Is anyone else having trouble getting the psych eval? my doctor gave me a referral and I've been calling places but no one seems to be doing pre-op psych evals. I'm not sure what to do next.

I was already under the care of a psych, so I didn't have any trouble getting an appointment to have it done. I know that post-covid it's been really hard to get in to see any specialists for several months waiting for an appt. Hang in there.

18 hours ago, thinblueline said:

Will i need to see a phycologist before i have my SX ? ?

Coop

I’m pretty sure every insurance company requires a psychological evaluation before you get approved for surgery. The purpose is to determine if you have any mental illness or conditions that will deter your progress after surgery. For example, they won’t approve anyone with bipolar disorder who has had a recent episode. Untreated alcoholism or eating disorders is also a red flag.

18 hours ago, thinblueline said:

Will i need to see a phycologist before i have my SX ? ?

Coop

Most likely. It’s an insurance requirement for most and still a surgeon requirement for some that self pay.

Suzanne i am a veteran and they VA is doing the SX and i am bipolar so it doesn't require such test they didn't require one when i had hip replacement SX.

Psychologists test us to make sure we're mentally prepared to handle bariatric surgery emotionally and mentally. That's not necessary for hip surgery. Psych evaluations are tools that our surgeons use to identify those who may need counseling to work on an issue beforehand so that their weight loss surgeries are successful. It's a good thing! We all want to be successful with our surgeries, right?

12 minutes ago, WhispersOfAngel said:

Psychologists test us to make sure we're mentally prepared to handle bariatric surgery emotionally and mentally. That's not necessary for hip surgery. Psych evaluations are tools that our surgeons use to identify those who may need counseling to work on an issue beforehand so that their weight loss surgeries are successful. It's a good thing! We all want to be successful with our surgeries, right?

Youre absolutely correct in everything you said basically you nailed it my friend.

This is my hold up at the moment for my revision. The first time around I seen one in office and now they don’t have him and told me to go and find one. I seen someone here also had a therapist, so I’m going to contact my doctor tomorrow to see if they would be okay with her helping out. Good luck everyone! We will get through this just fine!

On 3/22/2022 at 12:18 PM, bxnaija said:

Is anyone else having trouble getting the psych eval? my doctor gave me a referral and I've been calling places but no one seems to be doing pre-op psych evals. I'm not sure what to do next.

Yep, this is STILL my trouble. I have called so many places, and one place did not accept my insurance, and I'm like, that's okay, I'll pay. Nope, they don't get anything but insurance; what in the world? I am trying to not to give up yet, but goodness, you'd think someone would. I hope you have found one!

4 hours ago, RachelShepherd said:

Yep, this is STILL my trouble. I have called so many places, and one place did not accept my insurance, and I'm like, that's okay, I'll pay. Nope, they don't get anything but insurance; what in the world? I am trying to not to give up yet, but goodness, you'd think someone would. I hope you have found one!

My surgeon’s office ended up giving me a list of people they have worked with before! I used http://bariatricpsychevaluations.com/

i think I paid like $150 out of pocket.

I have a Dec. 8th appointment. They said three hours. Two of testing and one hour with the shrink. Does anyone know what that covers? It seems like a lot to get approved.

Your surgeon doesn’t have a certain one he works with?
Mine had a particular one and they scheduled it for me.
Now mine was pre all this COVId stuff so not sure if that has something to do with it.
Check w your surgeon. Maybe he/she can facilitate the process for you?

The surgeon gave me three choices that my insurance takes and I called one. That was Wednesday and I had an appointment for two weeks later that day. I need to know what they will charge me before I show up. I have Medicare and I will start calling Monday.

On 3/22/2022 at 12:11 PM, I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ said:

It sounds like they need another psychologist in the office to make things move along faster. My psych eval was a waste of time, lol. I literally walked in and we talked a little about the surgery and what brought me to bariatric surgery to begin with and when she found out that it was all due to being on steroids for 7 years due to a disease that I have, she's like... yeah you're clear for surgery.

It took 4 hours to do a nuclear stress test?? I hope your heart wasn't going bonkers for 4 hours. It was probably wondering why you decided to run the Boston Marathon. ?

That is good to know! I was on steroids for about 2 years for an autoimmune disease, so not nearly as long as you but damage was done.

I was able to find a psychologist that is licensed in my state but does them via telehealth and is a specialist in eating disorders and bariatrics. I have an appointment a few months out, but it was for when I wanted to schedule, they did have openings much earlier even within a few weeks of when I first inquired.

Is anyone else having trouble getting the psych eval? my doctor gave me a referral and I've been calling places but no one seems to be doing pre-op psych evals. I'm not sure what to do next.

I have a list of a fee that I got from Einstien before I came into Lehigh. I'll pull out my files from there and post it for anyone interested.
I hope it helps.

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Definitely check what would work for the eval. For example, I was already seeing a therapist, who assumed I needed to go through a special battery of testing/questions. The surgeon's office clarified that she just needed to write a letter addressing specific concerns, which she was able to do just based on our ongoing work.
Good luck!

Good to know. I started this all with another team and they swore I couldn't see any other therapist buy one of their own. I didn't really understand as to why when this is something that I've been working towards and waiting on my docotrs to move forward on for a very long time. I was beginning to feel as if I were a lab rat to them to see what the Refetoff Syndrome was going to do to me first so they could study it as none of them, even my endocrinologist, had never heard of it.

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