BDS_Geologist

sassmama, Dr. Boyce is banding you one week before my operation. The folks in the Knoxville Lapband support group say he is great and one of the most experienced bariatric surgeons in the country. I'm sure that we picked the best possible surgeon for this. Let me know how your's went. Bryan

Hey August Bandsters! I'm getting banded on August 26th by Dr. Steven Boyce at Parkwest Hospital in Knoxville, TN. This whole process has gone in fits and spurts with long lags for simple things like getting my medical records sent to the surgeon. I've also had battle with my insurance company :crying: and ultimately prevailed:thumbup:. I finally got everything approved on Monday and was able to schedule my banding for the 26th (thanks to a cancellation). I'm starting my pre-op diet on my own, since I won't go to the diet class until a week from today. This is and exciting time!! Bryan

Hey ftcitylady, I hope that you were encouraged by your seminar at Parkwest. I've just scheduled my lap band with Dr. Boyce at Parkwest on August 26th. I attended my seminar on May 13, had my consultation 2 days later, then went through the psych evaluation and diet counseling. It took almost 2 months for me to get all of the correct medical records from my PCP. Then, my insurance company (UHC) used the wrong criteria to evaluate my approval and denied coverage. I was able to figure out where they screwed up and got an approval about 2 weeks later. I was lucky to schedule my procedure just 2 weeks out, because of a cancellation, otherwise I would have had to wait until October!! I've been to a couple of the support group meetings in Knoxville, and it was really helpful to talk with people who have had the surgery, and those in the preliminary stages. No Doctor or Nurse can give you the range of personal experiences with the lap band like someone who is living with it. Hope to see you at one of the meetings. Bryan

I have a $3,000 program fee, of which my insurance company picked up $1,500. It covers having a year's worth of diet consultation, 24-hour bariatric nurse support, 12 months of personal training by an exercise physiologist, and my first band fill. I feel like I'm being overcharged for this, but I had to pay it to get into the program. Professional support is absolutely necessary, but this seems pretty much like piracy to me. I think that a reasonable cost for this service would be $700-$1,000.

After many administrative hassles, I'm finally approved by my Insurance company and have scheduled my procedure for Tuesday August 26. I haven't received any preop diet instructions, but I can see that personal experiences on this topic cover the whole spectrum.