Hello everyone!

I went to NYU for my consult with Dr. Kurian on Monday. I love her. She is so pleasant and easy to talk to. I got to their office at 9 for my appointment. I saw the nutritionist, christina about 5 minutes after I arrived. Most of what she said I had already known except that we are allowed to eat certain veggies. that was a pleasant surprise because the idea of only ingesting liquids for 2 weeks was a little daunting. After that I had to wait 2 hours and 45 minutes to see the nurse (another christina)and then 15 minutes to see Dr. Kurian after that. Everyone was really pleasant and I couldn't believe my luck - everything seemed to be going too smoothly. then I met the insurance coordinator. all i have to say is thank God i did my research on my insurance's policy re bariatric surgery. (my insurance -empire bcbs - states i would need to have a bmi of 40 or bmi of 35 or greater with co-morbid conditions. there was no specification as to how many conditions. it also stated that i would have to have actively participated in nonsurgical means of weight loss - you know - ww, jc, atkins, etc. this along with the other general prereqs (psych, nutrition).

As a side note, when i read about how difficult it was to get approval from bcbs of il i compared their policy to my policy and after i did i was confident i would be approved.

back to the insurance coordinator. she initially started out telling me that i would need to do the 6 mth diet. then she went on to tell me that because my bmi was below 38 i would need 2 comorbids. thankfully, i had a copy of my insurance's policy with me which did not specify a timeline for the diet or that i needed 2 comorbids. she called empire bcbs and was told that all i would need is 1 comorbid and i would be able to do the surgery on an outpatient basis...YEAH NO OVERNIGHT STAY.....So she told me i was precertified for the surgery. I asked her if that meant i was approved. she again stated precertified - not approved - because it was an outpatient procedure. Huh????!!! Anyway, she asked me when I want to have surgery and i told her ASAP. Surgery is scheduled for 7/15:biggrin2: I will be having my pre-op assessment today and my esophogram on 7/7. I started my preop diet yesterday and it sucks. I had spinach last night for dinner and let me tell you it has never tasted so good.

Can someone please explain to me the difference between the terms precertified and approved? Although everything seems to look great this has me hesitant to get excited.

I think that "precertified" is a way of saying that they believe you've met the terms that would satisfy the insurance company's requirements. Now the insurance company has to approve you.

I was banded at NYU by Dr. Fielding in early March - in the March Bandsters Master Thread, I posted a lot at the beginning, trying to describe exactly what happened as I went through the process. It'd probably be interesting for you to read the thread from 3/5 to 3/20 or so to get an idea of what it's like to go through the NYU sausage factory!

I think you made a good decision - NYU is fantastic, with a team that has more experience than any other in the country, I believe, which is absolutely what you want. However, the word is out, so you have experiences like waiting 3 hours to see your doctor. Even so, a few extra hours of waiting is worth it to know that you're getting the best...

Thanks for your response Fenton. I will definitely check out your past posts. Personally i didnt mind the wait too much but i was a little pressed for time because my husband had to go to work. fortunately he got to meet dr. kurian and we were able to speak to her together for a few minutes. I have no qualms about nyu whatsoever. i have only heard positive things about the group and very happy with my decision to have it done there.

Both my husband and I were banded by Dr. Fielding at NYU. My husband has Empire BCBS. He was approved in 1 day by Empire. He didn't need a 6 mth wait period but his BMI was over 40 and he had 2 comorbidities. I have Aetna and my BMI was over 40 BUT I didn't have 2 comorbidities. My insurance required a ton of documentation with a 5 yr weight history. Empire was soooo much easier to get approved. The insurance coordinator at NYU is relatively new. The prior one Joanna knew all the insurance plans in her sleep. So it was good that you brought your policy in. The more info you provide, the better for you. Good luck with your process, I know they will try to help as much as possible. By the way, I never waited more than an 1 hr for anyone. There must have been a problem that day.

Ohhh, she is new. That explains a lot. Well i am going to be optimistic and patiently wait for my approval to come through. There was a full house on Monday but something tells me everyday is a full house with them. Well only one more step before surgery - the esophogram. i can't wait to have all this out of the way.

Thanks for your response Fenton. I will definitely check out your past posts. Personally i didnt mind the wait too much but i was a little pressed for time because my husband had to go to work. fortunately he got to meet dr. kurian and we were able to speak to her together for a few minutes. I have no qualms about nyu whatsoever. i have only heard positive things about the group and very happy with my decision to have it done there.

I have to say I LOVE Dr. Kurian!!! She is the BEST!! The staff on the other hand.... :smile: at least that's been my experience there. I'm thrilled that you had such a great experience and are going in so quickly. Congrats!!!

Edited July 10, 200818 yr by Eeyore

quick question:

i have my surgical consult with dr. kurian on monday. i've already had my nutritionist appt and physical (by the folks at nyu) -- how long should i plan on being in with her?

my appt is at 9:50, so im hoping i'll be able to avoid some of the long wait times.

I had an appt Tues with Dr Fielding.........my last 2 appts have been with Anne. I had a 3:40 appt and got there at 3.......the office was packed and I had no choice but to wait in the hall with a couple of other patients.

We finally got seats inside abt 3:45. Waiting.waiting......waiting....finally at 4:30 they make an announcement that if u r waiting for Dr Fielding he is running late. Ok....no problem....I'll wait !!! the waiting room is like a therapy session and when you get the right talkative group time flies and the wait is almost enjoyable. Finally at about 5:05 when everyone around me has gotten called even those that came in after me, I asked the receptionist when was the Dr going to see me. She checks and tells me I never signed in. Now I know I have been banded but it has not effected my memory lol. I signed in at 3 put down I had a 3:40 appt to see Dr Fielding and she keeps telling me I never signed in. They cross out the sheets with thick black marker so was I really going to pursue this??????

Just get the Dr to see me and get me out of here !!!!!

I love my band and I loved the Dr Fielding that gave you some of his time and seemed interested in your progress. Now after my wait Gaspar comes in and decides to give me a small fill. Dr Fielding pokes his head in and says I look great and leaves. I ask Gaspar if I have to wait to see Fielding...........he says "you just did". After a 2 1/2 hour wait that was it. Over and done.

I know I picked the best surgeon to do this and I have no regrets but the popularity of NYU has caused some former patients .......like me.....to miss

the slight intimacy and attention that we once felt.

I apologize for venting but I too had Joanna as an insurance coordinator and had no problems. There are new people and things have just changed !!!

Good luck on all your journeys...........we can all be success stories!!

I have to say I LOVE Dr. Kurian!!! She is the BEST!! The staff on the other hand.... at least that's been my experience there. I'm thrilled that you had such a great experience and are going in so quickly. Congrats!!!

I somewhat understand what you're seeing Eeyore (cute screenname btw). In my experience since this visit they have been somewhat schizophrenic. You know how it is when they need info from you they are super sweet but when you call for info their impatient and kind of rude. I just let it roll over my shoulder.

quick question:

i have my surgical consult with dr. kurian on monday. i've already had my nutritionist appt and physical (by the folks at nyu) -- how long should i plan on being in with her?

my appt is at 9:50, so im hoping i'll be able to avoid some of the long wait times.

My consult lasted maybe 20 minutes. She was there on her day off only to see a couple of us so she had alot of time that day to spend with me but I'm guessing that is not the norm. I would say depends on how behind schedule they are running. I had an appointment at 10:15, I sat in the waiting room until 11:15 and then in the patient room for another 10min. Keep in mind though that you are there to find out about a major surgery and life changing event that you are considering - take your time and make sure you ask everything you want to (make a list even!). This is about you and I hate to sound like that commercial but you're worth it!!!

Best of luck!:cool:

I somewhat understand what you're seeing Eeyore (cute screenname btw). In my experience since this visit they have been somewhat schizophrenic. You know how it is when they need info from you they are super sweet but when you call for info their impatient and kind of rude. I just let it roll over my shoulder.

I love how you use the 'schizophrenic' - its so true - you never really know what you are going to get there when you're there. :cool:

Hi guys :cool:

Im am being banded by Dr. Kurian as well. I really like her but the staff is no where near as polished. The insurance coordinator ( Nilsa ) is nice but doesnt seem to know what she is talking about half the time. I almost changed my mind on being banded becouse she was so spastic and confused. She told me i needed a 6 month diet plan with my doctor but then submitte my paper work and I was approved without it ( I have a 40+ BMI and 2 comorbidities)

I would call her with questions and she always seemed fluster and "too busy to talk" I definitly blame NYU's popularity on the lack of professionalism from the staff