Does Insurance Pay For Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

What is Hyperbaric Therapy?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a special medical device that uses oxygen under pressure to help accelerate healing for multiple conditions in patients. At times, HBOT has reversed issues that people may face such as random hearing loss. For this therapy, you would enter a chamber, whether it’s a monochamber or a multiplace chamber, you will start feeling the pressure change to levels up to 3 times the average and you will start breathing 10x the amount of oxygen in the process. The goal is to feed oxygen everywhere in the body that needs to repair tissue and regrow needed vessels at an accelerated rate. 

What Treatments Does Insurance Cover For HBOT?

While Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT is a medical device, it does not cover everything, in fact, there are only about 14 indications that Insurance would cover as a treatment. Even Though there are many uses for hyperbarics itself, it is still expensive and meant for a specific minority group of people who have certain conditions. Even Though Hyperbarics is not mainstream yet, research for different treatments is growing and it can start helping people realize the benefits it holds. 

The treatments that are commonly approved by insurance are listed below:

  • Air or Gas Embolism
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
  • Gas Gangrene
  • Crush Injury
  • Decompression Sickness
  • Arterial Inefficiencies: Central Retinal Artery Occlusion
  • Select Problem Wounds
  • Severe Anemia
  • Intracranial Abscess
  • Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
  • Osteomyelitis
  • Delayed Radiation Injury
  • Skin Grafts and Flaps
  • Acute Thermal Burn Injury
  • Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Insurance companies such as Medicare, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, BlueCross, Aetna, and Humana are all accepted and can be billed for treatment. You are more successful for insurance to pay for your treatment. It is one of the above conditions you are suffering with. Once insurance is qualified, you do not have to stress about the payments and your clinic will arrange all payment footprints for you directly. It’s important to know that the medical conditions listed above have different acceptance depending on the insurance and provider you have. 

The Most Common Reasons HBOT is Done

Non-Healing Wounds

One of the best things Hyperbarics has achieved is helping patients who have terrible non-healing wounds that normal wound care cannot treat. With normal wound care and HBOT combined, non-healing wounds have a chance to survive in the area by swarming oxygen to the area of the wound and providing blood flow and new vessels for the wound area to heal. Alone, these types of chronic non-healing wounds can take a long time to heal, if it ever heals. These wounds can have a serious impact on your health as bacteria can form and enter the wounds. With HBOT, the body will accelerate its own natural healing process and help the area of the wound survive. 

A person with diabetes will have a harder time with healing alone if not taken care of immediately. Diabetes affects the normal body’s healing process by not giving white blood cells the proper supply necessary to fight infection or close a wound. This side by side with more circulation with not enough red blood cells to make it to these challenging wounds can have a serious impact on your health. HBOT has become the leading treatment for these types of wounds and delivers rich pressurized oxygen to kill bacteria and accelerate the body to its normal or more advanced healing process. 

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

One of the best ways to help someone with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is to increase a person’s blood oxygen level to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide.  Carbon Monoxide has the ability to bind to hemoglobin and shift oxygen levels fairly quickly. By entering a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy chamber you will be able to increase your oxygen levels by 10x under pressure. This would make the process of removing the carbon monoxide from your body much easier and quickly recover you from more damage to the circulatory system.

Air or Gas Embolism

Air or Gas embolism occurs when air bubbles enter the vein and block it. These air bubbles can travel across to your arteries, brain, heart and lungs. If not taken immediate action, air embolism can lead to respiratory failure. One of the leading causes of air embolism is by scuba diving who breathe compressed air. It can happen to people who spend too much time underwater, resurface too quickly from underwater and hold their breath too long as they come up. Symptoms may include chest pain, low blood sugar, blurred vision, irregular heartbeat, and loss of consciousness.

Man-laying-down-and-taking-IV-Therapy-with-vitamins

Does IV Therapy Work?

Intravenous therapy, often known as IV therapy, involves delivering nutrition and fluids to the bloodstream directly. IV therapy is an abbreviation for “via the vein.” Direct nutrient administration provides for rapid absorption into the bloodstream and utilization by the body. IV therapy has been stated to be the fastest means to absorb nutrients to the body, with a ninety to a hundred percent chance of better absorption as opposed to a 40 to 50 percent chance as with oral absorption. This is because the digestive process is bypassed, and direct absorption takes place in the organs. Therefore, it is also the fastest way to absorb medication to the body and blood products to the bloodstream, including blood transfusions. IV Therapy either works through injection using a syringe or through drip medically referred to as infusion. 

Even though IV therapy is very common today, it isn’t a new practice in the medical industry. IV therapy has been in use since the 1600s but was discontinued due to poor hygiene practices). During the first world war, IV treatment was commonly used to save lives. During the 1600s, Dr. Myers developed a cocktail of minerals and vitamins that became famous worldwide, marking the beginning of modern IV Therapy. IV therapy was originally used in hospitals for patients that had difficulty taking medication orally or suffered from dehydration or was nutrient deficient. Today IV therapy can be used by people to boost their energy levels and wellness. IV therapy has been used to boost the immunity system that modern-day stress could throw off. High-stress levels can lead to a low immune system that weakens the body to fight viruses, subsequently causing illness and diseases. IV therapy comes in handy to restore the body’s nutrients to optimal levels. 

Fluids and Vitamins in an IV Bag

The fluids and nutrients found in an IV bag are dependent on the type of therapy one is undergoing. This could include saline, minerals, medications, or vitamins. Commonly, the components in an IV bag are a Saline solution which is the base ingredient in the IV bag. Saline comprises sodium chloride and water and is usually the delivery system for other components in the IV treatment. Saline also aids in hydrating the body. Another component found in the IV bag is dextrose, a type of sugar. Dextrose is a helpful sugar to the body that could help stabilize low blood sugar levels. The body can then convert it to energy.

The B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12 complexes which are a part of the vitamin B complex helps with important body functions such as nerve function and metabolism. Vitamin B complex is mainly used for patients who commonly have trouble with the absorption of vitamins. 

Additionally, Vitamin C, which helps with boosting immunity, is also found in the IV bag. This is mainly used by patients who feel sick. The IV bag could also contain minerals such as calcium and magnesium that are important in helping the body stay healthy. Benefits of magnesium include reducing inflammation, reducing migraines, and helping reduce leg cramps in pregnant women. 

Antioxidants and antibiotics are other essentials in the IV bag. Antioxidants help protect the body cells from different diseases. They include glutathione, vitamins A, E, and C. Finally; the antibiotics come in handy if treating a patient who is most likely suffering from an infection and will receive the antibiotic through IV.

Common uses of IV therapy

A common use for IV therapy is hangover relief. A pounding headache, dry mouth, and problems with the digestive system are all symptoms of a hangover. A hangover can very easily ruin your day and concentration. A hangover IV therapy comprises fluids that help with the body’s rehydration, vitamins that aid in improving energy levels, and pain medication that help ease heartburns, headaches, and nausea. Additionally, IV therapy is also used for athletic Performance Recovery. After a heavy workout, the body feels drained and sore. Recovery IV drip therapy can be used to help athletes recover after exertion. The components in the recovery drip therapy help support athletes during the recovery period. It contains fluids that aid in rehydration, vitamins, and antioxidants to help improve energy levels and repair damaged tissues.  Furthermore, it can be strengthened and supported to boost the body’s immunity for immune system support. IV therapy for the immune system includes vitamins and minerals that naturally boost the body’s immunity while reducing the chances of catching the flu. 

The Benefits of IV Treatment

One main benefit of IV treatment is the more effective gastrointestinal effects, potency loss, and absorption issues. Other benefits include: improved energy and mood, a stronger immunity, hormonal imbalances, and infertility boosts, improves sleep patterns, reduced signs of aging, and reduced instances of migraines. 

IV therapies have been reported as safer since they are a fast way to feel better. Most people report feeling better after the treatments.  IV therapy works without a doubt since it passes the normal absorption process. Even though it gives quick results, it’s not very safe to bypass all the defense and absorption mechanisms by the body. Thus, it is required that a qualified person do the IV treatments and use sterilized equipment in a safe environment. 

IV Therapy in Los Angeles

If you or someone you know who’s looking for IV Therapy in Los Angeles, then you should try our in-office treatment at Under Pressure IV Therapy. You will be handled with professionalism and care with our amazing nurses. Our IV therapy delivers amazing vitamins and nutrients straight into your bloodstream, with a professional examination by doctors on what IV cocktails would benefit you the most.

hard vs soft hyperbaric oxygen therapy picture 2

Hard vs Soft Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Chambers

hard-vs-soft-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy

In the medical field, hyperbaric refers to an alternative healing treatment where oxygen is mixed with high pressure to encourage blood plasma to take in more oxygen into the system. Before you begin your hyperbaric journey, you should know the difference between the two hyperbaric treatment types. These treatment types include the hard and soft hyperbaric chambers. There are many differences when picking your treatment chamber as we would look at the chamber material, pressure difference, medical indications, treatment types, research, and FDA support. At Under Pressure Hyperbarics, we’re committed to providing you with all the information you need to make a decision on what chamber is right for you.

What is a Soft Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber (mHBOT)

A soft hyperbaric chamber, or mild/portable hyperbaric chamber are inflatable bags made out of plastic fibers such as polyurethane and steel frames. It’s a lower quality material vs the hard hyperbaric chamber and contains less benefits than hard chambers. These benefits are associated with the maximum levels of oxygen and pressure contributing to the treatment. With soft chambers, you will receive less than 30% oxygen in your system and maximum 1.5 ATA while hard chambers reach 100% oxygen intake and maximum 6.0 ATA for multiplace hyperbaric chambers. 

What is a Hard Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber (HBOT)

A hard hyperbaric oxygen chamber can either be inside a monoplace chamber or a multiplace chamber. These chambers have greater strength and provide more benefits than soft chambers. With a similar purpose, the only difference is the amount of people inside a chamber at one time. With a multiplace you will have a bigger room with multiple people sitting or lying down for treatment, and with a monoplace chamber you may only have 1 person lying down and enjoying the benefits inside a 8 feet long and 3 feet wide chamber. At Under Pressure Hyperbarics, you will find hard shelled monoplace chambers for the main treatment plan.

Pressure Inside the Hyperbaric Chamber

One of the most common differences of a soft vs hard hyperbaric chamber is the pressure levels. Hard chambers are capable of reaching pressure levels of 6.0 ATA, while a soft chamber has the capability of reaching only 1.5 ATA. Safe levels of pressure are between 1.0 atm and 3.0 atm and for the hyperbaric oxygen therapy to really work on your body, you need to exceed 1.5 atm. This poses some questions about how much soft (mild) chambers have effect on healing. 

Oxygen Inside the Hyperbaric Chamber

Low pressure hyperbaric chambers are being offered at multiple medical spas and clinics and even being sold as a consumer product for the home since it is not regulated as a true medical grade device. Oxygen from a low pressure hyperbaric chamber is not 100% pure oxygen as medical grade hard chambers. A soft chamber for example at 1.3 ATA of pressure, you would be getting about 20-30% of oxygen. At low pressure and low oxygen level, you are not doing much benefit for your body going into a soft hyperbaric chamber. A hard oxygen chamber has 100% pure oxygen running from 1.5 atm to 3 atm at normal conditions for regular healing. With a hard chamber, you will be getting benefits up to 3x more than a soft chamber and guaranteed in-office safety measures.

FDA Approved Hyperbaric Chambers

To have a medical grade and FDA approved treatment, you would need to find a treatment center that has hard hyperbaric chambers. These FDA approved chambers are medically signed for 14 different studied conditions and more indications are being included year after year. Treatments that are approved by Medicare and approved by the FDA as a safe treatment plan include:

Monoplace and multiplace hyperbaric chambers are FDA-approved for the 15 different conditions above, and many more indications are currently being studied using these chambers as off-label conditions for approval . Mild hyperbaric chambers are currently only FDA approved for Acute Elevation Sickness and no further study has been approved for use by the FDA.

Safety Standard of Hard Hyperbaric Chambers

As a medical device, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has many risks and by not having FDA approval, medically approved and supervised, there may be safety concerns when using soft hyperbaric chambers. Despite many concerns, soft chambers are currently being marketed as an effective treatment for many conditions, even with no scientific research or safety measures in place. 

Unlike hard hyperbaric chambers, soft chambers are portable and allowed to be commercially purchased for home and business use without any regulation. Due to this, it is highly advised if you are looking for a treatment, you should find a treatment center that holds hard hyperbaric chambers that are medical grade, FDA approved and hold government safety standards such as the ASME PVHO-1 code for pressure vessels for human occupancy. With no trained professionals on-site, low-pressure hyperbaric chambers are not only ineffective for many conditions, but hazardous if not handled correctly.  

Hard Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Clinic in Los Angeles, California

At Under Pressure Hyperbarics in Los Angeles, we only use FDA-approved and medical grade hyperbaric oxygen chambers with multiple medical directors and HBOT technicians on-site. At Under Pressure Hyperbarics, we hold hospital level standards and provide the education and consultation needed before entering the tank. Our chambers are designed to deliver up to 10x more benefits than a regular oxygen tank and 100% pure oxygen under pressure. If you are looking for treatment in your area that’s not in Los Angeles, consider a treatment center that holds hard hyperbaric oxygen chambers.

reverse-aging

How to Reverse Aging Naturally with HBOT

We are always searching how to reverse aging naturally or natural treatments to reverse aging, and we have finally found the right natural solution that actually has proven scientific results on reverse aging. 

When we look at aging, we think of growing up old and frail and getting wrinkles that we don’t want. Aging leads to risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other deadly effects as our cellular sequence deteriorates.

A recent study led by Professor Shai Efrati from Tel Aviv University and Shamir Medical Center in Israel indicates that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) can stop aging of blood cells and reverse the aging process of a person after conducting a clinical trial. The researchers found that oxygen therapy under pressure not only increases the telomere length, but also decreases immunosenescence in isolated blood cells. Telomere’s are protective regions located at the end of our chromosomes of DNA strand, where as you age, it becomes shorter and shorter. Well scientists have discovered how to reverse this with a 38% growth in telomeres as the result of a whole treatment of hyperbaric oxygen therapy trial. The aim of the study was to evaluate if Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy affects the growing aging population and we got good news.

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Helps Reverse-Aging?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a well established treatment that many are not familiar about on the benefits and treatments as it has just started to gain recognition and popularity over its wide uses. Hyperbaric involves breathing pure oxygen while in a pressurized environment, usually in a chamber such as the one in the picture. When blood flow is restricted due to a type of injury, illness or surgical recovery, oxygen has a difficult time reaching to the places needed most in the body, especially when your brain needs most of the oxygen to survive.

Majority of clients who use hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT for short, have serious conditions that include severe infected wounds, radiation injury, decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, burn injury and other serious injuries that require a greater amount of oxygen to promote faster healing. When your blood carries oxygen, the majority of the oxygen goes to the brain, but with this excess oxygen, it allows oxygen to reach everywhere your body needs to promote healing and stimulation. This will in turn help fight bacteria and create growth. When tissue is injured or deteriorates as you grow older, it requires more oxygen to survive and build lost cell tissue. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry and repeated extra high oxygen levels encourage tissue growth to accelerate.

How are people using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as a Reverse Aging Treatment?

With the new found treatment for reverse aging, people are opening medical spas and wellness clinics as the primary treatment for patients with a wide range of benefits. Not only does Hyperbaric benefit reverse-aging, but it also benefits you in improved circulation, immune system stimulation, pain relief, detoxification, antioxidants, better energy, improved sleep, better focus and rapid recovery. 

You’re probably thinking, how is this a natural alternative? Well you are not using any dangerous chemical facial or a magical pill that just came out that promises reverse aging. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is just what it sounds like. It’s oxygen under a pressurized chamber. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been around for decades and has in the last decade received FDA approval for multiple conditions that are actually covered by insurance for treatment. You have probably not heard about it because of the continued study and low access to facilities in areas.

Now spas, facilities, and hospitals have all grown to adopt Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as a natural alternative medicine that helps provide better and faster healing with the potential for reverse aging. Even famous people have gone out of their way to purchase Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers such as Justin Beiber and Joe Rogan as it helps with multiple conditions and not just for aging.

How can I get into a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber?

To get into a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber, look for a medical spa or medical-grade facility that allows appointments for Hyperbaric use for non-conditional use such as for reverse-aging. As part of the emerging “beauty tech” industry, HBOT is growing and can be found in major cities across the world and has become a standard alternative medicine in hospitals today.

Under Pressure Hyperbarics

If you’re in Los Angeles and want to try a trusted Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for yourself, then you can visit our FDA-approved medical grade facility in Beverly Hills, where you will get the best  treatment as we are the number one hyperbaric oxygen facility in California. To schedule an appointment with Under Pressure Hyperbarics, you can call 310-919-4179 or send in a contact form to talk about your needs with a doctor today.

sports hbot

What Athletes are Using for Alternative Healing

A long kept secret in the alternative healing industry is finally opening its doors to the mass. Athletes such as LeBron James, Michael Phelps and Rashad Jennings have been using hyperbaric chambers for their sports performance and recovery. These chambers have been growing and already been approved by the FDA for multiple conditions of proven treatment. 

What are Hyperbaric Chambers?

Hyperbaric Chambers or Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, is the newest advancement of alternative medicine where a subject enters a pressurized tank while breathing 100% oxygen. This combination of pressure and oxygen helps oxygen reach tissues all over the body, especially the ones harmed through a sports injury and repair far more accelerated then standard healing methods. We have seen miracles happen with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, especially people who have been told by doctors you will never walk again doing marathon runs after hyperbaric treatment. Not only atleathes or injured people, but normal people with no conditions are getting into hyperbarics because of the benefits such as anti-aging, stem cell growth, increased blood flow, and a natural immune boost therapy. 

What are the Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

For many athletes, brain trauma can be a factor if you are in a sport industry, such as the MMA or Football industry. Dealing with injuries, especially brain trauma, can be hard when treatment plans are not vast in curing your specific issue and letting nature take its course on healing you. What if there is a better way to accelerate healing in a natural way? That’s where Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy comes into play. The combination of 100% oxygen and pressure is what creates this effect. A controlled environment such as the chamber provides an environment for exponential results. Below are some of the many benefits of using hyperbaric oxygen therapy. 

Here are the Main Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy:

  • Reduce healing time for injuries and wounds
  • Increase white blood cell creation
  • Stimulate growth of stem cells
  • Increase Angiogenesis
  • Reduce inflammation in the body
  • Increase blood flow throughout the body and brain
  • Improve overall quality of life with reverse-aging capabilities

Conditions Treated by HBOT

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is not new, it has been used over the past century for military purposes, diving purposes and construction purposes due to the decompression illness. Modern society has taken the same technology and expanded its amazing treatment benefits shown studies on how it can benefit people more than decompression sickness. Today, HBOT has been approved by the FDA in various treatments covered by Medicare and some insurance companies as a real treatment. 

Here is a list of Covered Treatments:

  • Air or Gas Embolism
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
  • Clostridial Myositis And Myonecrosis (Gas Gangrene)
  • Crush Injury, Compartment Syndrome And Other Acute Traumatic Ischemias
  • Decompression Sickness
  • Arterial Inefficiencies: Central Retinal Artery Occlusion
  • Select Problem Wounds
  • Severe Anemia
  • Intracranial Abscess
  • Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
  • Osteomyelitis (Refractory)
  • Delayed Radiation Injury (Soft Tissue and Bony Necrosis)
  • Skin Grafts and Flaps
  • Acute Thermal Burn Injury
  • Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Here is a list of Investigational Treatments:

  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Post-stroke rehabilitation
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy
  • Sports injuries
  • Post-traumatic injury

Under Pressure Hyperbarics

If you’re looking to jump in the tank and experience hyperbaric oxygen therapy for yourself, contact our office today. Under Pressure Hyperbarics is a certified treatment center that has services such as oxygen therapy, IV therapy, and wound care. Maintain and advance your health with natural healing using the latest advancements in medicine.
Call (310) 919-4179 or contact us online to learn more about the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and how we can help you. If you are not in Los Angeles County, message us and we will recommend the best centers in your area.