Banded 4/8. Self pay. Paid $400 up front fee, then $12.5K for rest which includes 2 yrs. fills. Was reassured this was total cost by several staff of Dr. office. Yesterday, rec. bill for $4,000. for surgical services due..in 7 days. Sure, I have bags of $ sitting around. WTF?:w00t::huh2:... Am boiling inside. Will be calling office first thing tomorrow am....and asking is this some kind of a joke... if so, not really very funny. Has this happened to anyone else? I have previously given my Dr. and his staff high praise.

Wow Carol that would get me going as well. Good luck with your call to the docs. Hopefully it's not for something they forgot to tell you about UGH. Good luck!

Since you self paid, What if there was a complication during the surgery? Do you know if your insurance would have paid for that? Or what about Band replacement done the road?? I am considering self pay and after hearing about your situation I will ask lots of questions!! I have BCBS and self pay scares me. What can you tell me?

I'm hoping it is just a billing error, someone punching wrong set of keystrokes, etc. I'm trying not to dwell on this...but it's really difficult. This could get very STINKY. My surgeon is a well respected and experienced doc. I also have well respected and experienced SIL AND BIL that are attorneys.

absolutely no complications during surgery. Anything down the road dr. will cover so they say....but if hospitalization is required will need to pay for that hospital........

I am wondering if that bill is from the surgery center or hospital and the anesthesiologist. They very often bill separately. Just a thought.

Mary in Las Vegas

At my doctors office if your self pay you take any bills you might recieve and give them to the doctor and they pay the bill out of the money you already paid.

Hi.. its quite a shock when the other bills start arriving. I was told an amount for the procedure (which covered all appointments, the surgeon and fills, etc). I naively though that was it. Then I started getting bills from radiologist, and the anesthesiologist, and the pharmacy, and the pathologist..... all up I think I had to pay about $2500 in addition to what I had expected. Still, I figure it was all worth it.

Wow,

I am also considering self pay for the procedure. However, I am just initiating the process and know that there are several steps to be completed prior to the surgery itself. I have a BMI of 39 and suffer from sleep apnea. I was told that I am a good candidate for the surgery. What exactly are the procedures that leads the way to the surgery?

I asked the ? is $12.5K the total fee...after the initial $400? I was told that's it....the total package.....doctor's, hospital, anesthesiologist, everything....there would be no other charges....and I had to pay my entire fee 3 weeks before my surgery date....which was paid the exact date it was due. There was no mention of any additional charges after the surgery. The more I think about this the angrier it makes me. Frankly, it's bugging the he** out of me. It sucks that my insurance does not cover weight loss surgery.....it'll pay $70k+ for heart bypass surgery....I know from first hand experience.....so then I was self pay.....let's go with someone who has a lot of experience and is well thought of...and that particular doctor was offering a package deal. Really anxious for Mon. am to get here so I can make my phone call.

Update called Dr. office first thing 4/28. Said my balance was zero. Asked why I got a bill....no explanation. Will take bill w/me on appt. for first fill May 7th and tell them it caused me to lose sleep for 2 nights.

I'm just glad I don't owe $4K for something I knew nothing about.

Carol,

Glad that you cleared this up with your doctor's office. I certainly do not blame you for letting them know the effect that their error has brought up on you. Another reason for taking this bill to your next doctor's appointment is for a verbal confirmation that you owe a $0 balance. A written apology letter and/or confirmation from the doctor's office that you have paid your doctor's bill in full wouldn't heart either, as it will be good for your records as well.

Any responses to my previous inquiry -- any and all will be most helpful.

Carol, you woudn't happen to be in NC would you. The doctor I went to said the cost would be 24,000 and include only 1 yr of fills. This is in Raleigh, N.C.

I'm in Athens, Ohio....my Dr. is in Cincinnati.....3 hours away.