NOOB ???? for DR BAKER PATIENTS

I plan on attending the seminar/class, as well as doing the diet conference call that Dr. Baker requires next week.  If I understand his website correctly, I can have my first appointment after that.  My questions are: 1.  How long does it take to get an appointment with Dr. Baker?  Is he booked weeks or months in advance?  (I need to know what sort of appointment date to request on the patient hub.) 2.  From the first appointment, how far out are surgery dates usually set?  Will my surgery be weeks or months from when I see him initially?  (assuming I can get approved for my insurance) 3.  If I am close to 40 BMI, will I still have to do the 2 week liquid diet?  I worry that this may push me under 40 BMI right before surgery & get me disqualified. 4.  Does anyone know for sure that he does DS?  (I think I would rather do that instead of RNY.) 5.  Are they pretty on top (quick about) the insurance stuff?   Any info would be appreciated.   Thanks

I submitted my patient hub on Jun 11.  His office faxed my letter of medical nec on June 13th.  My insurance company faxed them an approval back on June 15th.Once Dr. Baker's office received my approval letter from my insurance company, Christy called to let me know how much my portion would be, set up my appt with Dr Baker and set up my surgery date.  She called me on June 18th.  My appt with Dr. Baker is July 12th.  My surgery date is July 25th.I didn't put any appt information in patient hub.  They'll call you once your insurance approves it.I'm having Lap Band so I can't answer the question about DS.  Sorry.Good luck with everything!Amy

Thanks for the info.   I made several corrections to my patient hub (originally I thought I was going to have to go to Dallas to get BCBS to pay for it, but recently Dr Baker was added as a "Distinction Center" so now they will pay for it here.  (So when I originally filled out the hub, I didn't really completely fill it out or make certain all info was correct because I really didn't think I'd get it done there.) I emailed them today to make sure that they know about all the corrections I have made and didn't submit anything to my insurance before all corrections/updates were made. Hoping, hoping, hoping......Wendy

1.  How long does it take to get an appointment with Dr. Baker?  Is he booked weeks or months in advance?  (I need to know what sort of appointment date to request on the patient hub.) Dr Baker's office is pretty busy, due mostly to the fact that him and Dr. Gibbs are the only surgeons in Arkansas who can take Medicare/Medicaid patients.  They called me on June 14th and gave me my appt to meet Dr Baker on July 5th. 2.  From the first appointment, how far out are surgery dates usually set?  Will my surgery be weeks or months from when I see him initially?  (assuming I can get approved for my insurance) I see him July 5th and will have surgery July 23rd.  I think everyone has to be on a 2 week pre-op diet so I assume that from when you see him it will be atleast 2 weeks before you have surgery. 3.  If I am close to 40 BMI, will I still have to do the 2 week liquid diet?  I worry that this may push me under 40 BMI right before surgery & get me disqualified. 
Just talk to Dr Baker os his staff about this, I wouldn't think that if you dropped right below 40 bmi on his pre-op diet that it would affect you having surgery.  4.  Does anyone know for sure that he does DS?  (I think I would rather do that instead of RNY.) I don't know. 5.  Are they pretty on top (quick about) the insurance stuff?  I had medicare so I don't know.

Thanks for the info.  I am so paranoid about this insurance stuff getting done right (considering my insurance just now accepted them as a provider that they would pay for so DR Bakers office will not be used to dealing w/ my particular insurance) that I can hardly stand it.  I hope it is smooth sailing, but it probably won't be.  It is an insurance company after all.