Medical on board

My hubby just cut his hand and has 10 stitches ... they will need to come out while on our saling. Do they take insurance or how does medical work on ship ?

My hubby just cut his hand and has 10 stitches ... they will need to come out while on our saling. Do they take insurance or how does medical work on ship ?

They do not take insurance, you will have to pay up front, and get reimbursed from your insurance, if at all possible.

This seems like it might be a pre-existing condition, so unless you have some sort of travel insurance that was in place before the accident, you might not be covered for this condition.

Your best bet is to see if they can be removed BEFORE you sail or do it when you return from your cruise. They will not honor your medical insurance onboard, and given that it is a pre-existing thing it could cause issues with any claim with any trip insurance you have.

Its a pre-existing condition I would think your best speaking to RC and getting the right info as to whether he can get them removed from the ships doctor. Also, I am unsure how many days he has to get them out into the cruise, but is it possible the day before he can get them taken out and get the glue?

Just take them out yourself...........

You really don't need any sort of insurance, or even a medical professional to take out stitches. They're very, very easy to remove yourself.

My hubby just cut his hand and has 10 stitches ... they will need to come out while on our saling. Do they take insurance or how does medical work on ship ?

Just looked at your posts and see that you are leaving on April 23rd for the Freedom TA so will be way too early to take them out before you leave as someone suggested.

Travel insurance will not cover the costs as it is pre-existing. I would call your health insurance company and see if they will cover the costs to have them out on the ship. You will have to pay up front and be reimbursed by your health insurance if they do cover it. Otherwise, it will be your responsibility.

If they did not put him on antibiotics, I would speak to your primary care to see if they will give you some just in case it becomes infected.

You could always take them out yourself or post to your rollcall and see if you have anyone there that could help out. I would just pay on the ship though so the wound could be checked out.

I'm sure the nurse would be able to remove stitches...if not, it's pretty easy to do yourself!

Taking stitches out is not a problem if a thread like material was used, but if staples then you need a special staple remover. Stitches should remain in for 7 to 10 days.

The medical staff can remove them. Not an isdue there. You'll have to pay upfront but get a copy of the actusl procedure notes to give to your insurance carrier, not just the codes, as the codes may not be the same ones your insurer uses. This is info I got from my carrier when I asked about coverage. The issue may be whether your insurer will cover you outside the US. Call your cartier.

Regular health coverage should cover. I've turned two claims into BCBS over the years and have had no issues. Maybe a $35 copay

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If you can get a suture removal kit it is quite simple to remove them. We do it frequently as it is 150 mile round trip to Orlando to our doctor. His nurse gives me the kit and I remove them for DH and he removes stitches for me. Staples or clamps will need to be removed with a special tool thus not able to remove them ourselves.

I don't know how it works on a ship but on land you can't charge separately for suture removal, it's bundled into the initial treatment. So on land you would have to pay out of pocket if you had them taken out by someone other than the person (or one of her partners/employees) who put them in.

and yes they are super easy to take out, the only thing you need to know is not to pull any of the suture material that was outside your skin back into the wound.

I don't know how it works on a ship but on land you can't charge separately for suture removal, it's bundled into the initial treatment. So on land you would have to pay out of pocket if you had them taken out by someone other than the person (or one of her partners/employees) who put them in.

I agree in principle, however, I could not go back to Mayo to have my stitches taken out last month and had them removed at an urgent care. Only paid $25, the regular copay amount

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I would call RCI. Suture removal is an extremely simple procedure. There is a good chance the nurse will do it and you won't even be charged for it. If there is a charge it will likely be very minor.

Here is what a Staple Remover looks like should you ever need one.

https://www.amazon.com/Busse-Removal-Skin-Staple-Kit/dp/B004YNPCZM/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1492740712&sr=8-2&keywords=medical+staple+remover

If it were me with this issue, I'd do one of two things:

1. Ask my doctor's office if they would advise me how to do it for my husband.

2. Post on my roll call and see if there are any healthcare professionals traveling along with you who would be willing to do the suture removal. It would be nice to have an experienced person do this so that on the very rare chance that something is not right, a trained eye could see it.

 

2. Post on my roll call and see if there are any healthcare professionals traveling along with you who would be willing to do the suture removal. It would be nice to have an experienced person do this so that on the very rare chance that something is not right, a trained eye could see it.

DW is a former paramedic, retrained as an offshore medic ( works on offshore gas/oil platforms) and she's done this two or three times on cruises.

When are the stitches due to be removed? First day, last ect... depending on your answer, it could make this easier to deal with.

Anyway, check with your insurance provider. You may have have supplemental coverage, especially if your out of pocket deductible has been met. Or, you might be able to get a partial reimbursement for out of network/ foreign travel expenses depending on what state you live in.

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I don't know how it works on a ship but on land you can't charge separately for suture removal, it's bundled into the initial treatment. So on land you would have to pay out of pocket if you had them taken out by someone other than the person (or one of her partners/employees) who put them in.

 

and yes they are super easy to take out, the only thing you need to know is not to pull any of the suture material that was outside your skin back into the wound.

You can charge for suture removal if you are not the treating physician who put the sutures in place.

DW is a former paramedic, retrained as an offshore medic ( works on offshore gas/oil platforms) and she's done this two or three times on cruises.

And what would she had done if the wound dehisced after the sutures were removed? It is always nice to try and be helpful. Unfortunately, being helpful sometimes leads to unintended consequences and liability. Years of practicing medicine have taught be to think like a lawyer.

Ocean Boy I agree, we are not nurses and doctors, taking stitches out should only be handled by a professional, anything can happen, some people don't heal correctly either, better to be safe than sorry.

Just take them out yourself...........

I don't often agree with you but I have never paid to get stitches removed...lol. took out my daughters when she was two ( a lot less scarey for her. Plus I did it when she slept) . My husband just had 10 or 11 stitches in the palm of his hand a couple months ago. We removed the too😊

Honesty, why not ask on the ship, how much, and pay it? Get a receipt, and submit it to the insurance company. I really doubt it would cost that much. Stitches is nothing more than sewing. People of been sewing their own wounds since the beginning of time, although infection is a bad side effect of doing it. Removing them is like removing them from clothing. Cut, and use tweezers to slide out. Put a bandage over the area, to give it a day to close up the holes.

So it's either pay and hope for reimbursement, or cut, and pull yourself. The end result is the same.

i believe the people that say this is preexisting and it wont be covered may be wrong. depending on the plan you buy:

https://tripinsurancestore.com/how-travel-insurance-pre-existing-medical-conditions-coverage-works/

when i buy insurance there within X days per the policy, the preexisting is waived. while i never researched this, i do believe that even if you have a condition that existed before the policy, that you will be covered. and obviously anything that happens after the coverage starts, would be covered. or not? ill let the insurance experts answer that.