Pricing Alternatives for Testosterone and Estrogen Delivery Systems

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Comparing the Cost of Different Hormone Replacement Options.

Patients frequently ask about the price of bioidentical pellet replacement of their lost hormones. They are interested in trying to compare the cost of this procedure against other hormone replacement strategies both in terms of the financial cost and the medical issues involved.

This week, we want to discuss the alternatives that are out there and identify any side effects or concerns that might arise from using those methods instead of using pellets.

The first point to make is that with bioidentical pellets a woman gets both her estrogen and her testosterone replaced with one inclusive prescription. If she were to try any of the other delivery systems, she would need multiple prescriptions.  She would need one for estrogen, one for testosterone, and additionally one for any other medicine she would need to take to achieve her goals. Creams, jells, sublingual tabs, patches, all have to be bought separately, there is also a shipping fee if you buy your medicine from a compounding pharmacy. Many of these need to be refrigerated and the shipping cost is added to the prescription cost.

When you come to BioBalance Health, you get your insertion of bioidentical hormones for a single inclusive cost. The cost covers your medical prescription, the insertion itself, and the visit with the Nurse who does the insertion. Even though there are different dosages of estrogen, they all cost the same thing. Testosterone is priced by the number of pellets it takes to reach your required dosage. But it is all included in the price you pay when you come in.  You then have the satisfaction of knowing that your job is done. You do not have to remember to take or apply anything and your dose fluctuation is regulated by the pellets dissolving in your body as they need to in order to keep you where the doctor wants you to be in order to alleviate your symptoms. This is in direct contrast to the other delivery systems in that they require you to apply treatments to your body, sometimes multiple times a day.

While you are getting your insertion, the nurse will manage your thyroid if needed and will talk with you about other concerns, i.e. diabetes, depression, tiredness, diet, etc. These are all included. If you take other delivery forms, there are additional visits that need to be paid for if you go to another practice and take other delivery methods for hormone replacement. As you will see from the included chart, the comparative pricing for women is almost the exact same. It does not cost more either way, but you get more at BioBalance Health in terms of interaction with the Nurse Practitioner and less concerns about dose maintenance, and we believe, in patient satisfaction and symptom remediation.

Men who do not take pellet delivery, often have to go and get a shot every week, sometimes more often. These require the interruption of your schedule and the cost of the office visit and the shot itself! Men’s cost at BioBalance Health is about $2400 a year. This is about $200 a month. Compare this to $140 a month for women and you see that men pay more, BUT they take more testosterone than women. And they only have to come in twice a year and it is taken care of. There are no weekly visits and there are no additional charges or the need to remember to do anything.

We had a male patient ask about whether or not there were other places he could go to get his testosterone. We told him there were and asked him to check with those places if he was curious. He called one of the high- volume clinics and was told it would be about $4000 a year. He also found out that if he did not want to take pellets, he could get shots or wear a patch. But his insurance would not pay for those. So he found that the cost was equitable at BioBalance Health when you consider all the factors, and that the convenience and affordability made his decision for him. He remains a happy BioBalance Health patient.

If you compare the prices and look at the issues involved, such as side effects, ease of treatment, lack of patient compliance concerns, convenience, and symptom relief, you, like most of the people who inquire, will decide that bioidentical pellet replacement is the affordable, successful choice for you.

This Health cast was written and presented by Dr. Kathy Maupin, M.D., Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Expert and Author, with Brett Newcomb, MA., LPC., Family Counselor, Presenter and Author. www.BioBalanceHealth.com

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