Hepatitis C Treatment
at Ruane Medical & Liver Health Institute, Los Angeles

FAQ 1: "Do I need a liver biopsy?"

"Luckily, you don't: we are able to determine if you have cirrhosis with FibroScan."

"Before starting hepatitis C treatment we always want to know if you have cirrhosis or not. We've have always wanted to know this, but before we had to do a liver biopsy to find that out. Now with new technologies available we are able to determine if you have cirrhosis or not, without doing a liver biopsy. One of these new technologies is FibroScan which we've been using in my office since it came to the United States in 2013. This is a very successful technology that allows us to determine how stiff your liver is and thus whether you have cirrhosis or not. Knowing if you have cirrhosis before treatment of hepatitis C, even with these new treatments it's important because the diagnosis of cirrhosis could affect the treatment course that we would recommend. If you have cirrhosis you may require longer treatment than if you don't have cirrhosis."

FAQ 2: "Can you handle complicated cases?"

"Since we've started using these new drugs we have cured well over 150 300 patients. Some of these patients are elderly, have heart disease, have lung disease, have diabetes, some patients have depression, some patients have all of the above. Yet, they tolerate these new medications very well and cure just as well as everybody else. The only thing we have to pay attention to is that there is no interaction between the hepatitis C drugs and the other medications that they are taking. This requires attention to detail, but it is very doable."

FAQ 3: "What is the cost of hepatitis C treatment?"

"It can be very low if we can get you insurance coverage."

"The new hepatitis C drugs (Sovaldi, Harvoni, Viekira Pak, Olysio) are very successful, but they are also very expensive. Insurance companies have been having difficulty covering everybody who wants to be treated. Sometimes insurance companies require that you have proven cirrhosis before they will cover you. Sometimes it may be a matter of your individual policy whether they will cover you or not. My office has experience in dealing with these situations. We will work with you and your individual case to put together the best circumstances for you to get treatment. If we can get you insurance coverage, then we expect the out of pocket cost for you to be very low. This is because the insurance covers most of the cost, and also there are other foundations that will pick up the additional cost. Your out of pocket cost can be as low as $10 a month."

FAQ 4: "How do you treat hepatitis C?"

"In our office we use only the newest treatments for hepatitis C. These are the newly FDA approved drugs available in the last 18 months. We no longer use interferon, in fact we don't use interferon at all. There are many patients out there who have chronic hepatitis C and when they think about treatment all they think about is interferon, which of course had major side effects and wasn't that effective a drug in the first place. Now with these newer therapies which are successful in over 90% of patients in trials - we are able to cure people in 12, or at some times at 8, sometimes 24 weeks, with very few side-effects. Our patients are happy – we are really happy."

FAQ 5: "How can I see Dr. Ruane?"

"To make an appointment to see me you can fill out the questionnaire on the website or call 310-710-5220

My office staff will be in contact with you and arrange a first appointment with me. You should bring your old medical records with you if you have them. You and I will sit down and go over your old treatment history, your old medical history and come up with the best plan for you. I look forward to seeing you! "