Well friends, I'm from nyc and surgery is Tuesday 2/19 in Denver Colorado. I'm a self paid client. Since Denver is real far from NYC, I asked my primary doctor to give me a referral to Do my fills. She is part of a hospital here in NYC so she sent me to another department for fills. I was happy n ready for surgery. I called that dpt today to set up an appointment and they refused to take me,claiming that they don take "other doc patients." This hospital has milked my insurance for any little thing for the last 15ys I have Ben their client but won't do my fills. My insurance referre me to other docs and they also told me, "if u didn't do ur surgery w us we can't see u." Wht the heck!

One nurse even to,d me, " this is how we keep our business open. We can't allow pp to pay docs for surgery and then just come here for follow ups." The sec of a doctor had the audacity of telling me, " the band is 25k and fills are 300, "u do the math."

OMG, can't a poor girl save some dough by having surgery outside NYC!

I'm so sorry you're going through this.

Unfortunately this isn't uncommon, though. I would continue to search your area, I'm sure there are a lot of bariatric surgeons around you. You just may have to do some searching to find one that will take you as a patient.

Best wishes.

Thanks! I will keep on searching. I'm not canceling my op. hey, I see myself in the ER monthly doing my fills... I won't mind.

Thanks! I will keep on searching. I'm not canceling my op. hey, I see myself in the ER monthly doing my fills... I won't mind.

Well the ER won't do your fills, that I know for sure. I really wouldn't go through with the surgery until you have a doctor at home to treat you after. Otherwise you risk coming back with no post care or way to get fills.

Good follow up care after surgery is crucial to success with the band so it's really important you have a surgeon lined up to treat you.

Good luck. I hope you find someone soon.

Sounds like a difficult situation but as Missy says, follow up with a surgeon is a key part of ensuring your success. Can you come to some arrangement with a local surgeon to do your op and follow up?

On another note, I am so glad that this situation is much rarer in Australia!

Agree with above, since you wont fill any restriction until about your 3rd or even 5th fill having the surgery then not getting fills is really a waste of your money. True Results said the same thing about not doing fills unless you go thru them too. Please have a dr lined up for follow up before you have the surgery.

Good luck

Leslie, good luck with this. I have been in medical administration for 15

years and in my experience any physician wont touch you with a ten foot

pole. They have to worry that if the doc in Denver did anything wrong or if

you have any issues they then would be accepting liability for something

the Denver doctor may or may not have done. I've seen this happen with many

different situations. What that nurse said was unacceptable but she may not

even know the true reason. All that being said I do not have a solution

for you. Please be careful because as you continue your search I would hate

to see you end up with a less qualified physician. Good luck.

:-)

before you spend the money to fly to denver did you check out your local true results? they do in house financing and your credit does not have to be that good either

before you spend the money to fly to denver did you check out your local true results? they do in house financing and your credit does not have to be that good either

I'm going to true results in AZ, im cash pay, so far it's been a great experience, just don't have a date yet.

Most doctors wont accept other patients just for fills. You wont be able to go to the ER for fills either because most dont even know how to take the fluid out. I would consider doing surgery in your state so that you can have the follow up care that you need.

Im a little concerned about this because my husband is military and we move frequently.... how will I get adjustments to my band when I'm no longer in this state??? I never really thought that I've you get the band you have to stay with the same surgeon for the rest of your life... this really doesn't make much sense to me...

Im a little concerned about this because my husband is military and we move frequently.... how will I get adjustments to my band when I'm no longer in this state??? I never really thought that I've you get the band you have to stay with the same surgeon for the rest of your life... this really doesn't make much sense to me...

I think you may find that the surgeons are more willing to do fills if you have moved into the area, versus living there and leaving the area for the surgery and only coming to them for fills. I believe my surgeon will accept patients that have moved in from out of area, but will not do fills for people who have lived here and go elsewhere for the surgery. It is like walking into a restaurant with your own ham and eggs and asking to just be charged for cooking them because you can buy them at the supermarket cheaper.

Thks guy for your advice. I already paid for surgery and have my flight and hotel, so there is no cancellation. Well, the ER will have t refer me to an specialist. So, if my doctor dies, moves out of state no other doctor would see me? What the fok!

Thks guy for your advice. I already paid for surgery and have my flight and hotel, so there is no cancellation. Well, the ER will have t refer me to an specialist. So, if my doctor dies, moves out of state no other doctor would see me? What the fok!

I don't think you're understanding. The ER won't do anything, including referring you. All you'd do is waste more money on a useless ER visit. Lap Band fills are not an emergency. Even if they did give you the name of a Bariatric surgeon, it doesn't mean that surgeon has to see you or treat you.

Terry was correct when he said it would be different if you moved or your doctor died. In those cases doctors are willing to step in. But when you are flying across the country just to save some money, a lot of doctors aren't willing you take you on. They see it as you're not willing to use them for the surgery so they're not willing to treat you after because they make very little money on aftercare and fills.

You can go get your surgery without someone to treat you at home. It's your choice entirely. We're just trying to warn you that you're asking for major problems and possible failure if you get this surgery without someone treat you at home afterwards.

Getting the Lap Band without a doctor to treat and fill you is like spending $30,000 for a brand new car, but it has no tires and the closest place to get tires is 2000 miles away. Totally useless.

Well put Missy

I really feel for the girls that have their surgery done in another state for whatever necessary reason. There should be a code of ethics for bariatric doctors to see patients. My doctor is the pioneer for lapband in the US. He was trained by the inventor of the band when the band first left Europe for Mexico. He is Dr. Grossbard of Zephyrhills, Florida, and I had this conversation with him this past Monday. He said to me that he always takes patient for fills and he is always doing repair work for other doctors because it is the patient he cares about! He is a bandster himself! What happened to the Hippocratic oath? I guess the dollar bill speaks louder!