Hello to all on lap band talk I hope some one out their can help me i live in brooklyn new york does any one have a good Dr. in the 5 borrows they can refer I have a Dr. but for a few years i wanted to swith i talked to him about the lap band he kinda laughed @ me and said i can lose the weight on my own mind you I'm 5-10 and a few pounds shy of 400 pounds i want to get the ball rolling any help would be sweet

I live in Harlem and I'm working with NYU weight management center, they are the best in the city. Al Roker had his surgery done there, I believe the website is called thinforlife.com. Good Luck and keep in touch:)

Thanks did you have to get a referral from your Dr? I need to find a new Dr. def think its time

My insurance(Aetna) doesn't require a referral, but my pcp didn't approve of the surgery. So I'm using the doctor located at the hospital, and she is helping me with this process. Just go to an information seminar, they are very helpful. These are the best surgeon's in this field, you will be in good hands. Just make sure you know what your insurance requires from you Ok. Please keep me posted, I will help in any way that I can:)

Thanks for the info i def will keep you posted

Hi Kyle. I'm Erin and I was banded on Friday, Jan 21. My experience in getting approval was way easier than I expected and I will help you out in any way I can.

My PCP is Dr. Richard Funaro in Bay Ridge. He is a little gruff but every supportive of the lap band procedure....he actually suggested it to me and it took me 2 years to believe I couldn't do it myself.

I did a ton of research on hospitals and attended 4 info sessions and ultimately chose NYU Langone. My surgeon is Dr. Christine Ren and I think she hung the moon but others I know have seen Dr. Fielding and Dr. Kurian at NYU and said similar things. These people are rockstars!

Another great thing about NYU is that they have someone on staff to do the 6 month weight loss program for insurance approval. Her name is Dr. Stiles and I adore her. Each month, she told me how well I was doing and really used my six months as an opportunity to teach me how to eat after surgery. The best part is that she is technically a PCP herself so you pay the non-specialist co-pay for insurance, which is nice. You'll still need the support of your own PCP, however.

I cannot rave enough about NYU and their staff from the surgeons and Dr. Stiles to the psychiatrist they use.

This can be really frustrating but you are on the right track. Feel free to send me a personal message if you need a buddy. I also happen to work in insurance so I can decode their requirements if you get confused.

Best of luck,

Erin