Heart Beat: Warfarin home monitoring program expanded
Heart Beat
Warfarin home monitoring program expanded
If you take warfarin (Coumadin) because you have atrial fibrillation or have had a blood clot in a leg or lung, Medicare will pay for you to check your blood clotting time at home. This change, announced in March 2008, may save you time and make taking warfarin safer.
All people who take warfarin must routinely check their INR, a measure of how long it takes blood to clot. This simple blood test shows whether your warfarin dose is too low (which could lead to a blood clot), too high (which could lead to bleeding in the brain or elsewhere), or just right.
Subscribe to Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School.
- Research health conditions
- Check your symptoms
- Prepare for a doctor's visit or test
- Find the best treatments and procedures for you
- Explore options for better nutrition and exercise
New subscriptions to Harvard Health Online are temporarily unavailable. Click the button below to learn about our other subscription offers.