Insurance Patients - When did you meet your surgeon?

[Sharon1964 2,530]

I met with my surgeon at my first visit, and he recommended the sleeve and gave me the reasons why. Who is recommending a specific surgery if it's not the person doing the surgery? It sounds very assembly-line to me.

I would not be comfortable in your situation.

[Sleeved_Michelle 4]

They assign a patient advocate. They kind of ask what surgery you want. I advised them that I was interested in the sleeve and they just ask if I have any questions. They gave me a booklet that gives information about the sleeve and that is it. So each time I go in for the weight loss visit I see the patient advocate who is assigned to me. She weighs me in and ask if I have any questions. If no questions, I am in and out in less than 10 minutes.

I called them again about meeting the surgeon and now they tell me that I have to redo my ekg because I have to have medical clearance before scheduling my EDG and at that time I will meet the surgeon. I can only get scheduled for the EDG one week before my last weight loss visit on August 1st.

So at the end of the day, I still can only see my surgeon when I am at the end of my weight loss visits. It sucks but I have a consultation with another center who says I will meet with the surgeon at the consultation and every time I come afterward. They also said that they can transfer my information so I would not have to restart the process. I hope all goes well.

[KristenLe 5,980]

They assign a patient advocate. They kind of ask what surgery you want. I advised them that I was interested in the sleeve and they just ask if I have any questions. They gave me a booklet that gives information about the sleeve and that is it. So each time I go in for the weight loss visit I see the patient advocate who is assigned to me. She weighs me in and ask if I have any questions. If no questions, I am in and out in less than 10 minutes.

I called them again about meeting the surgeon and now they tell me that I have to redo my ekg because I have to have medical clearance before scheduling my EDG and at that time I will meet the surgeon. I can only get scheduled for the EDG one week before my last weight loss visit on August 1st.

So at the end of the day, I still can only see my surgeon when I am at the end of my weight loss visits. It sucks but I have a consultation with another center who says I will meet with the surgeon at the consultation and every time I come afterward. They also said that they can transfer my information so I would not have to restart the process. I hope all goes well.

This sounds like a poor program. My surgeon talked to me about my health history, weight loss attempts, eating habits, etc. before deciding together on a surgery. I then met with psych and nutrition- all part of the Team.

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[Kimba Maria Wiggins 81]

I met with my surgeon the day of my first consultation (when I decided that I wanted to get Sleeved).

[Yaya B 49]

I met my surgeon @ my very 1st appointment. We had a lengthy discussion and he didn't seem like he was rushing me to get out of his office so it made me feel comfortable.

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[debbo1959 44]

Oh,wow!!! I met my surgeon from the first time I had an appointment,where is it you live?I had to do the upper GI,stress test,sleep study, physiological evaluation &meet with a dietitian,but every month I meet with my surgeon,that just sounds weird to me. As soon as my insurance approved everything I had already had a surgery date,which is next Wednesday July 6TH. I'M SO VERY excited!!!!!

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[Shrinkinqtpi 202]

Meeting my surgeon was amongst the first steps in the preApproval process

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[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I wouldn't be okay with that at all.

I looked at my insurance, and picked a list of doctors that were covered. Then I research them. Then I met the Dr I selected at a seminar, then I had my first visit. The I started my pre-op testing. Once the testing was done, they submitted my packet to insurance. So seeing my Dr was step 2, step 1 was the seminar.

I don't get what purpose true results serves or why people are using them.

[theantichick 2,204]

I wouldn't be okay with that at all.

I looked at my insurance, and picked a list of doctors that were covered. Then I research them. Then I met the Dr I selected at a seminar, then I had my first visit. The I started my pre-op testing. Once the testing was done, they submitted my packet to insurance. So seeing my Dr was step 2, step 1 was the seminar.

I don't get what purpose true results serves or why people are using them.

Ditto.

I had a seminar with my surgeon, then met her for an evaluation. I saw her again before we went in for the EGD and after it, and I'll have one more appointment with her before we do the surgery. I had done an online seminar with another doc I was researching, but my rheumatologist recommended this one, and she's closer to my office and home so I met with her, and was comfortable with her. I would not be OK with having someone just assigned to me with no input right before the surgery.

[ssteiny 17]

Find a new location if u can. I met my surgeon at an information session then had an appt with him at the 2 month mark.

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[Christenb180 20]

I started the WLS process back in January, because my insurance requires me to do 6 months supervised diet with a dietitian, my last visit with the NUT is 7/20. I've had all my pre-op appt and I've never met my Surgeon, they made me do a WLS seminar to even start the program and I could either do it online or in person I opted to do it online so I guess i missed my chance. I won't meet the surgeon until after I have my last NUT appt. I did a lot a research on him, I'm really kind of stuck because I work for a specific healthcare system in ohio and my insurance wont allow me to go to another healthcare system for this surgery so I hope that I love my surgeon, I've only heard good things about him. Good luck to you

[trekker954 421]

Same here, I did my research and after speaking with a few, decided to go with Cleveland Clinic Florida, who has three doctors on site, but I chose the doctor that I wanted to do my surgery. All that was required prior to meeting the surgeon was the nutritional introduction (free) 3 hours class.

But the initial meeting with the doctor came with a hefty up front fee. (BCBS did covered a portion of it). Although so much of the initial visit was with the bariatric staff, when it came to actually meeting the surgeon. That may have lasted only about 10 minutes at best. He came in, reviewed what his assistant had collected about my health history, asked me what procedure I was interested in, I said the sleeve. He said that is what he would recommend. Jokes about having the gallbladder and sleeve done for the price of one; shook my hand and said he was turning me over to his capable staff and would see me the day of surgery.

With my surgery date of Aug. 10, I am scheduled to "see the surgeon" August 5th pre-op requirement. I know that is one of his surgery days; so I will be interested to see if I actually see him or just one of his staff.

[Alex Brecher 10,516]

@@Sleeved_Michelle,

I am sure it is different for every insurance plan, but it sounds like Cigna has been pretty clear about your options and you don’t seem to have many choices. If you are absolutely unable to find out anything about the surgeon you’re scheduled to meet with and have as your surgeon, it sounds like you have to just wait until the meeting and hope for the best.

At least they are offering you the option of having a different surgeon if you don’t like this one. Waiting another 30 days may seem like a long time, but it’s not so bad, and knowing that you’re not tied to the first surgeon can really make this waiting period before you meet him much easier.

I would definitely have a list of questions ready for your surgeon meeting so you can get as good of a feel as possible for this surgeon. Getting the surgeon talking can not only give you more info about surgery, but it can also help you get past any misleading first impression (or confirm a correct one), whether positive or negative.

Good luck!

[Candygyrl 637]

I purposely made a consultation with him in Feb. just to make sure he was right for me. His NP was pissed because she hadn't cleared for my surgical eval. Anyways I was very pleased with him and didn't see him again until the day of surgery 7/1

[Sleeved_Michelle 4]

@Alex

My insurance does not have requirements on what Dr. I can use. They only have the 3 months of supervised weight loss. My deductible and out of pocket expenses have been met and I can choose whomever I would like in or out of network.

True Results has their own rules as to how they run and when you get to meet the surgeon. They require you to be medically cleared and approaching your last weight loss visit before getting the EGD at which time, I will meet the surgeon.

I have my appointment next week where I am being scheduled for the EGD so I think I will wait and see what happens