Sanoviv Medical Institute

I wondered: has anyone diagnosed with ME/CFS on this forum sought care at Sanoviv Medical Institute in Baja (http://www.sanoviv.com)? If yes, I'd be grateful to hear about your experience there.

 

Very, very expensive, if insurance doesn't reimburse it. Apparently some insurance plans will reimburse a significant component, after a third party adjusts the Mexico codes to U.S. codes (taking a percentage of any recovered reimbursements), but there's no advance guarantee of reimbursement possible. From what I understand, they do customize their programs, but the general two-week medical program is $14,900. That covers room, board, evaluation and treatments.

 

Indeed! Have you, Cort, or have others on this forum heard of other health havens - be they domestic or abroad - where people with ME/CFS have had successful stays?

I'm looking for a place that can provide me with a high level of care in-house (also with room & board) and that has a non-toxic environment, in a location with natural beauty. My hope is that a stay in such a place - even if only for a few weeks - might help me regenerate enough to access the next step in care that is otherwise possible for me locally (but currently inaccessible because I cannot leave the house regularly).

 

I have been to Sanoviv Institute for 4 weeks total. My Insurance covered the lab work and daily physician visits but not room and board. Since the time I went there my insurance will not cover any charges whatsoever as they have discovered it provides alternative care.
Sanoviv is located on a Cliff, overlooking the Beach, in a non toxic and organic environment. It is a highly structured Program where you are involved with either physician consults, class (meditation, yoga, juicing etc.) or treatment (could be colonics, acuscope, meridian work, ozone therapy, aquatherapy etc.) throughout each day, except for Sunday, which is a free day.
There is a huge emphasis on nutrition and each meal is based on the nutritionist's recommendations for your care. A raw food diet is the main staple that can be modified to include some cooked food and increased protein.
There are people from all over the World there with varying diagnoses and everyone is supportive of the other's journey toward health.
I made slight improvement while there. There are many people who stay three months or more and I believe that if you can be under their care for an extended period of time further improvements could be made. However, as you pointed out, it is costly.
If you have any questions I would be happy to try to answer them.

 

Thank you, Joyful1, for your generous reply! I'm glad to hear that it sounds like your experience was positive overall. It's helpful to understand their commitment to raw food; that's not a fit for me, so I'll know to make sure I communicate clearly about food if I pursue going there. Thanks for being forthright about the insurance changes. That is concerning. May I ask what insurance you have?

 

Yes, I have Federal Employee Blue Cross/Blue Shield through my husband's job. Also, they do modify your Nutrition plan as needed. For example, a couple of the patients had Crohn's Disease where raw food where a completely raw diet would have been a detriment.

 

That's relieving to hear about their ability to make dietary modifications. Thank you. I have a BCBS plan too. It's not the federal plan, though; it's a state-based PPO. I don't know how thoroughly information flows through and amongst their various affiliates. Is your knowledge about your plan being unwilling to cover further costs at Sanoviv b/c you inquired directly or b/c someone you know was denied coverage? Also, did you submit directly or through a third party?

 

After they had paid I received a letter explaining because it was an "alternative Hospital" they would no longer cover care there. Sanoviv does have a representative that acts as a third party to ensure all the right "wording and coding" in the Bill is sent to the Insurance Co. (of course that third party receives a fee for their help).

 

That's interesting that they sent you a formal letter. I wonder how widespread that understanding (of it as an "alternative hospital") is. Was the letter's statements intended to mean that they wouldn't cover anything - MD consultations or standard labs, for example, included - were you personally ever to return?

Sanoviv did give me the information for the third party. They take 20% of any recovered funds. The third party emphasized the importance of an "urgent" or "emergency" admission. That gets complicated, of course. They were unable (or unwilling) to provide me any information regarding their typical rates of success receiving reimbursement from stays at Sanoviv for patients with comparable insurance coverage to mine.

BCBS does have its Blue Card program. In extensive conversations with Blue Card about my international coverage (not related to Sanoviv specifically), they informed me that third parties are not needed - just a superbill. Apparently, they handle translation and coding in-house, without cost. That noted, I do not know how to know whether a third party would handle the translation and coding in a way that would be more likely to result in reimbursement.

As a patient, I'm not sure how to find out more about what would really be necessary - or smart. It's rather dizzying, really: I'm not sure whether to assume I would get no coverage (in which case I cannot afford to go) or whether I might receive a reasonable percentage covered, nor am I clear on how else to learn more. (I certainly welcome any ideas!) No one - Sanoviv, the third party assistance, or Blue Card - can or will make any guarantees, of course. That does leave prospective patients there truly uncertain as to what financial risk they're accepting.

 

So this is a similar idea and not about this specific facility, but anyone consider intentional communities?

Haven't done so yet but have been considering a seperatist community. Though many gear specifically towards women or even more specifically- to lesbians and are often not primarily health/treatment facilities, they can be a consideration for you to just get away and out in nature but feel safe as there are people around.

I know in the past gay men also had a similar thing, our cultures often parallel eachother but we don't always connect over things like this. This may still be alive and well too.

Many of them offer places to stay in exchange for a fee and sometimes they are very willing to work with you if you have income restrictions if its their "off season" for vacationer/touring types. Some of them have traditional medicine or alternative medicine practitioners that visit, even, but probably wouldn't provide direct care. If you need full time care and wanted to visit your best bet would be to arrange that with the community or bring someone with (paid, or volunteer).

There are intentional comunities that welcome men as well, so if it sounds up your alley to glamp/camp/try off the grid/part off the grid research it.

Be aware many who have chemical sensitivities turned to these communities and sometimes helped build the dwellings they have, but you'd have to ask the specific one. Each has their own rules, goals, and accomodations... and others ask you to bring your own or encourage primitive camping if that would be an option for you.

I believe howtogeton (Wordpress blog) has a (short) article on this geared towards disabled people of all kinds.

Also if any other lesbians or women around want more details I can maybe point you in some directions related to that. Sometimes they lean political (mostly old school feminism) and sometimes not, but I'm open to having a convo if anyone is interested.

My goal is to head that way to try and see if getting out in the desert helps me any- eventually.

I know there is a large mostly female but some men as well one in virginia. They make tofu and I think some other natural food products to sustain a living. Many of these places are nature preserves of some kind, trusts, etc or historical sites.