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!

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 wondering the same thing. So if you wind up moving sometime after surgery you are SOL as my kids say?

Im sorry i should have kept reading. I guess moving is different

You going to the ER will be pointless. They probably wont even see you for that let alone give you a referral. I dont understand why you would even think about going to the ER for a fill to begin with. Yes your surgery is paid for but the point is that doctors do not want to take the responsiblility of someone elses work especially if there is a complication. Moving is a different story. Yes you can find a doctor to do fills of find a band clinic to do fills if you move but only with your medical records from your previous surgeon. Before having surgery these things need to be worked out. You need to have care after surgery and if you were going to another state to have surgery you should have set up some after care before you go. You cant just have surgery then lets wait and see if another doctor will take me because most of the time they wont just because you decided to self pay and go to another state. They dont want to be liable for any complications that may arise from your surgery. The ER is for emergencies and if you are having no issues with your band, you walking in there to say I need a fill in my band is not going to get you even to the back for a referral. I would try to find someone now before you have surgery to see if they will do your fills or find a band fill clinic that will do your fills.

Im sorry i should have kept reading. I guess moving is different

This is so ridiculous, how can a doc know what's your legal address? How can he know whether u are new to that state or not? I see this as a major problem for people who have bands. Once you are treated by a doctor (for whatever reason) you become a liability... Once he touches you, cold, labor, fever, whatever reason. Therefore, a band is no exception t the rule.

I have a thiriod condition, I'm on meds. I have seen different doctors and they all do blood work and give me meds. No doctor has ever asked me, why didn't u come to me for radioactive meds since right there I could have made 20k.

And, like I said b4, my primary physician gave me a referral for lapband follow ups w/ in her hospital. I called to make my appointment as recommended. now I found this! She can't believe either... She tells she never heard about this b4.

But since some people here are talking to me in a manner which I do not appreciate, I have decided not to talk about this issue here anymore!

BTW, my doc talked to ER and she was informed that I could go there, should I have any complications and from there I would b referred to bariatrics.

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!

Thanks, I agree w/ u.

I know it's different in the US but here I found that a lot of places wanted to charge me a significant amount to 'change' into their care when I moved states. I just kept calling around until I found someone who didn't do that, and he happened to be one of the most experiences lapband surgeons around, lucky for me.

I think the thing about emergency is that unless they have people there trained to deal with the lapband, you will find it an incredibly frustrating experience. I once spent 6 hours in agony while they waited for the only registrar in the hospital who knew anything about lapbands to answer the phone and give them instructions. In the end, they called my surgeon at his home. Then two interns pricked and poked me what felt like 1000 times to actually find the port and withdraw the one measly cc it took to give me relief.

If you have complications then sure they will look after you as best they can, but did your dr say that emergency would do fills for you? Coz I don't think that they do (hey, I might be wrong)

My suggestion is keep looking until you find someone close to you who will take you for aftercare. Before you do your surgery.

Interesting thread and brings up a question. I've seen a lot of members of this site having had their LBs done in Mexico. Loads of them. How do they do their followup care and fills/unfills? They obviously don't return to Mexico each time for this.

I travel a lot between France and the USA and my French surgeon has given me a list of his colleagues in California (where I travel to) who will see me should I have problems with my band on an overseas trip. I hope I don't meet with the type of reluctance many on this thread are suggesting I can expect. It would be awful to be overseas and not be able to be unfilled should need be.

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...

Big difference in what you have.... if you have your surgery in the state of the current place you live and then... move, you will probably have no problems.

I know here, my dr. and another local group will take other dr. patients if either: You have just moved here.... or your dr. moved away.

I would really think hard about going to Denver to have the surgery... if you can't get fills you are wasting your money...

Leslie80

I feel bad for you but the folks here are correct about the ER. I don't think anyone here is trying to be harsh or rude, but instead just telling you the honest truth so you can put working plan in place. They will see you and if qualified treat you for emergencies however, a fill is not an emergency and won't be treated the same. Not only will it cost you a lot more than if you had it done in an office, but you will spend an eternity waiting. Sure they can refer you to a specialist, but that doesn't mean he will show up to the ER to do a fill and if he gets called in and finds out that what you are there for and not an emergency, it will be a rare physician that won't be unhappy with you. Whoever they refer you to may have the some policy as the ones you have already spoken to or for all you know be the exact same doctors. Going through the process of fills involves more than just inserting a needle and pushing Fluid in. What happens if you have problems and need an unfill? You can't just keeping showing up to an ER requesting fills and unfills, plus you really need to have a resource to call if you have questions about difficulties you may experience. An ER is not a walk in clinic for those that don't have a doctor or fail to plan ahead to have a doctor to see although it seems many people use it for that.

This is going to take some calling around to find someone to do your aftercare. I wouldn't give up either, because I think you may be able to find someone. I agree with the person who suggested finding a True Results or something similar because I do believe they take patients who have had their surgery elsewhere. They also have pretty much everything they need in one spot. If they need to take an x-ray to check your band they can do that right there on the spot very quickly. Heck, you don't even hat to take any clothing off! I know they even have payment plans and discount pay in advance programs so it would be worth looking into.

The referral will go something like this:

Disharge paperwork: patient was seen in the ED, please see your bariatric surgeon for follow up.

That is what the ED doc will do. I code for the ED (I say ED 'emergency department' cuz thats what its referred to now I guess instead of 'room') so I see it on bariatric patients discharge paperwork. I don't think anyone is being rude, just more concerened. If I have an issue and its band related, I have to go to the ED in the hospital that banded me. I have to pass 3 other large hospitalals because they aren't trained in dealing with bariatrics. Its not a part of their training. One day it should be.

I have been told to go to specific hospital's ED also. It's it in the city, a little bit of a drive for me. I can't even tell you how many hospitals and Emergency Centers I'll have to pass up. I was told it was because they were the only ones that could do everything that the surgery center I used can do.

I just found these docs/ clinnics who are willing to take me,

Bronxville bariatrics, westchester county (300-500 fill)

NYU bariatrics, manhattan (500 fill)

Jacobi hospital bariatrics (made appt w their surgeon) take all major insurance, no self paid

I also found several private clinics in Teaneck, NJ, Brooklyn, NY, Long Island

St. Luke's hospital in NYC

Wow! That's a lot of money for a fill. The clinic I go to charges $75 or if you pay 6 months in advance or agree to monthly bank draft withdrawals for 6 months it's $240 or $40 per fill.

That's what my surgeon charges the insurance company. Now that my insurance does not cover fills that's what I would have to pay. I would ask them if they have a CashPay price. I would call the billing office because they may know about a cash pay price where is the office my .not

Shop around for a fill location. I know that the folks that go to Mexico, find fill locations here in the USA. Best wishes to you!