allycatt98

SuperFatty, I think that one of the drs. includes the supplements in her fee. But the other..... just Vitamins and superfluous support.

1Day, I'm in Florida, and there is a hospital and bariatric surgeon on every corner (seriously!) but United Healthcare requires that the facility and physician be a part of their Bariatric Resource program. Tampa, is a relatively large city, but there is only one hospital on the list and I just don't care for Tampa General Hospital. So I decided that I would have to travel to other parts of Florida and that's okay, but these Program Fees that the providers want to charge are cray cray.

Really? No one else has encountered these? I wonder if it is a Florida thing.... The part that irks me the most is that a good deal of bariatric patients are travelers; meaning that aside from the follow-up appointment(s) (if that) they won't be seeing the surgeon again. I get that people should be paid for their time, but I'm not interested in paying for support resources that I can get elsewhere for free or for no additional charge. The reason these physicians can get away with it is that they are so well known here and have a loyal following. So back to the drawing board. Now I need to find another practice in Florida that is part of the United Healthcare BRS program.

After investigating a couple of different surgeons I'm starting to think that "Program Fees" are commonplace. On average, the fee is approximately $600 and non-refundable. That's a lot of money when you consider how many people they see in their office -- this includes those that are seen and for whatever reason opt not to proceed with the surgery. That money is gone. When I read what the Program Fees support, I'm not really impressed. Thirty day supply of Bariatric Vitamins, access to the multidisciplinary team, educational program (nutrition and exercise), support groups and concierge services. Okay I can buy vitamins on my own for much, much less. I'm already paying out-of-pocket for Nutritional Counseling services ($225 for six visits). Access to the multidisciplinary team? Uhm really? At this point in my life I know how to book a hotel room and can probably get a better rate than them. I'm not going to their support groups because they are three hours away and will probably never visit the office again after my follow-up. Either way I'm moving forward with this process but I really feel like the docs are taking advantage and padding their bottom line. As it is I have a $3000 deductible and MOOP of $6000. Anyone else going through this? Tone: Calm, but annoyed.