to urge CMS to continue providing coverage. Click here to take Svrvey till March 31, 2010.

]]> http://www.iprostatecancer.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1 1