Dr Baker stopped taking medicare

My surgery has been canceled. I have been informed that Dr. Baker has stopped taking medicare pts. because medicare has not been paying the bills. His office has asked everyone to call medicare and congress etc. All of us, on medicare or not need to get on the phone and internet and change this. If medicare stops paying insurance companies will follow suit.  many of you are better in the net than I am, so please help get the word all over the U.S.  If this is happening in Ar. it will happen everywhere! Those of us who are already sick due to obesity will have no help at all.

 

 I wonder if it Medicate not paying or Dr. office filing it with the correct codes. I am so sorry to hear you are having to go thru this. Hope everything works out for you.  Keep us updated.  God Bless, Tammie

thanks tammy

can you finance it?  carecredit.com just a thought. sorry for the crappy news. tammy

Are you serious?  Why has no one contacted me?  I am already on my 2nd week of pre-op shakes and have 3 weeks left for surgery and am pre-admitting on aug 3rd.  No on has called or mailed me about this.  This can't be happening to me again, I have been on a 3 year wait for surgery, I have already had surgery postponed twice, first in Sept 2005 because of my breathing while I was at the hosp preparing for surgery (Dr Wellborn) and then again when Medicare made those changed in Feb 2006 and now again!!!!!!!  I am to mad now and just crying.  I am calling Dr Baker first thing in the morning.  If they are not going to do my surgery then I am just going to give up this time and accept the fact that I am going to die fat.

Maybe he will let you go ahead. I haven't started the shakes yet, he wouldn't let me have them. I just saw him on the 19th and when I called to find out what was going on cristy told me this news. They told me earlier that I had a aug1 date and then this stuff. I hope they let you go ahead. I have spent the last year at this and I just don't know what to do.

Good Luck guys. I know several people onth eboard are going to be affected by this decision. Can you check and see if another physician is having th same problem since it might be a coding error or you may be able to transfer services. I knwo the main message board has different resources of information myabe you can check there Best Wishes Kathy

i called dr. bakers office today and they told me that he is still taking medicare but is putting the surgeries off until medicare pays for the ones he has already completed. all the way back to last december. this also sucks for me as i actually had an appointment today with my pcp to get the referral that i needed and all the other paperwork. i went ahead and cancelled that until i can find out more. good luck to everyone. it sounds like were gonna need it...

please keep in touch and everyone call medicare. If any of you find out another place we can go for help please post it.

I have decided not to give up (thanks susandoeshair for your encouraging words) and tomorrow morning I am going to call Dr Baker and find out the 411 of all this and IF my surgery ends up being cancelled or postponed for a long time, then I may call Dr. Gibbs (in LR) who is able to take Medicare/Medicaid patients as well, and explain to them my situation as far as having completed all the pre-op and even being on the shakes already and having a pre-admit appt on Aug 3rd, and maybe he will just take me where I am at on my journey and I won't have to start all over again. If I have to start all over again, then I am more than likely going to go to the Pacific Bariatric Group in San Diego, CA and have them perform my surgery.  I have lots of family in San Diego and my father, aunts and grandparents really want me to come out there and have my surgery (I talked to my Dad tonight) I was told by my Dad that I would not have to worry about any expenses, traveling and place to stay and anything I may need.  Plus I can easily go back out there for all my post op appts (amtrak).  I haven't made a full decision yet, first things first, call Dr Baker, and then do some praying and decide what to do.