Patients who are undergoing foot and ankle surgery benefit from using Cold and Compression Therapy after surgery. Here’s how:
- Postoperative Pain: The Cold Therapy Unit helps aid in your rehabilitation as well as postoperative pain and swelling. Pain when poorly managed can slow the healing process and increase stress. Cold therapy is a better pain management system since it decreases pain medication usage and facilitates faster recovery.
- Better Than Ice Bags: An ice bag has limitations – it does not last long, is applied intermittently and is inconvenient. A GameReady® Cold Therapy Unit lowers the temperature to the surgery site in a more controlled manner, the temperature controls lower the risk of frostbite.
What You Need To Know:
Dr. Metaxas’ recommended Cold and Compression Therapy Unit is the GameReady®. The unit is available for rental from our local representative. The advantages are the following:
- GameReady units monitor temperature near the surgery site, decreasing the risk for frostbite, a known complication of cold and ice therapy units.
- Rental is more economical than purchase. The GameReady® unit is a professional grade physical therapy unit used by professional sports teams and top physical therapy clinics world wide. The units cost $2,500 and up to purchase.
- During the rental, if something happens to the unit, It is serviced by the manufacturer, located across the bay in Concord, CA.
How Much Will I Pay?
On average, most patients use their Cold Therapy Units for 14 Days after surgery, so the average cost is less than $20.00 a day. The total cost for a two week rental is generally approximately $250.
Can I Submit This To My Insurance?
Health insurance polices have varied reimbursement for this type of therapy. The practice is unable to bill insurance for this item; however you may submit a claim to your insurance company for partial or full reimbursement. We cannot guarantee payment. The HCPCS code needed for your claim is E0218. We are happy to provide you with a form to do so, or to submit a claim on your behalf.