Health insurance unfortunately does not cover every drug, medical device, or treatment recommended by doctors. A common reason for denial by insurance companies is that the treatment is “experimental” or “Investigational”. This means that research remains ongoing. Experimental or Investigational treatments are not covered by insurance, even when data may show that the treatment may be the best or only solution to a medical problem. Insurance companies may also say that a treatment is experimental or investigational even when it has been accepted by mainstream medical society or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
At Direct Podiatry Arizona, we can offer several of these treatments. our goal is to provide our patients the highest-quality treatment options. This is by no means a complete list and is current as of January 2023.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
PRP has gained popularity in the last 5-10 years. During a PRP treatment, your blood is taken from your vein and spun down
in a machine called a centrifuge, which separates this blood into several layers. PRP or platelet-rich plasma is the part of blood that has been shown to have many healing and regenerative benefits. PRP can then be injected back into a joint in your foot or along a tendon or ligament to help with healing after specific injuries.
Keryflex
Keryflex is a nail restoration system that uses a composite resin applied to damaged and disfigured nails to restore a normal, healthy cosmetic appearance. To learn more about Keryflex click here: https://keryflex.com/why-keryflex/
Onyfix
Onyfix is a system that can be used in non-infected ingrown nails. The composite is applied, and as the nail grows out, this system slowly corrects the nail's growth pattern. Onyfix is a great option for people who would like to avoid nail surgery, kids and babies included. To learn more about Onyfix click here: https://www.onyfix.com/us-en/onyfix/instructions-for-use
Foot filler
Dermal Fillers are also a product that has gained traction over the last several years. These kinds of fillers can be used in the foot to add cushion to areas of the foot that have lost padding due to injury or aging. the use of fillers in the foot can help patients avoid surgery in these areas and is a great conservative treatment option. To learn more about foot filler options, click the link for another blog post all about dermal fillers in the feet.https://www.directpodiatryaz.com/post/all-about-foot-filler-injections
Amniotic membrane allograft
Amniotic membrane Allograft is used similarly to PRP, to promote healing after injuries. The major difference is that allograft is taken from donor tissue, specifically either the Umbilical cord or placenta of healthy live births. These two types of tissues have an extremely high amount of regenerative healing cells, which when injected into an adult, have been shown to promote healing.