Surgery date before ins approval?

[smile121 66]

Hi all! I spoke with my surgeons office today, they called to be sure I am on track and see if I needed any help.

I have Cigna which requires 3 month nutrition visits. My last one is scheduled for April 10th. The woman at the surgeons office said that if I completed all my tests before that I can set my date for as soon as April 13th!!!! I thought I needed approval before setting the date?

[smile121 66]

Hi all! I spoke with my surgeons office today, they called to be sure I am on track and see if I needed any help.

I have Cigna which requires 3 month nutrition visits. My last one is scheduled for April 10th. The woman at the surgeons office said that if I completed all my tests before that I can set my date for as soon as April 13th!!!! I thought I needed approval before setting the date?

[pasquina 19]

You do. I also have Cigna. However, the insurance coordinator is giving me them April 13th as the potential date. If all goes through as planned, that should be your date, but won't be officially your date until Cigna approves it.

[pasquina 19]

But, that would be an extremely fast turnaround. Mine was fast and it was still almost a week

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

Did you intend to post this question 6 times?

[smile121 66]

I absolutely did not! I apologize , the app kept telling me that it could not be posted, then I went on the actual website and saw the multiple posts, but didn't know how to delete them.

[smile121 66]

Thanks so much!

[KatieD6982 68]

I just got my date yesterday, March 24th, and they will NOW submit to insurance for approval. **Fingers crossed!** I think it's so weird they wait so long to submit.

[smile121 66]

I will keep my fingers crossed for you!!! Did you have required visits to a nutritionist? When did you complete those?

[Samantha&Sunshine 13]

I had my date way before I was approved. I thought it was odd as well, but they are the experts! Lol good luck to you!

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

Yeah, I think it is a glitch or something.

I THINK that the setting of the dates is a policy thing of your surgical center.

Here is what happened to me. I was approved for band removal, but I was too chicken to be sleeved. Had the band removal in Sept 2011, and then in I think November found out my insurance was changing and beginning Jan 2012 - sleeve would no longer be an option and I would have to go bypass if I wanted insurance. I got off my butt and pushed for December. Due to vacations etc December had fewer surgeons available, so they put me on the schedule to save my spot (with a BMI about 52 and my history they were pretty confident in getting approval) before I had final approval from the insurance company. I was sleeved Dec 11, 2011 and to this day I thank the insurance company for forcing me to get my rear in gear... and save my life!

anyway, I would talk to your docs office if you have any concerns about it.

[ccol625 14]

I got my date today for 3/31, but they told me they are submitting all the paperwork to the insurance today so hopefully I will hear if I am approved or not by next week. They told me it could take up to 14 days, but it doesn't seem like it has taken anyone that long to hear back from their insurance company.

[pasquina 19]

I had one required nutritionist visit with Cigna. I had to have 4 medical management appointments with my PCP, one month apart.

However, my surgeon has his patients do a pre-op class with the nutritionist to discuss diet immediately after surgery.

[bikrchk 1,313]

Mine was 6 months of 'dr assisted weight loss", then submission and approval, then EGD and all the pre op testing and surgery scheduled once they had my crap in a pile. It was about 6 weeks between submission and surgery for me. I don't get why they'd schedule before they've done the testing to make sure there are no surprises. Seems like a recipe for a lot of re-schedules.