My insurance covers bariatric surgery, but only through designated "Bariatric Center of Excellence" run programs. Trying to see how common this is.

My insurance covers bariatric surgery, through designated "Bariatric Center of Excellence"programs.

Trajo

the same was true for me - and i think it is very common

I am having my surgery at Legacy Good Samaritan in Portland Oregon and they are A Center of Excellents for 6 years

Your third question may get skewed results. Insurance did not pay for my surgery, but being a "Center of Excellence" was MY requirement. I chose Dr Umbach in Las Vegas (baby!) I'm not sure why someone would go with a facility that didn't have this certification.

In colorado there are 5 that I know of. Three in the Denver metro area. One in ft collins, and one in Colorado Springs.

My insurance company and employer do prefer that we use a COE, however we are not required, just have to go somewhere that is in network in order for them to pick up the tab. What they do though is if I decide to use a COE (which I did) once I complete the follow up call with the nurse they deposit $1000.00 into my MRA (medical reimbursement acct). For me, I had already met a $2300 deductable due to carpal tunnel surgery earlier in the year, so not only will the surgery not cost me anything, I'll actually make $1000 that I'll be using to pay off some of the outstanding bills I still have from earlier this year. WOO HOO!

Your third question may get skewed results. Insurance did not pay for my surgery, but being a "Center of Excellence" was MY requirement. I chose Dr Umbach in Las Vegas (baby!) I'm not sure why someone would go with a facility that didn't have this certification.

The third question began with "if insurance..." but I agree on your other point, given the stringent criteria that must be met to be deemed a "Center of Excellence" it just seems the smarter/safer route to go.

My insurance company and employer do prefer that we use a COE, however we are not required, just have to go somewhere that is in network in order for them to pick up the tab. What they do though is if I decide to use a COE (which I did) once I complete the follow up call with the nurse they deposit $1000.00 into my MRA (medical reimbursement acct). For me, I had already met a $2300 deductable due to carpal tunnel surgery earlier in the year, so not only will the surgery not cost me anything, I'll actually make $1000 that I'll be using to pay off some of the outstanding bills I still have from earlier this year. WOO HOO!

Bonus! LOL

The third question began with "if insurance..." but I agree on your other point' date=' given the stringent criteria that must be met to be deemed a "Center of Excellence" it just seems the smarter/safer route to go.[/quote']

Exactly ... If ... We can't answer the first two without answering the third, so I was forced to answer "No", but again, I was self-pay, so my answer would skew your results.

Then again I had my first surgery at a BCE and had major complications. It was also a day surgery center (avoid that like the plague...this should be done in a hospital!!!) So what does a BCE really mean???? I personally wouldn't see that as a sign of assurance after my experience. Doctors make mistakes from all kinds of places, good and bad.

Then again I had my first surgery at a BCE and had major complications. It was also a day surgery center (avoid that like the plague...this should be done in a hospital!!!) So what does a BCE really mean???? I personally wouldn't see that as a sign of assurance after my experience. Doctors make mistakes from all kinds of places, good and bad.

This particular BCE performs all surgeries at the hospital and is a level 1 BCE (performing over 125 bariatric surgeries per year) vs a level 2 BCE (performing over 25 bariatric surgeries per year - and also not allowed to operate on high-risk patients or patients with 55 or 60 bmi). I wouldn't do anything at a day center for something that requires you to be completely knocked out. For myself, I asked lots of questions including the mri/cat scan of my abdomen, I want to be safe rather than sorry. If I was planning a road trip, I would want to know where all the rivers and mountains were. If they do my MRI and discover I'm fine, great. If they see an abundance of scar tissue or twisted bowel (which can happen without pain/discomfort - it's happened to me before) then they will know all of this and prepare before the surgery. I do know that there are minimum requirements for the BCE designation (and different "levels" as noted above) but like anything, some centers will require/do more than others. Therein lies the rub.

Even though my insurance's requirement of a COE meant I couldn't use my preferred (and closer) hospital, I agree with the policy. Hospitals have to meet a lot of standards to get the certification and since this is a major surgery, I wanted to know that the staff really understood what was involved. My hospital even had a bariatric nurse coordinator that came in a couple of times, gave me a lot of great tips, and even provided me with her cell number to reach her if I had any questions during the first few days home.

And for those of you how don't have insurance coverage, look for hospitals that are working on COE certification. They often give discounted rates in order to meet the minimum number of procedures required.

I had mine at OHSU with Dr Deveney. Don't know if its a Center of Excellence, but the whole experience was great. The staff were so kind and helpful, from the pre-op, to surgery, to release. And Dr Deveney is gifted. I've had none of the problems I hear about, other than acid reflux, which I had before the surgery. Probably the best hospital experience I've ever had.