ok soooo,... i have been going to my doctor for the past 6 months(a requirement) did all the other dr. appts. etc. when it came to getting my notes and my clearance letter......he did it wrong... first the notes didnt specify any advisories for me such as "advised patient to do treadmill 30 min a day" and so on...... he was supposed to do that at the end of all my notes for the 6 months.... THEN!!!... the clearance letter he did wrong also!!!! i gave him a sample letter that blue cross/blue sheild requires... BUT NO he did it his way... sooooo back to the dr. to tell him he needs to fill in the notes and to please follow guidelines for the letter..... the son of a bitch tells the receptionist to call me to tell me HE WILL NOT HAVE THE TYPIST DO THE LETTER OVER...... it is what it is!!!!! and heres the kicker.....she tells me that i can get the work done for a large fee... FEE?????? omg i almost fell on the floor!!!!! thats blackmail!!!

now i am crying and depressed and dont know what to do.....i have worked my ass off for this dream and he shattered it.... any suggestions on what to do... im going crazy!!!!!!!! some people say pay the fee... some people saystart over (easy for skinny people to say that lol) i say slap a sexual harrassment suit and blackmail him...lol only kidding people although it does sound good..... i really need advice....i feel down......i have 4 kids... i need to be here for them....... ya know what hurts the most???? he is my doctor who i trusted for a long time... HE told me its important i did something before i got diabetes or even a heart disease....now it seems he dont give a damn whether i get it... hes not going to give in sooo basically he holds my life in his hands....chiqui

How much is the fee?

I paid for my pre op evaluation, and my doc charges for sick notes also.

It sounds like you are committed to getting the band do not let some anger and a few dollars stand in the way of achieving your goal.

Best of luck

Hang in there Chiqui...I self paid and got the band done but also had insurance so I went through all of their channels, even got their prior authorization only to have them deny the claim when I sent it in. I had a hell of time and just this week finally got the word that they are going to reimburse me. After everything I had to go through with them I can understand a nominal fee for additional work your doctor might have to do. I spent literally hours on the phone and wrote them several letters before they finally approved my claim. Maybe you could call your insurance company and find out if it is possible to do the correspondence yourself, as I did since my Dr. didn't deal with insurance or maybe you could offer to type the letter as your insurance company needs it and see if the doctor will just approve it. Good Luck, and don't give up the band is worth it.

thank u for replying... i am sooo very upset....i really hope i can get this surgery... its my dream.......:notagree:faint:

Hi Chiqui,

Thankfully, my PCP is also a good friend, so I haven't had that kind of experience. However, as an experienced a**kicker, I do have a couple of suggestions for you. First, speak with your surgeon and see if he/she will contact your PCP to request the revised letter. Some doctors respond better to their peers than to their patients.

Second, write a letter to the local medical society and another to your insurance carrier explaining the facts in detail. Stress that you provided your PCP with the information he was supposed to include and that he refused to do so.

Third, find a new doctor. Yours obviously does not have your best interests at heart. (You should do this even if he relents and writes a new letter.) Your new doctor will be able to request your medical records and may be willing to write the letter based on what's in them. In New York State, your medical records are your property. A doctor can charge a reasonable amount for copying, but most will provide copies to other physicians as a professional courtesy.

If all else fails, as another New Yorker, contact "Ask Asa" at the Daily News. He's amazingly effective at getting help for people. And if he can't, he lets everyone else know not to be victimized in the future.

Best of luck. I hope you'll be very successful.

Hi Chiqui,

Thankfully, my PCP is also a good friend, so I haven't had that kind of experience. However, as an experienced a**kicker, I do have a couple of suggestions for you. First, speak with your surgeon and see if he/she will contact your PCP to request the revised letter. Some doctors respond better to their peers than to their patients.

Second, write a letter to the local medical society and another to your insurance carrier explaining the facts in detail. Stress that you provided your PCP with the information he was supposed to include and that he refused to do so.

Third, find a new doctor. Yours obviously does not have your best interests at heart. (You should do this even if he relents and writes a new letter.) Your new doctor will be able to request your medical records and may be willing to write the letter based on what's in them. In New York State, your medical records are your property. A doctor can charge a reasonable amount for copying, but most will provide copies to other physicians as a professional courtesy.

If all else fails, as another New Yorker, contact "Ask Asa" at the Daily News. He's amazingly effective at getting help for people. And if he can't, he lets everyone else know not to be victimized in the future.

Best of luck. I hope you'll be very successful.

bill... thank u for that info......so u went to dr. ren????? how is she??? i met her at the lapband conference.... i really liked her alot.. i was going to go through her or her hubby dr, feilding... but its sooo far to get to......anyway have a great night and i wish u much luck .. hope u reaccch your goals.... by the way where do u reside???? im in bklyn

Hi,

Dr. Ren is great so far! I liked Dr. Fielding, too. I was able to get in with Ren a lot faster.

I live in Rego Park, Queens & work in midtown Manhattan. NYU's not the easiest place in Manhattan to reach, but I think they're well worth the extra effort. My attitude toward medical care is that you should go for the best you can find, even if it's a bit more expensive or a bit less convenient.

Let me know how things work out for you. I hope you'll be able to get past the qualification hurdles very soon!

Bill

I think that charging a fee for services not reimbursed by insurance (such as writing letters and completing forms) is a coming trend in medicine. Four years ago my pcp came out with a fee schedule for all extra services or you could opt for the comprehensive plan and pay $250 each year to cover them all.

However, my doc's patients were advised of her policy in writing in advance, while in your situation, the fee seems like a punitive afterthought. A reasonable fee would be $30 - $40 for the letter you need. A bigger fee than that is outrageous, but if it gets your band covered by insurance, you'll still be way ahead.

Hi Chiqui,

Thankfully, my PCP is also a good friend, so I haven't had that kind of experience. However, as an experienced a**kicker, I do have a couple of suggestions for you. First, speak with your surgeon and see if he/she will contact your PCP to request the revised letter. Some doctors respond better to their peers than to their patients.

Second, write a letter to the local medical society and another to your insurance carrier explaining the facts in detail. Stress that you provided your PCP with the information he was supposed to include and that he refused to do so.

Third, find a new doctor. Yours obviously does not have your best interests at heart. (You should do this even if he relents and writes a new letter.) Your new doctor will be able to request your medical records and may be willing to write the letter based on what's in them. In New York State, your medical records are your property. A doctor can charge a reasonable amount for copying, but most will provide copies to other physicians as a professional courtesy.

If all else fails, as another New Yorker, contact "Ask Asa" at the Daily News. He's amazingly effective at getting help for people. And if he can't, he lets everyone else know not to be victimized in the future.

Best of luck. I hope you'll be very successful.

I agree with Bill 100%

I've had some problems with my PCP, they are not completely cooperative. I have an appointment for 9/27 to have them do my clearance letter. After I have that letter, I am going to request a copy of my complete file and I am changing doctors. And I'm going to report them to the medical board and to the insurance company.