Physicians' and Patients' Rights Regarding Lyme Disease
Summary of RI General Laws governing testing, diagnosis and treatment
Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis, from evaluation of a patients infections, considering signs and symptoms of Lyme (Borrelia Burgdorferi) and other identified tick-borne illnesses.
Current laboratory tests are not definitive. False positives and negatives are common. When ordering blood tests (ELISA or Western Blot), doctors need to provide a copy of the "Lyme Disease Laboratory Test-Required Notice" to the patient. this document states the unreliability of the tests and that a "false negative" does not necessarily indicate that you do not have Lyme Disease.
Physicians may prescribe long-term antibiotics, if such therapy is indicated by clinical diagnosis and and documented in patient's records. Practitioners will not be investigated or disciplined for for long-term antibiotics or other therapeutic protocols deemed necessary for patient care.
All individual and group hospital or medical expenses insurance policies or plans, active after January 2004, shall provide coverage for Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Coverage includes "diagnostic testing and long-term antibiotic treatment of chronic Lyme Disease when determined to be medically necessary and ordered by a physician....after making a thorough evaluation of patient's symptoms, diagnostic test results and response to treatment."
Treatment cannot be denied solely because such treatment is "unproven, experimental, or investigational."
Current laboratory tests are not definitive. False positives and negatives are common. When ordering blood tests (ELISA or Western Blot), doctors need to provide a copy of the "Lyme Disease Laboratory Test-Required Notice" to the patient. this document states the unreliability of the tests and that a "false negative" does not necessarily indicate that you do not have Lyme Disease.
Physicians may prescribe long-term antibiotics, if such therapy is indicated by clinical diagnosis and and documented in patient's records. Practitioners will not be investigated or disciplined for for long-term antibiotics or other therapeutic protocols deemed necessary for patient care.
All individual and group hospital or medical expenses insurance policies or plans, active after January 2004, shall provide coverage for Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Coverage includes "diagnostic testing and long-term antibiotic treatment of chronic Lyme Disease when determined to be medically necessary and ordered by a physician....after making a thorough evaluation of patient's symptoms, diagnostic test results and response to treatment."
Treatment cannot be denied solely because such treatment is "unproven, experimental, or investigational."