Hi everyone,

So I called the office and was told they have to contact insurance before they even schedule an appt for an initial consult. my question is.... ive already called my insurance and gotten all the info they require (deductible, coverage, ect., out of pocket max) so why do i have to wait? couldnt i call them and give that info to the office and schedule an appt? i understand the surgery approval after all the exams and everything but im really anxious to get the ball rolling! i called last weds (oct 22) and was told it would take about a week. should i call and see if theyll make an appt with the info that i have? also, once you get to the surgery approval, how long did that take? Im 18, BMI 38, wt 220, 5`4", pre diabetic, acid reflux, hypothyroid. i really want to do the surgery before the end of the year but i know that its also the biggest time of year for surgeries because people want to get it in before the new year and have to re start their deductible. HELLPPP how do i make this process as fast as possible? Im hoping to have surgery in december! is this doable??? as you can probably tell im a very impatient person. ill be better once we get the ball rolling but knowing nothing at this point is realllly frustrating!

thanks!

My first consultation was Sept 18th and my surgery is set for November 18th. Exactly 2 months. I was told this was very fast but everything was just smooth sailing. When I called my surgeons office the first time they made me call to make sure my insurance which is Anthem Blue cross blue shield to make sure that my policy included weight loss surgery. I called them back minutes later and said that it did. They asked my weight and height to get my bmi and verified my insurance along with the group # and other info off the ins card. I had my first appt two days later. My bmi is 48 with no comorbities. I'm 35yo. I made a psychologist appt that was mandatory and then another consult with the surgeon after that and got a surgery date. After that I had a pre op physical that was an ekg, chest X-ray,blood work etc..which all came out great. I had a 3 hour pre op class that same day also. And signed my consent for surgery! That's it now just waiting 3 more weeks!! I hope you have smooth sailing and it all works out well for you!

How quickly they can schedule your surgery has many factors.

• Does your insurance require a diet program to be charted before surgery
• Does the surgeon/bariatric center have any pre-requirements
• Do you need to do the following: sleep Study, Nut appointments, Psych Eval, Upper GI, Cardio release, Endoscopy

I would suggest if you want to get some things rolling, call the surgeon office and see what appointments you are going to need. Then go ahead and make those appointments.

Seems a little odd to not make an initial consult appt until after insurance check but guess they don't want to waste your time and find out later it's not covered.