Cancer.

The word itself feels like Atlas holding up the heavens: heavy, uncertain, and a long battle ahead just to keep holding up.

You take a deep breath and tell yourself you’re going to beat cancer despite the long road ahead. However, your confidence never subsides. You begin chemotherapy with high hopes, despite the possible side effects chemotherapy can cause such as nausea, fatigue, infection, and constipation. Yet the one side effect of chemotherapy that is utterly unnerving is losing your hair.

Chemotherapy drugs are powerful drugs that attack the rapidly growing cancer cells in your body. However, these drugs can’t necessarily discriminate which cells to attack, so they attack the cells at the root of your hair, which grow quickly as well.

Losing your hair, while unnerving, is manageable. However, it’s dealing with other people and their questions and stares that can be embarrassing, stressful, and unpleasant. Little kids, being ignorant of the cancer process, point. Adults ask questions and, while meaning well, often are insensitive. Plus, you may not want to talk about your cancer with others. You may want to hide it.

WHAT’S A MEDICAL WIG?

Enter medical wigs. Medical wigs, formerly known as head and hair prosthesis and durable medical equipment, are wigs made specifically with cancer patients in mind. But with all the medical costs associated with cancer, how does one pay for a wig?

Revivify Revenue Cycle, a medical biller, specializes in helping cancer patients get their chemotherapy wigs paid for by insurance. Most insurance companies will cover the price of a wig with the proper documentation. We have years of experience of working with hairstylists, physicians, and medical insurance companies to get your cancer wig covered.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF MEDICAL WIGS?

There are several kinds of wigs and several ways to obtain a cancer wig.

  • Synthetic wig — made of artificial hair, these are cheaper than human hair wigs and their shelf life is significantly less. You can’t use hot styling tools on these wigs.
  • Human hair wig — more expensive than synthetic wigs, and of higher quality, the more they cost. These wigs you can style, will last longer than synthetic, and are great if you want longer hair.

HOW DO I GET A CANCER WIG?

Cancer wigs can be obtained many ways. You can order your wig online, visit a wig boutique, or even visit a branch of the American Cancer Society, who gives out free wigs for cancer patients. Many other non-profit organizations will offer free wigs as well such as Friends are by Your Side, Lolly’s Locks, Susan G Komen, and CancerCare. These medical wigs are available in many styles, cuts, colors, and lengths. Wigs for women with cancer are usually specially designed to be gentle on the scalp.

Hair loss is embarrassing and frustrating for your patients. A medical wig, formally known as a head prosthesis, can be a big help either permanently or until the hair grows back. However, a majority of patients don’t know medical wigs are covered by their insurance plans. If your patients struggle with hair loss, we can make it easy for you to offer them beautiful solutions.

Coping with hair loss can be a challenge. Helping cancer patients find and pay for wigs in Revivify Revenue Cycle’s passion. Partner with us to help cancer patients in such a difficult time in their lives. Contact us today!

WHAT MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE HAIR LOSS WILL INSURANCE COMPANIES COVER?

Unlike regular wigs, medical wigs are specially designed for situations in which people lose hair due to medical treatment. The following are types of hair loss most insurance will cover:

  • Alopecia Hair Loss — Alopecia is a genetically predisposed condition affecting 95 percent of hair loss victims that causes hair loss. Autoimmune disorders, which attack your own body, are the primary cause of alopecia.
  • Cancer-Related Hair Loss
  • Chemotherapy-Related Hair Loss
  • Kidney-Disease-Related Hair Loss
  • Radiation-Related Hair Loss
  • Thyroid-Related Hair Loss

As you can see, insurance companies require certain circumstances in order to pay for medical wigs. The process of providing proof and other pertinent information is significantly complex, but we’re very familiar with it and can make life much easier for you, your team, and your patients.

Billing for Medical Wigs

A lot of cancer patients experience some form of depression while undergoing treatment. This affects not only their mood and attitude, but also their ability to fight the disease that is wreaking havoc with their bodies. Revivify Revenue Cycle is passionate about relieving some of the stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and sadness cancer patients face with helping them obtain and pay for a medical wig. Feeling good about yourself is something we all desire. If you’re a medical practitioner or a hair stylist, we’d love to work with you to help your patients get their medical wigs covered by insurance.

You got into medicine because you want to improve the lives of your patients. There’s no need to get snagged up in complex billing procedures when we have 50 years of combined experience with them. Let us tame your billing processes and free you up to pursue your healthcare mission. Schedule a free consultation call to learn more!