pradaxa article in this morning's NYTimes

[well.blogs.nytimes.com]

PeggyM

Thanks Peggy, I was just reading this in today's NY Times Science section. The question they pose is:-

But hundreds of thousands of consumers with atrial fibrillation continue to take it, and for them, a new quandary has emerged: Should they switch to another blood-thinner?

I literally don't know of any EPs that still prescribe Pradaxa with its poor safety profile and significant GI and difficulty stopping severe bleeding, with the somewhat safer and effective Factor Xa inhibitors Eliquis, Xeralto and soon Lixiana (Edoxaban) out there, or soon to be.

Warfarin with a good home meter doing weekly INR tests I would take fur sure over Pradaxa. Thanks for the link Peggy.

Shannon

Shannon Wrote:

> Warfarin with a good home meter doing weekly INR
> tests I would take fur sure over Pradaxa.

__________________________

Anyone run into MDs not wanting to approve home testing?

Can they bill Medicare for their time in monitoring a patient's weekly home-based results?

Thanks!

/L

Yes then can bill medicare for the phone call it takes to monitor the INR and its usually the doc nurse who does those calls and keeps track of a patients self test INRs.

And Medicare will pay for the home monitor for patients though you will have to pay some portion of the amount for the testing strips. Its very much worth it to get the most from Warfarin.

Shannon

I was on Pradaxa for about a week after my first ablation and had lots of GI issues, so changed to Xeralto. If I was ever faced with having to take an anticoagulant long term I would choose Warafin.
Ron