Has anyone done self pay with him!!?

Doing self-pay with Dr. Cirangle. Surgery was 6/20 this year. I belong to Kaiser but the procedure was not covered with my plan from work. I knew my procedure would be difficult due some remaining material left from a previous surgery. Everything has gone remarkably smooth both with my procedure as well as working with Gabriella the nutritionist and the rest of the office staff. I couldn't be happier.

What did he charge if you don't mind me asking? You can PM if you'd not like to share on the post! If not I understand! Thanks for the insight!

I did. $17,500 and worth every penny!

$17,500 as well. Even this early in the game it's been my best investment to date.

Just remember Dr Cirangle does not believe in post op leak tests. It was for this (and a few other reasons) I decided to go elsewhere.

I also heard he requires a 5 yr post op care

Sorry sent too soon! Anyways I read somewhere that he also charges $5,000 for a 5yr post op care!? Is that true!? What if you don't live near by but would still want to use him!? Why doesn't he do a leak test!?

Sorry sent too soon! Anyways I read somewhere that he also charges $5,000 for a 5yr post op care!? Is that true!? What if you don't live near by but would still want to use him!? Why doesn't he do a leak test!?

I don't think that is true about the 5 year post op care. I had a consult with him and he never mentioned that.

I am quoting here what Dr Cirangle said about not doing a leak test: "I have never had a leak, and as such do not see a need for them. It also increases bleeding".

I am not comfortable with that at all. As an out of stater, I want to make sure my sleeve is good. I don't care if he has never had one (may not be true anyway), I could be the first one. There were some other concerns I had about him, though I have to admit: he is probably a very good surgeonw ith excellent skills. He was just not right for me.

I self paid for a Southern CA surgeon with equal (or higher) qualifications of Dr Cirangle...and that is saying a lot since Cirangle has an excellent reputation. Excellent. Both surgeons may not have the best bed side manner but their safety record is the highest which was more important to me than price.

My safety was #1 concern. Second was aftercare which is nada if out of country. A WLS who sees you after out of country surgery takes on the liability of a surgery they did not perform. This is why it is difficult to get a local WLS surgeon to do aftercare. A GM or internist will see you but they don't "know" VSG, so is this really aftercare? Do they know what signs of any issues or special needs of during initial weight loss? Hence this is why out of country surgery was never an option for me. Also, check with your insurance if you are considering of country surgery. Many insurances will NOT cover any complications requiring ER visits or hospital stays. See liability.

Paid 18K back in 2010. Worth every single penny. No overnight hospital stay, no pain, no staples, no morphine, no post op leak test. These are not necessary. Not all VSG surgery procedures are the same. BEST decision of my life.

I hear you can negotiate aftercare fees. Weekly support group for me is free but the now annual visits are fee based. My regular insurance picks up these costs now (yet would not pay for surgey) and blood tests.

Good luck in whom ever you choose.

Sorry sent too soon! Anyways I read somewhere that he also charges 5' date='000 for a 5yr post op care!? Is that true!? What if you don't live near by but would still want to use him!? Why doesn't he do a leak test!?[/quote']

I didn't hear anything about the charge for 5 year post op visits...everything seemed included in the 17,500. I have seen him every month or two since surgery a year ago and plan to continue seeing him through the next few years.

I believe there is more to his reasons for not doing leak tests. I know we talked about it once but I can't remember...

Dr. Cirangle is a freakin awesome surgeon who started doing sleeves long before everyone else. He has a great track record and I actually appreciate his bedside manner. He always makes sure he answers any questions I have. I love him! Lol

Dr. Cirangle is a freakin awesome surgeon who started doing sleeves long before everyone else. He has a great track record and I actually appreciate his bedside manner. He always makes sure he answers any questions I have. I love him! Lol

When did you have your surgery!? Since you were self pay did you have to do all the things that insurance payers had to do that Mexico doesn't require!? Like psych eval, so many months on a diet, etc!?

Oh sorry also I know Dr Cirangle comes to Stockton for seminars but do you know by chance what hospitals he uses if its more than one in CA? I went to a seminar YEARS ago & don't remember! Also did you finance this? Looking for good financing. My husband would love if I stayed in the states vs Mexico which I would too personally but of course the price for self pay is a huge difference! I could pay for Mexico but states would need some financing. Sorry for the 20 questions! Ok last one (how quick are you scheduled) I start school late August & would love to do it before then. Thanks again for your responses!

Oh sorry also I know Dr Cirangle comes to Stockton for seminars but do you know by chance what hospitals he uses if its more than one in CA? I went to a seminar YEARS ago & don't remember! Also did you finance this? Looking for good financing. My husband would love if I stayed in the states vs Mexico which I would too personally but of course the price for self pay is a huge difference! I could pay for Mexico but states would need some financing. Sorry for the 20 questions! Ok last one (how quick are you scheduled) I start school late August & would love to do it before then. Thanks again for your responses!

For self pay he is 2weeks out.

I self paid for a Southern CA surgeon with equal (or higher) qualifications of Dr Cirangle...and that is saying a lot since Cirangle has an excellent reputation. Excellent. Both surgeons may not have the best bed side manner but their safety record is the highest which was more important to me than price.

My safety was #1 concern. Second was aftercare which is nada if out of country. A WLS who sees you after out of country surgery takes on the liability of a surgery they did not perform. This is why it is difficult to get a local WLS surgeon to do aftercare. A GM or internist will see you but they don't "know" VSG, so is this really aftercare? Do they know what signs of any issues or special needs of during initial weight loss? Hence this is why out of country surgery was never an option for me. Also, check with your insurance if you are considering of country surgery. Many insurances will NOT cover any complications requiring ER visits or hospital stays. See liability.

Paid 18K back in 2010. Worth every single penny. No overnight hospital stay, no pain, no staples, no morphine, no post op leak test. These are not necessary. Not all VSG surgery procedures are the same. BEST decision of my life.

I hear you can negotiate aftercare fees. Weekly support group for me is free but the now annual visits are fee based. My regular insurance picks up these costs now (yet would not pay for surgey) and blood tests.

Good luck in whom ever you choose.

Your comment about insurance and complications are not relevant to the country the surgery was performed. In neither case would it be covered. Also your comment about after care is irrelevant for those who come from out of state. Mexico, California, Florida....it matters not.....aftercare is a problem.

And with you saying your safety is your main concern yet you felt ok not having a stay in the hospital after surgery!?!?! Don't get that at all.....

Oh sorry also I know Dr Cirangle comes to Stockton for seminars but do you know by chance what hospitals he uses if its more than one in CA? I went to a seminar YEARS ago & don't remember! Also did you finance this? Looking for good financing. My husband would love if I stayed in the states vs Mexico which I would too personally but of course the price for self pay is a huge difference! I could pay for Mexico but states would need some financing. Sorry for the 20 questions! Ok last one (how quick are you scheduled) I start school late August & would love to do it before then. Thanks again for your responses!

Not sure if the hospital options are different for self-pay (mine was covered thru insurance) but I had my surgery with Cirangle at John Muir in Concord.

Interesting that the other poster said she had no overnight stay; maybe because it was self-pay? I stayed one night and Cirangle was willing to keep me another if I felt I needed it.

He doesn't currently offer a 5 year aftercare plan (that I was told about, anyway) but he does do a 1 year. My insurance did NOT cover that, and it was $5750 out of pocket. I don't particularly enjoy my monthly appointments with him - its true, his bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired - but I'm glad I have the resource available if I need it or anything goes wrong.

One thing I will say, I wish he had more than one nutritionist on staff. Gabriella is very nice, but I don't get the sense that she's EVER had a weight problem, let alone undergone WLS. Sometimes her answers to my questions or her advice are just ridiculous. I've found more help on this forum than I have from her. Overall, I'm very disappointed with the nutrition-assistance from Cirangle's office. I'd prefer a Nut that either had WLS or had at least experienced obesity in the past and can truly relate to his/her clients. The skinny girl telling me to "just ignore" my cravings gets old really fast.

Cirangle's web site lists their seminar dates www.lapsf.com so you can see when the upcoming ones are.

One note of caution - recovery can be hard for some people. You may want to wait until you're on a break from school before you have the surgery. It's already mid-July, if you start school in August that doesn't leave you much time to schedule, have the surgery, recover some, and then begin school. That's an awful lot of stress. I had a fairly easy recovery and was off work for two weeks, but I quickly discovered I should have taken three. Your energy levels, pain levels, emotions - all are variables that you can't predict until post-op. Give yourself plenty of time if you can.