Any other self paying people out there? My insurance doesn't cover it and my husband and I both want me to have this surgery.

Wondering if I have to go through all the same testing that some insurance companies make you do?

Any other self paying people out there? My insurance doesn't cover it and my husband and I both want me to have this surgery.

Wondering if I have to go through all the same testing that some insurance companies make you do?

Hi, I was self paid and had to have the same tests, a psych and nut interviews I didn't need an upper GI or endoscope because I had had one three years ago. Most of the tests are covered in the surgery costs.

Hello; I was a self pay. I did the same normal tests the surgeon requires, so your tests might be different.

Test to see if I had an ulcer (breath test), EKG, sonogram to see where internal organs were placed for surgery plus within same test my gallbladder was looked at to see if I had stones...I did. Did meet with the physcologist & nutritionist. Plus LOTS of blood was taken to test. I have PPO insurance and it did cover testing part minus copay. No regrets for spending a fortune.

Good luck! - ocgal

Any other self paying people out there? My insurance doesn't cover it and my husband and I both want me to have this surgery.

Wondering if I have to go through all the same testing that some insurance companies make you do?

HI! NOOOOOOOOO, self pay is the best way. . .costly yes, but you don't have to jump through hoops like a trained monkey. . . I was self pay, went to the seminar in late October, had my appt to meet doctor, nutritionist and do the psych eval in mid Nov and on that same day got to pick my surgery appt which i chose as 29Dec09. . . It was so fast, but be prepared to have the money available then and there. . .I had to write out a check for the physician the day of meeting the doctor and then when I went to the hospital i had to have the balance. . . so have that money available in the exact amount. . . good luck

All I had to get was a physical, bloodwork, and EKG, and clearance from my family doctor, all of which were completed in one trip. Actually, she did the blood work for herself before giving clearance... I still had to go to the hospital for pre-admission testing, where they drew more blood. But other than that, that's it!

I was a borderline lightweight though (41 bmi), and I'm sure he was probably pretty confident in talking with me that I wasn't mental LOL... he may have required further testing and evaluation if I'd been a heavyweight, had other major medical issues, or raised flags with him, but I can't say for sure.

From my initial consult to my surgery was only 12 days.

[eta] Oh... and other than the co-pay for the office calls, my insurance covered all of that, so the expense for testing may turn out to not even be an issue for you.

Any other self paying people out there? My insurance doesn't cover it and my husband and I both want me to have this surgery.

Wondering if I have to go through all the same testing that some insurance companies make you do?

Hi Sassy - Nooooooo!!! I am 51, so I had to have a stress test, which was about $300 and of course I had to have the pre-op bloodwork the day before surgery, but all the other stuff that the insurance company makes you go through to try and deny you....NOOOOO!!! My surgeon has the "center of excellence" stamp of approval and everything. The self pay patients are 'done' at Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas...it's a private hospital and you get excellent care! I highly recommend it and the group of doctor's that are associated with my doctor! Self pay in Texas is less expensive, there are so many medical schools and a lot of competition....great medical care down there and it is in the states! It was worth the trip!! Mine was $12,510 and included everything except the stress test. (up to two nights in the hospital)

Most of us require much of the same things except the ridiculous 6 months of medical weight loss. That's an insurance thing to "weed people out" I believe but that's another story. Not all of us require the psychological evaluation. It isn't very helpful most of the time and has no bearing in how well people do following weight loss surgery. I require the psych eval if the patient is on psych medications to assure they are well controlled on those.

For me: Most Self pay patients get:

Nutrition evaluation (out of state patients can just see their local nutritionist)

Pre-op Lab, chest x-ray, ECG

Surgical consult

Operation

Some patients will need a psychological evaluation and some will need an EGD/Upper GI. But those are patient dependent.

Except for the pre-op EGD/Upper GI, everything else is included in the price. It's definitely the easier route although not the least expensive route. Our self pay patients usually pay $12,500 total....although it's going to be $9,900 for January-March which is great for the patients. Sorry, didn't mean for that to be an advertisement.

Dr. G

www.goodnightsurgical.com