Is the 6 month pre-op diet required by NYU even if my insurance company does not require it?

Also, do you know if they take ANTHEM BCBS insurance?

Thank you.

had my frist fill today in the office, they are all so nice, I have never had a bad or rude experiance with anyione there. As a matter if fact on my frist visit with the nutrionst when they heard i lived in Poughkeepsie, they had me see everyone i could, they gave me my surgery date before I had even seen dr. ren, they were all really great!!!!!

I only went to the office twice and once to NYU for blood etc.

and then 3/3/08 for surgery

Thats funny, because I live in Newburgh, and they could not have cared less. I am glad that someone had a good experiance with the staff though!

sorry you hada negative experiance, They are always so glad to see me. They so very nice. My next fill am going to New city, I hope I have a good experiance there as well.

My girlfriend just had the surgery on April 7 by Dr. Ren. Nice to hear good thoughts of her !!

I also had my surgery on April 7 by Dr. Ren. I can't say enough good things about her, as well as her staff. The nurses in her office are wonderful, and her surgical and insurance coordinator, Nilsa Rodriguez O'Rourke, is a lovely person -- not to mention a dedicated one. She knows exactly when and how to submit the proper documentation, and stays on top of it.

Everyone associated with my hospital stay -- from check-in, to pre-surgical weigh-in and blood pressure monitoring, to the OR staff, anesthesiologists, the post-op nursing care and, of course, Dr. Ren -- was pleasant, attentive and more than competent.

Today I had my esophagram and first post-op visit. In three weeks, I'll have my first fill. Since they only had an afternoon appointment available, and I have young children in school and need to drive home to Long Island in time to meet their buses, the person making the appointment made sure to make a notation about that. Up until that appointment, I was able to get appointments in the mornings, but they're solidly booked that week. Still, they really are very accommodating.

I thought I was the only one dealing with the rudeness over the phone because I kept calling checking for cancellations (I am waiting 4 weeks to see the nutritionist because they are so booked) but glad it wasn't just me! One girl is very nice, Tiffany I think was her name. She was great and even took a moment to answer a couple of questions for me, unlike the other one that is short, curt and huffs and sighs.

I'm very confused about why they won't let me schedule the consult in advance though. It took me 4 weeks to get into the psych, another 4 weeks until I could see the nutritionist (appt next week). Am I going to need to wait another 4 weeks for the consult and then another 4 for the actual surgery too? :thumbup:

Edited April 20, 200818 yr by BiCoastal
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You are meeting with him this coming Wednesday? Lucky you! I have also chosen Dr. Fielding as my surgeon and my surgical consult with him is 4/23. I have tried calling to see if there were any cancellations but the office staff there who answers the phone is really rude. Never in person but always over the phone.

Hi Michelle,

Good Luck tomorrow with Dr. Fielding. Hope your date is in May!!

Helen:smile:

I'm losing faith in NYU for this procedure. I went to Columbia first and didn't like their approach (felt like they were selling to me, like being at a used car lot). But while NYU started off well, I'm becoming disappointed. Every step of the way has taken me 4-6 weeks and you can't set up your appointment for the next step until you complete this one. Every time I ask them about how long I should expect they say '2 weeks' or 'not long' or 'you're a self pay so you'll be very quick' but when it comes down to it its another 4-6 weeks. I had my physical/nutritionist appointment this week and it took me over 2 1/2 hrs, 90% of which was spent sitting in the waiting room. It was ridiculous how understaffed and disorganized they were. They wouldn't even give me the paperwork to complete until I handed them my check- made me feel a little uncomfortable. My appointment was at 10 and I didn't even go back until 11:15. After all the monkeying around I finally finished up and :shock of shocks: the consult with the actual surgeon can't be scheduled for another 4 weeks, which of course I will be out of town on business. When I return they are saying oh well its summer now and everyone is going on vacation etc. Grrr. I realize that it isn't all about me and my schedule but I began this process almost 6 months ago and I still haven't even seen the surgeon to confirm they will do the procedure at all (though I've paid over $500 to get this far). I am growing very tired of all this non sense and starting to feel as though I'm just getting screwed. Is there a note in my file that says blow her off??

They give poor phone but my experiences with dr. Kurian were fine. Sat followups were very civilized at other times the office is a zoo much too small

im going to the info session next week. and i am beyond excited.

i called aetna and they told me i need to send in some forms from my doctors ( my bmi is 36 , i am 5'6 225) but i have a few aliments that have become worse because of the extra weight.

im nervous and excited but i have hear the whole process takes 6 months.

from beginning paper work to actually getting the band.

anyone here have aetna?

kURIAN WAS AND IS GREAT AND VERY UNDERSTANDING

I am also getting my surgery done at NYU. The big day is Nov. 10th. I had many choices of Protein shakes. I had a list of choices in the booklet given to me by the nutritionist. I am using designer whey protein that is 97% lactose free and I mix it with almond milk. I don't tolerate dairy well.

The only issue I am having is that the surgical coordinator is a bit ummm...idk. But she rushes me off the phone when I have questions. I don't care though. I always call back if I didnt understand something. I think she might be on speed cause she talks a thousand miles and hour and explains too much at once. So its her fault I had to call back so many times to be sure I understood everything. She had a hard time understanding that I had to have all my pre surgical testing done within 7 days of the surgery in order for insurance to cover it. She got an attitude because I asked about changing my pre surgical testing date. You would think should would be familar with insurance companies enough to know that they may have this 7 day requirement. But anyway, once I have the testing done and get my clearance, hopefully I won't have to deal with her anymore. But Dr. Kurian and the nutritonist were awesome when I met them 8 months ago.

Can someone tell me what there surgery day was like at NYU?

I am also getting my surgery done at NYU. The big day is Nov. 10th. I had many choices of Protein shakes. I had a list of choices in the booklet given to me by the nutritionist. I am using designer whey protein that is 97% lactose free and I mix it with almond milk. I don't tolerate dairy well.

The only issue I am having is that the surgical coordinator is a bit ummm...idk. But she rushes me off the phone when I have questions. I don't care though. I always call back if I didnt understand something. I think she might be on speed cause she talks a thousand miles and hour and explains too much at once. So its her fault I had to call back so many times to be sure I understood everything. She had a hard time understanding that I had to have all my pre surgical testing done within 7 days of the surgery in order for insurance to cover it. She got an attitude because I asked about changing my pre surgical testing date. You would think should would be familar with insurance companies enough to know that they may have this 7 day requirement. But anyway, once I have the testing done and get my clearance, hopefully I won't have to deal with her anymore. But Dr. Kurian and the nutritonist were awesome when I met them 8 months ago.

Hi Willow,

I was banded in June by Dr Fielding. I've heard wonderful things about Dr Kurian. I found the entire surgical team great, and the follow-up program is really good.

My only complaint was getting the approval, and dealing with the surgical assistant, who almost never returned calls. I found the best way to communicate was e-mail. When the insurance approval finally came through less than a week before surgery it was a mad dash to fit in all of the pre-surgery appointments. I would recommend you get recommendations for doctors at NYU, so the results can be sent faster.

Good luck!

Joan