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Indiana HIP through MHS



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Good morning friends.

I'm writing to you from my desk at work. I get paid to do a lot of things at work, and this is one of them. Thankful for that. Anyhow... I'm on here because I have a lot of anxiety related to approval for surgery. I just kind of started this journey beginning of June. Monday is my 2nd month appointment of 7 required months of supervised diet and weight loss management. I am doing most of the pre work at my primary provider as I cannot afford the time and money to drive over an hour away each way to Indianapolis. I called my insurance company more than once to try to get some guidance and advice on approval for this process. All anyone can tell me is that it requires 7months of doctor's visits. Nothing else. This past time I called they said check out the Indiana Medicaid website and go by that requirements. I have Indiana HIP insurance. Its similar to Medicaid (I don't make a lot of money) except I do pay for this insurance. Its low price, but I do pay. I tried going on the website. Nothing was searchable.

The program that I am looking to go through is St. Vincent out of Carmel, Indiana. They have their own preferred team of providers they want us to see, but it is not a requirement. What I am curious to know is that, based on this information, what are my chances of getting approved? The Carmel office said their approval rate is in the 90 percentile. They wouldn't give a percent for approvals based out of using primary care for pre surgery care. I'm sweating bullets. I know I am doing what I can. Best choice for my situation. I just don't want it to be for not. Ya know?

I have the blank template that the Carmel office said to use. I copied it and have it ready to submit to my primary doctor. I have also transcribed my food journal onto a Microsoft excel spreadsheet and calculated calories and ounces each day down for them. I have to be referred to a dietitian (which I plan to do this Monday at my next visit) before I can meet with one of those. I just want success. I want the knowledge that what I am doing is good enough for insurance.

I weighed in at the initial seminar at 312. Weighed in tonight at work at 309. I am doing something right. I hope.

Thanks

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Do you have a login for the HIP MHS portal? Try sending a message there to see what you can find out. Finding policies on websites is not usually an easy task, even for providers. They don't have their clinical guidelines online for providers currently so I couldn't find anything at all.

If you can't message them via the website call the number on your insurance card.

Congratulations on the weight loss so far!

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I do have portal account. I will email through it. thanks. Last time I tried emailing them about anything, they said call them. When you select the ask a nurse section, it makes you choose a topic. bariatric is not a topic. only eating disorders is. so I felt at a loss about it. will try again.

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Try both a nurse and maybe a general or prior authorization option. Don't give up! Keep trying until you get what you need.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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