abbylamb

Hey there. I'm looking to have the Lap-Band done and am debating about who and where to go for it. I'm considering St. Vincent Charity Hospital with Dr. Ben-Meir, Parma Community General Hospital with Dr. Craig Eyman, or the Cleveland Clinic, not sure with who yet. Anyone who has had any experiences here or who has heard anything about these places or these docs, PLEASE let me know what you think! Thank you very much!

Awesome!!!!

I am SO glad to see your post! I too, work for the VA. I'm based in Cleveland, Ohio. I carry the BCBS Basic, what about you? I called them and spoke with a rep who said all I needed was a letter from the surgeon stating my name, DOB, my insurance number, the CPT code, the DX code, and any pertinent info related to medical necessity. I HOPE that is all. They did not say anything about a psych eval, or documented physician diet program for 6 months, or anything like that. I am not a patient person. It's taking all my patience to wait to hear back from the surgeon's office to schedule my consultation! Well, I will keep you updated on my progress, please keep me updated on yours! Good luck to you!

Well, I'm not a nurse, but a respiratory therapist, so I guess I'll have to do! There are 200mg of ibuprofen in one Advil tablet. Look at the label on the children's Advil bottle and find out how many mg of ibuprofen are in 1 ml of the liquid. Then you'll just have to multiply till you get 200mg of ibuprofen! Hope this helps!

Hey there. I'm just curious if anyone else out there has Blue Cross and Blue Shield for Federal Employees in Ohio? And if so, how hard are they to get approved for the surgery? I've done the seminar, called them, found out what they want (no one mentioned the 3 or 6 month doctor supervised diet). All they SAID they want is a letter of medical necessity from the surgeon and the CPT and diagnosis codes. It just seems a little too easy. I haven't met with the surgeon yet, but I'm anticipating that the insurance is going to be the hardest part. Suggestions? Thanks!

Hi there. I just made the first call to my insurance company to find out the rules to get pre-authorized for the lap-band surgery. I have BCBS for Federal Employees, and was told that the surgery is definitely covered if approved. I was told I need a letter from the provider detailing my name, age and member number, the provider info, the CPT code, a diagnosis code, and "supporting documentation and relevant info including any test results that support medical necessity". First of all, what does "supporting documentation" entail? I'm 5'5" and have a BMI of 40.7, so by regular medical standards, I qualify, right? I don't think I have any other qualifying things I can count, besides the obvious aches and pains from being fat. I have asthma, but it's well controlled, and I've had it since I was a kid, so I don't think that counts. But I don't have sleep apnea, high blood pressure or cholesterol or diabetes. Does that mean that they will refuse me even if my BMI is 40 or better? I've tried diets, and exercise and Weight Watchers more times than I can count, but I've never kept a documented book outlining exactly what I was doing (unless you count the weight I weighed-that I have records of for years), and it was never "doctor supervised" or anything like that. Will that be enough or does everyone have to do the medical supervised diet first? The insurance company didn't say anything about that. They just told me I needed the things I mentioned previously in order to get pre-authorization. Also, what is the typical wait from first doctor visit to approval to actual surgery date? I'm just really excited to get this show on the road, as it were. I've done so much research my eyes are crossing and I'm convinced this is what I want to do, and I don't want the insurance derailing my hopes and dreams on this one. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated. :thumbup: Thanks! -abby