03.11.14
Cosmetic
Dr. Rosenberg Presents at the VCNP Annual Meeting
I was invited to speak at the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners' (VCNP) annual meeting in Reston, Virginia last week. A group of highly dedicated nurses, VCNP holds continuing education meetings throughout the year, as well as an annual meeting at various sites in the state.
Over 100 nurses attended the breakout session on the current management strategies for patients with venous hypertension, a common cause of varicose veins. I detailed the anatomy and physiology of venous disease and highlighted some of the common ways patients with varicose veins may present to their family physicians.
I often see patients with long standing venous disease who were discouraged from seeking treatment because of misinformation about the current treatment options, successes, and availability of insurance coverage. There are a number of myths about varicose veins that still are perpetuated despite solid evidence to the contrary.
One of the myths is that varicose veins "are a cosmetic issue and not covered by insurance." This has been shown to be untrue for many years. Currently all payers consider treatment of symptomatic varicose veins a medical necessity. Of course, there are many policies available to patients with varying co-pays and deductibles to consider. Untreated venous disease can cause blood clots, skin damage and long term aching and throbbing that interferes with a patient's lifestyle to a significant degree. Treatment is fast, easy and highly successful, so those with symptoms should seek evaluation sooner rather than later in the process.
