I live in rural western MA. When searching for a surgeon on the lapband.com website there are options 40 miles north and south of me, which I'd be prepared to use. My PCP told me there's a doctor in my town now doing the procedure, but when I searched his name on the lapband site (and his practice) no registration came up. Has this happened for anyone else? Is it common for doctors to not be registered thru that website but still do great work?

My Dr was registered years ago and all his info is really old. I keep meaning to tell him to update it.

Does the Dr you PCP told you about offer free seminars? I found that helpful in meeting him and asking a lot of questions,like how long have you been doing LBS, what's your qualifications etc..

I think some Drs really don't care whether they're registered or not.IMO

The surgeon I'm using is not registered on lapband.com either and I have heard wonderful things about him. The thing to remember is that lapband.com is the website for the brand of band, lapband. Another commonly used band is the realize.

I would just focus on the training and patient reviews of the surgeon, not the affiliation with a certain type of band.

A few things you should look at are- if you are not self pay what does your insurance require. Mine required that mine be done at a Bariatric center of Excellence, which means I had to find a surgeon that could operate there. Look at the hospitals that are centers of excellence, I had 3 choices. One makes you pay upfront what the insurance doesn't cover, one allows you to make 3 equal payments, one allows a payment plan.

Also the seminar is great if you can go to one with a surgeon, it is important that you feel comfortable with the surgeon you are working with.

thanks, everyone! i just spoke with the office and apparently there's a packet of paperwork they need to send me that i'll fill out before they even see me for a consultation - even though my doctor referred me. a little strange, but i guess they want to make sure you generally qualify for this type of surgery before discussing it further.

PS. My PCP referred me to my surgeon and he was also within my insurance providers.