Amy Rivera

Amy Rivera Founder | Rivera Method®

NIH Rare Disease Research Participant

Lymphatic Biohacking & Education

Insurance Denials & Patient Advocacy
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Welcome to Rivera Hybrid Solutions, the beacon of hope and innovation for the lymphedema community! 🌟

Driven by passion and personal experience, we're at the forefront of creating a profound impact in the lymphedema world in five transformative ways:

1️⃣ Amy Rivera's Patient Advocacy Consulting - Bridging the gap between patients and healthcare, ensuring the voice of every lymphedema warrior is

heard.

2️⃣ Amy Rivera's Key Note Speaking- Sharing powerful narratives and insights, illuminating the lymphedema journey for many.

3️⃣ Amy Rivera's Book: "Drop the Skirt; How My Disability Became My Super Power" - An inspiring tale of resilience, providing solace and strength to fellow travelers on this path.

4️⃣ The Lymphedema Blueprint Course - A comprehensive guide offering unparalleled education and actionable strategies for effective lymphedema management.

5️⃣ Fast'n Go Hybrid Compression Bandages - Our pioneering product, revolutionizing comfort and efficiency in lymphedema care. Join our community to stay updated on these initiatives, plus receive the latest product news, educational resources, testimonials, and exclusive promotions. Let's journey together towards a brighter, more empowered future for all affected by lymphedema. Thank you for allowing Rivera Hybrid Solutions to be a part of your healing and growth. 💚

08/26/2026

I recently went in for my first colonoscopy EVER, and it didn’t exactly go as planned.

They found some abnormal results, which led to a biopsy.

The biopsy came back with some unusual findings that looked like colorectal cancer.

The good news is that the doctor was able to successfully remove all of the cancer from my re**um.

This definitely explains the intense pain I was dealing with right after the procedure!

On top of that, I am currently dealing with a few other spots. I have cancer on the bottom of my foot (the exact same foot where I previously had cancer on my heel), which we are currently treating with a medicated cream.

I am also currently undergoing treatment for the cancer on my face.

It is a lot to take in and manage all at once. But if there is one thing I know with absolute certainty, it is that the Lord has me.

I am resting in His peace, knowing full well that He hasn’t brought me this far for nothing.

My faith is bigger than my fears, and I know He is walking with me through every single step of this journey.

So, how am I handling all of this heavy news? Joy is a choice, and with God on my side, I am choosing to celebrate today.

Thank you all for your continued love and prayers.



*I don’t own the rights to the song

08/13/2026

We Need Your Voice to Help Shape the Future of Lymphatic Care

Are you a patient, caregiver, healthcare professional, or medical researcher/industry professional involved in lymphatic care? We invite you to participate in our survey and help guide the development of a comprehensive lymphatic care website being created through an ARPA-H project with 3DT Holdings’s discovery duo in collaboration with the discovery duo from University of Pennsylvania’s research team.

Please select the stakeholder group that best describes you:

• Patients

• Caregivers

• Healthcare Professionals

• Medical Researchers/Industry Professionals

⏱️ The survey takes approximately 20–25 minutes to complete.

Your feedback will play an important role in helping us better understand the needs of the lymphatic community and ensure this resource is as useful and impactful as possible.

Survey: https://redcapedc.rti.org/arpa_h/surveys/?s=CPMHAXMRWWWWKRYD&m_s=3d

If you have any questions, please contact:

Catherine Rosenberg

[email protected]

Alexey Gurevich

[email protected]

Thank you for helping us improve the future of lymphatic care by sharing your perspective. Please feel free to share this post with others who may be interested.

Tonight’s Thrive Live is one we probably don’t talk about enough: dating, marriage, intimacy, confidence and lymphedema....
08/12/2026

Tonight’s Thrive Live is one we probably don’t talk about enough: dating, marriage, intimacy, confidence and lymphedema.

I’m sharing the patient perspective, including a pretty funny story about breaking up with someone as a teenager because I was afraid he’d see my leg…only to run into him YEARS later and find out he had absolutely no idea I even had lymphedema. 😂

Brian Espinola - Lymphatic Wellness Hub is joining me from the practitioner side because I also want to talk about how providers can create a safe space for patients to discuss the things they may never bring up on their own.

Sometimes the most important question isn’t “How is your swelling?”

It’s “How is this affecting your life?”

Tonight at 6:30 PM ET

Not a member yet? Join the Thrive Community here:

https://riveramethod.com/thrive-community

08/08/2026

If you are living with lipedema or lymphedema, navigating insurance can feel overwhelming and discouraging.

Many women are left feeling confused or denied, not because they did something wrong, but because no one has shown them how the system works.

This free webinar offers a gentle place to begin.

Join patient advocate Amy Rivera and ERISA expert Lea Fowler for a clear and supportive introduction to understanding your coverage, preparing your documents, and learning how to advocate for the care you deserve.

You will learn:
• Why insurance coverage can be so challenging
• The key terms every patient should understand
• What to prepare before claims or appeals
• Simple ways to advocate for your care

Thursday, August 13 | 6:00 PM Eastern Time | Live on Zoom

Comment SPECIAL and we’ll send you the link.

Insurance should not feel like a language patients were never taught to speak.I'm honored to join Lea Fowler and Catheri...
08/03/2026

Insurance should not feel like a language patients were never taught to speak.

I'm honored to join Lea Fowler and Catherine Seo, PhD, for a special FREE webinar hosted by Lipedema Simplified LLC:

Insurance 101: Understanding Your Coverage and Advocating for Your Care
📅 Thursday, August 13, 2026
⏰ 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern
📍 Live online

I will bring the lymphedema and patient advocacy perspective, while Lea will share her extensive knowledge of ERISA, health benefit plans, insurance denials, and reimbursement issues.

Together, we will help patients better understand:

• Why coverage for lipedema and lymphedema can be so difficult
• Important insurance terms every patient should know
• Documents to gather before submitting claims or appeals
• Questions to ask providers and insurance companies
• How to become a more informed and confident advocate

Whether you are newly diagnosed, preparing for treatment or surgery, dealing with a denial, or simply trying to understand your benefits, this webinar is designed to give you a clearer place to begin.

Registration is free, and you can register to receive the replay even if you cannot attend live.

https://learn.lipedema-simplified.org/special-webinar

07/30/2026

Unbelievable…

Medical necessity does not always equal insurance coverage - especially with lymphedema.National insurer-policy reviews ...
07/28/2026

Medical necessity does not always equal insurance coverage - especially with lymphedema.

National insurer-policy reviews found: 👇

Surgery: Only 19.4% of insurers offered standard preauthorization coverage for debulking procedures, and only 7.5% did so for physiologic surgeries.

Pneumatic pumps: 20.9% of insurers had no established policy or explicitly declined coverage for programmable devices. Medicare’s 2024 improper-payment rate for pneumatic compression devices was 61.5%, most often because the documentation was insufficient.

Compression garments: In a review of 58 insurer policies, only 56.9% showed explicit garment coverage. These data predate Medicare’s 2024 compression benefit, so every current plan still needs to be checked carefully.

MLD/CDT: Only 38% of reviewed policies included an explicit CDT coverage statement. The remaining 62% were silent - not necessarily denied, but without a clearly defined coverage path.

That is why I created my free Lymphedema Coverage Checklist.

I help patients and providers identify the actual coverage criteria, find missing documentation, review denials, organize medical-necessity evidence, and determine the appropriate appeal strategy.

Before paying out of pocket, make sure you know what your policy actually says.

Scan the QR code to get the checklist. The direct link is also in the first comment.

07/27/2026

The rep couldn’t find the section in the policy that they used for the denial.

It was an automated rejection. Why? The wrong “key words” were being used.

07/22/2026

UHC’s 2026 Lymphedema Surgery Policy: A Meaningful Step Forward

In the policy, UHC now explicitly states that the following surgical approaches can be effective for properly selected patients:

• Liposuction / lipectomy (to reduce excess fatty tissue)

• Lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) - microsurgery creating new drainage pathways

• Vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT)

The policy emphasizes these procedures work best when performed by experienced surgeons and combined with ongoing compression and lymphedema therapy. 

This is not universal coverage.

However, it represents important payer-language validation. When major insurers acknowledge clinical value in the right cases, it strengthens the case for prior authorizations, appeals, and broader access.

For patients who’ve hit limits with conservative management, this could open doors. For surgeons and therapists, it’s a helpful reference in multidisciplinary care.

Read it here -https://www.uhcprovider.com/content/dam/provider/docs/public/policies/comm-medical-drug/surgical-treatment-lymphedema.pdf

07/21/2026

What diet do you think I follow?

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