something strange here,its only 120.00 here in Canada

Hi Donald, sometimes if the equipment is to a service center & is the only one around, initial expense is high. Like with gileads new treatment meds @ $1000 per pill!

Brigid, how important is the fibroscan, really? Nobody requires it that I've heard. If you have cirrhosis, there are other ways to determine it. If not cirrhosis, & have hcv, you're headed to cirrhosis w/o treatment. You have time to wait for better meds if you don't have cirrhosis, or have stable cirrhosis.
Its frustrating no matter what insurance we choose because doctors can opt out any time they wish.
I'm already worrying about whether my insurance will cover my meds, & they haven't even been prescribed to me yet! So, you have my empathy.

YES, it SUCKS!!!

I was told that the machine itself is very very expensive so doctors price the use of it to recoup the cost.

When was your last one,Brigid? What was your score then? How are your labs and physical exam of your liver? Symptoms?

Is biopsy an option that would be paid if you need more info and can't wait until you can change ins carriers?

THanks, guys. Glad to feel your support. My labs are ok -- enzymes always slightly high (50-80) viral load climbing. My first (only) fibroscan was 7. something -- a great score that gave me piece of mind that I could wait for better tx. But I know how quickly that can change, so I wanted (and was told) to redo it every 6 months.
I'm too scared to do a biopsy -- it can cuase more problems. So now I'm back to worrying if I can afford to wait. I paid so much money to Aetna for so many years and barely used it. Then they used Obamacare as an excuse to cancel my policy.
Perhaps I'll move to Canada...

I have advanced chirrorsis and its only recommended I have one a yr,with a liver stiffness score of 35.8 ,I believe you are doing just fine,and live a sober balanced life you will die of old age first .

Every 6 mos seems like overkill to me. It's a slow progressing disease. i was warehoused for 10 years and all i had was a biopsy every 3 years and MRI in between...that's another diagnostic tool you can have, Brigid.

Sounds like you are in good shape to wait for the new meds & upcoming combos & that's great news. My doc wouldn't even write a referral for me to get a fibroscan as they are so expensive & most ins co are not paying for them. Still not considered a standard diagnostic tool for liver disease even though it offers excellent results. I believe fibroscan will eventually replace invasive liver biopsies but the equipment is expensive & ins isn't going to want to pay the high prices they are being billed. It's frustrating to be sure! A friend of mine had one done for $750.00 in Vancouver which is at least better than 2k.

I had a Fibroscan and then medicare rejected payment.... miraculously they said the provider - not me - is responsible!

The charge for FibroScan test is like any other procedure and is determined by that particular provider (hospital or physician) and vary greatly. Frequently, providers charge and accept a much lower reimbursement, usually from third-party payers.
Compared to the alternatives (liver biopsy or blood tests), FibroScan has been shown in hundreds of clinical publications to be quick, easy and painless, offering many advantages, while also being accurate.

Diagnostic accuracy of FibroScan and comparison to liver fibrosis biomarkers in chronic viral hepatitis: A multicenter prospective study (the FIBROSTIC study)

Conclusions
The diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive tests was high for cirrhosis, but poor for significant fibrosis. A clinically relevant gain in the likelihood of diagnosis was achieved in a low proportion of patients. Although the diagnosis of cirrhosis may rely on non-invasive tests, liver biopsy is warranted to diagnose intermediate stages of fibrosis.

http://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/article/S0168-8278(10)00692-6/abstract

Personally I have had Fibrosure test, Fibroscan and Liver Biopsy and they all read differently.

Thanks for posting that Kramer. I was told by one person had two divergent results on Fibroscan - by the same practitioner.

I am unclear what this means: "A clinically relevant gain in the likelihood of diagnosis was achieved in a low proportion of patients."

I'd take it to mean that any diagnostic advantage "clinically relevant gain in the likelihood of diagnosis " was only found in a few patients.
My understanding is that Fibroscan is very good in determining cirrhosis (F04) but is not very accurate in midrange (F01 - F03).
My Fibrosure (bloodtest) was Stage 3
My Fibroscan was advanced cirrhosis
My biopsy was early cirrhosis
all in that order over 12 months

DON'T get me started on my wonderful ObamaCare plan!!! I am on the phone almost every day with new problems with it. I was lied to in many ways. URRRRGGGGG

I keep hearing people angry about "being lied to" but for me,t he problem is that greedy insurance co's are using the new law as an excuse to be greedier. My old plan, who dropped me and said it was because of Obamacare, also raised my rates horribly the last year I had them "to offset the cost of Obamacare.' The insurance co's seem to be having it both ways.