Hi All, I was kinda curious how many of you out there got a surgery date before insurance approval. I am frustrated with my doctor's office because I have had an insurance approval for almost a week and no surgery date. I call my doctor's office almost every day for updates and am at a loss as to what could be taking so long! My doctor's office wouldn't even consider a surgery date without hearing back from insurance first, and now that insurance has approved, I can't seem to get anywhere. Am I being impatient?!

My doctors office wouldnt set a surgery date without approval from insurance first and then without seeing the doctor first. I got approval from insurance at the end of June and went in to see the doctor on July 19th but that was my choice because of when I wanted to have surgery. We were going out of town at the end of July and knew I didnt want to be driving for 4 total days just postop.

Who are you talking with at the doctors office? Maybe you need to call them and ask if you are required to see the surgeon before setting a surgery date and if so then schedule the appt.

I was told by the bariatric coordinator that has been handling my file for months now, that they would schedule my surgery then I would need to see the doctor one more time before the surgery date. It just seems like it shouldn't take them a week to schedule a surgery?! So yes, I'm being impatient, after all it's just my future!

hmmm...I dont understand why they are taking so long. My patient coordinator said that surgery approvals and dates are top priority in their office. Have you actually talked with her and asked her point blank what the hold up is? Maybe you need to talk with the office manager if you arent getting anywhere with the bariatric coordinator.

I never call my Dr's office and they called me a few weeks ago and told me i was approved before I even went to see my Cardiologist or my last nutrition appointment. I don't get why your Doctors office is giving you the run around

The Bariatric Coordinator gave me my date the same day my insurance company faxed her my approval. It shouldn't take that long. Are there any other bariatric surgeons in your area?

My doctor's office would not schedule surgery until I was approved. To make things worse, they are scheduling three to four months out! I had my orientation seminar in August of 2009, did my six months diet under my PCP, had a psych eval, met with the nutritionist, did the EKG and labwork, and was finally approved in June. I was very excited thinking it would just be a matter of weeks before my surgery, and found out that it won't happen until the end of October.

I was upset for a few days, but decided I would use the next few months to educate myself as much as possible about the band, and be thankful that I have insurance that will cover my surgery.

By the time my surgery date rolls around, you may already be banded.

I have not receive my approval from BCBS,

I do have Surgery for September 30, 2010

My coordinator told me a few months ago that once I got the approval the surgery scheduler would call me within 72 hrs to schedule because she does the scheduling for all three surgeons in their practice. I chose this specific surgeon because I'm a nurse and have worked with lots of his patients and know that his patients always have good outcomes. My husband says I'm being impatient, that I've already won the battle of getting the insurance company to approve the surgery, and I should allow them the full 72 hrs to call me back. I think I have a right to be impatient. Not to mention the fact that an insurance approval is a guaranteed paycheck, you'd think they'd be falling all over themselves to get me on the books.

Edited August 10, 201015 yr by rkwilliams1013
An after thought....

My office called me the same day the insurance company approved me and gave me a date. Maybe they are trying to schedule alot of people right now...shrug

I have my surgery date for September 7... no insurance approval yet...

All surgeons do it differently I guess based on their schedule, their general insurance stuff, the hospital schedule.

Keep calling, be a nudge till you get what you need from them!

i had to wait almost a week also for the scheduler to call me with my appt date. I called them every day thinking they would not forget who i am. Then on the thursday i was so frustrated & impatient that i told them i wanted to talk to the benefits coordinator to let her know how long it was taking them to schedule my surgery date. I told them i have talked with her before & she told me if i have any problems not to hesitate to call her & she would take care of things. Then what do you know, they called me a couple hours later with my surgery date! Dont give up. Keep on their butts. They dont understand how we are feeling & wanting to get things rolling. Hang in there! Good luck!

My approval came through about 2 weeks after my first consult. The doctor did not schedule the surgery until I had gone through all the hoops (4 preop Mindful Eating Therapy sessions, appointments with both Nurse Practioner, and Nut.).

He also required me (and all the other patients I know) to loose 10% of their body weight. So it was about 2 months after the approval that I got a date.

Hi All, I was kinda curious how many of you out there got a surgery date before insurance approval. I am frustrated with my doctor's office because I have had an insurance approval for almost a week and no surgery date. I call my doctor's office almost every day for updates and am at a loss as to what could be taking so long! My doctor's office wouldn't even consider a surgery date without hearing back from insurance first, and now that insurance has approved, I can't seem to get anywhere. Am I being impatient?!

OMG. I am sooooo with you. I was approved 9 days ago and still waiting for the scheduler to call me.

I spoke with the manager today and he said I should hear something within a week.

Usually the squeaky wheel gets the grease but my squeaky wheel hit a glob of gum and got stuck. You know how sticky glue is on hot summer days -- ya that's me. Stuck.

Cathy

I had to see a psychiatrists a polmonologist a cardiologist and a gastrologist plus 6 months of seeing a nutritionist. Anyone else deal with all that?

I have already done my 3 month pre-op diet, plus an additional month because I hadn't lost my 5%. I did all my pre-op testing (cardiologist, egd, psych eval, etc) during the 3 months. I have everything I need, and met with my surgeon on Monday. That day he scheduled my surgery for August 26th, so a little over 2 weeks out. They also sent my paperwork into the insurance company that day, so I had my date before my approval. It makes sense to me, since they can easily cancel my surgery if I don't get approval, but this way I am already on the schedule when I do get approved.

I am glad they do it this way, because I am going to Japan on October 25th, and I wanted my surgery to be as far away from that day as possible. This way it is exactly 2 months minus 1 day, so the timing is good.