When my Dr's office all and told me I was approved and we set up the surgery date, I asked at that time if the optifast, vitamins and $1000 administrative fee could be put on my Care Credit medical credit card and they told me yes. Well the vitamins have to ordered and they don't take Care Credit. I also recieved a script to get filled for Emend which is to help with post-op nausea and vomiting. It's just one pill. My insurance company says I have to pay $43 for it and I don't have it. I'm on disability and I don't get another check until July 14th and my surgery is scheduled for June 29th. I spent and year and a half jumping through hoops and doing everything that was required to get this paid for by insurance and even switched insurance companies. Now I'm getting nickeled and dimed to death with all these "little expenses" that I just don't have the money for. I wonder what they will decide to charge me for next! Oh well guess anesthesiology will just have to give me something IV before I wake up that my insurance co. will cover. As for the vitamins, they'll have to wait until I can afford them. And they throw this stuff at ya when you've been on nothing but liquids! They should know better than to piss me off at this point! I might bite 'em! LOL :thumbup:

Sorry for your frustration, Shelley. That $1000 admin fee is Highway robbery. Isn't there another LB surgeon near you that doesn't have that ridiculous fee or at least one not so high?

Mimi

There was another Dr. nearby but Medicare wouldn't cover the facility he uses. The hospital has to be bariatric certified for Medicare to cover and as far as I know all the Drs. charge this. Anyway it's already paid for and non-refundable.

WOW!!!!! Well, best wishes on your banding journey.

Mimi

My Dr gave me a ton of free sample Vitamins. If you tell the office people you cant afford them I bet they will give them to you free if they have them.

My Mom has Parkinson's the Dr office knows that she has very limited income and they get her most of her meds on samples. Talk to the Dr.

As for the Emend, your doctor can prescribe another antiemetic/antinausea med. Emend might be his preference, but there is a huge arsenal of drugs to choose from. In fact, he can administer something while you're still inpatient/in day surgery so that it is covered more fully by insurance.

My antiemetic was administered via IV at the time of surgery; I never had any problem with nausea or vomiting.

So, this is one thing that can be easily corrected.

I'm sorry you're facing roadblocks--I do know it's frustrating. But some can be tackled pretty easily.

Thanks guys! I have to see my surgeon the day before surgery so I'll ask about free vitamins. And as a retired nurse I know they can give me something during anesthesia for anti-emetic. I always had something IV in the past, they can do it again!

What you are describing is absolutely criminal, in my opinion.

Some of these greedy, robber-baron doctors that charge an “administrative fee” or “program fee” should be taken out and shot. After torture.

With regard to the Medications, you can, in fact, ask your Doctor for samples. However, I think in this case that you might not have any luck. This sounds like the kind of Doctor that will do anything to make a buck.

As far as the Emend, its manufacturer, Merck, is pretty good about things like this, and they have a program in place to assist people on fixed incomes and disability, It is possible that you can obtain the medication at no charge from them.

Here is the link to their program:

http://www.emend.com/aprepitant/emend/consumer/assistance/apply_for_assistance.jsp

It is generally for people who do not have insurance, but the do assist people who have insurance as well.

Although you can receive an antiemetic via IV, if you are someone prone to nausea, you might want to have something on hand post-op in the event that you need it.

Also, with regard to the Vitamins, some of the larger Vitamin manufacturers have similar programs in place as well. The bariatric vitamin companies are not particularly generous with their products, but I am familiar with a couple of cases where patients have been given supplies of Vitamins when they have demonstrated a need, and have limited resources.

I am vehemently opposed to Doctors charging these outrageous extortion fees in ADDITION to what they get paid by the insurance companies. Personally, I would not trust a Doctor like this to perform my surgery.

You would be doing the members of this community a service by naming this particular Doctor.

Good luck in your process; I hope that the rest of it goes smoother!

S.

I had female surgery done in May and they gave me a Scopolamine patch at the hospital. It was the best thing ever! No nausea at all and no drowsiness.