are the same right?

I am not an expert but am pretty sure that they are.

Well I'm confused cause my insurance rep said something about gastric banding being covered, but not lapband? I was like whhhat.. I always thought it was the same.

LapBand is the name of a band that can be placed during gastric banding.

There are other bands out there in the world, but in the US, the LapBand owned by Allergan is the only one that is currently FDA approved and being used. There are several varieties of LapBand and you can find that information on the Allergan site www.lapband.com

Aha! Gastric banding truly can mean more than one thing. The LapBand is Adjustable Gastric Banding. I wonder if your insurance company is talking about Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, here's a breakdown on the two procedures:

Purely restrictive operations for obesity include adjustable gastric banding (AGB) and vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG).

1. Adjustable gastric banding. In this procedure, a hollow band made of silicone rubber is placed around the stomach near its upper end, creating a small pouch and a narrow passage into the rest of the stomach (figure 2). The band is then inflated with a salt solution through a tube that connects the band to an access port placed under the skin. It can be tightened or loosened over time to change the size of the passage by increasing or decreasing the amount of salt solution.
   
2. Vertical banded gastroplasty. VBG uses both a band and staples to create a small stomach pouch, as illustrated in figure 3. Once the most common restrictive operation, VBG is not often used today.

There is another restrictive procedure that has been used for a while and is growing in popularity (which is evident on obesityhelp):

The Vertical Gastrectomy procedure (also called vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, Greater Curvature Gastrectomy, Parietal Gastrectomy, Gastric Reduction and even Vertical Gastroplasty) is performed by approximately 15 surgeons worldwide (this number is probably no longer accurate, many MD's are learning and offering this surgery). The originally procedure, conceived by Dr. D Johnston in England, was called The Magenstrasse and Mill Operation. It generates weight loss by restricting the amount of food that can be eaten (removal of stomach or vertical gastrectomy) without any bypass of the intestines or malabsorption. The stomach pouch is usually made smaller than the pouch used in the Duodenal Switch.

Where are you located, famous? Are you in another country where the LapBand isn't the primary band being used?

No, I'm here in the US in Utah with BCBS AL.. and the lady said that they cover banding, but not lapband and I was like okkkkk??? I'm in a battle with insurance and they say its investigational, yet I've told them how like other places have named it uninvestigational.. and shes like I didnt know that. I hate them. Haha. :angry

Hi,

I have been reading the Lap-Band for Life book by Mexican surgeon Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Lap Band means Laparoscopic gastric banding. It is the procedure for the surgery(laparoscopic), and the band used in the surgery placed around the upper part of the stomach(gastric).

Hope this helps understand it better.

Judy

famous: try www.obesitylaw.com

and have your insurance mail you the acutal policy, make sure it includes the specific wording related to bariatric surgery.

Thanks, thats what theyre doing now, so I can bring it to my PCP in hopes he can figure it out.

If you are self pay and are looking into some of the mexican doctors for the procedure you might want to look at Dr. Kirshenbaum in Colorado. I was looking into going to Mexico because of the cost but found this doctor and will end up being cheaper after figuring the cost of travel and hotels and all. www.lapbandrockies.com his site is very simple but he is awesome! Very knowledgable and easy to talk too.

Look up the ICD 9 code and call them back. It is on this site somewhere, I will try and find it for you.

When I requested the band, I put the codes on it too.

(ICD9 Code 43843 CPT Code 43770)

Here is a link to the letter that I sent with my request:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/texas-teachers-please-t15700.html?t=15700&highlight=activecare