Letter of Medical Necessity Request Rejected by OBGYN
Hey everyone! Curious for opinions on this. I just saw about a week and a half ago that the Litter Robot claims to be FSA eligible. I'm about 11 weeks pregnant so this would be my medical reason. I asked my new OBGYN for a letter so I could purchase the Litter Robot from Costco, and got a reply today that she would not write me one for the following reasons:
"Regarding the request for a Letter of Medical Necessity for an automated litter box, these letters generally require documentation that a specific device is the only clinical means to prevent a health complication and that a less expensive option is not available.
Per standard prenatal guidelines, the medical recommendation is to delegate all litter box maintenance to another member of the household or a service during your pregnancy. Because the risk of Toxoplasmosis can be fully mitigated by having someone else perform the task or by using gloves and handwashing, an automated device is considered a personal preference rather than a medical requirement. I am happy to provide a general letter stating that you should avoid changing cat litter if that helps with your household arrangements.
Additionally, if you have a cat that is only indoors, the risk of the cat carrying Toxoplasmosis is almost zero."
I'm disappointed in this answer not just because she's denying this particular request, but more because I feel like my wishes as a patient are being disregarded with no follow up. She doesn't know my personal situation so I don't think suggesting another member of the household do it is an appropriate solution, and "paying a service" would certainly cost more than buying a litterbox.
Anyway, I feel like just trying to purchase through Litter Robot directly and using their contracted letter mill if my legit doctor is going to ignore this request. Has anyone else had an experience like this with their regular doctor or if the FSA/HSA request worked for you, did you just use the letter provided by Litter Robot?
*Not here to open a debate on whether Litter Robot should or should not ethically be eligible for FSA/HSA funds, just the logistics on how it can be successfully approved.