can you tell me HOW to get covered by msp?

 thanks for your very informative replies, is Dr. Nguyen really a butcher? or were you by any slim chance talking about somebody else? also, that west coat bariatric url you gave me didn't work :(

Try www.westcoastbariatricsurgery.com they're the ones in richmond that are doing it now.  I will be seeing Dr. Sampath and was told was by the receptionist that my first appt. would be in April.

 yes yes, my dr refferred me to them and my appt is at the beginning of May, it didn't ask for any tests, i'm wondering if i should get the ball rolling and get tests done anyway

Hi Elaine,
Your best bet is to go to see Dr Sampath or Dr Nguyen in Richmond. They just began doing Bariatirc surgery this month. They have been trying to get approval to perform the surgery for weightloss for a few years and just got that approval before the new year. Dr Sampath trained with Dr Amson in Victoria. I just saw Dr Nguyen on Tues the 18th and I thought the visit went great. I liked him he his really nice and makes you feel welcome. I am looking at roughly 6 months until surgery. The longest part is the nutrition program that you are required to complete. It is about 7 weeks but it takes about a month to get an appointment at Garret Wellness Center. I was told to expect a call from them in about 3 weeks and then my appointment would probably be in March. I am hoping that since I live so far away in Northern BC that they will work with my local Dietician but when I spoke to Dr Nguyen about this he said they prefer to have you attend the first session in Richmond and then it is up to them whether they will work with the local dietician.  If you choose to go to Alberta then you have to complete a requred program there and I think it is about 2 years to wait for surgery but it is a long waitlist for the preparation program, (I b-lieve, I am not sure about it though).  The phone number for Dr Nguyen/Dr Sampath is 604-276-0953. I would pass this infor to your family Dr when you ask for a referral just in case they have not heard of the new West Coast Bariatric Clinic yet. That is what I did and that way I was sure they would get the right Dr Nguyen. Get that referral first and the surgeon will then request all necessary tests and info that they require once they have had an initial consult with you. I would get on it though because the longer you wait the faster the list will fill up and it could cause delays for you.
Cheers
Heather

yes yes, my dr refferred me to them and my appt is at the beginning of May, it didn't ask for any tests, i'm wondering if i should get the ball rolling and get tests done anyway


I just saw this post after I replied lol. Sorry about that since you already have an appointment date, you could wait to see what tests they want you to do, or you could start by asking your Dr to refer you for an abdominal ultrasound, gastro scope, chest x-ray, bloodwork ( basic panel), and overnight sleep test to see if you have sleep apnea. That is all I can think of right now. Sometimes it takes a  while to get in for ultrasounds and scopes so if you can get them booked now it could save a few months waiting.
Cheers

 Hi Heather! thanks for all the info, i just got my appt for my first consult with dr nguyen TODAY, so i'll be seeing him at the begginning of May, which is a long way away :( also if i come into money i'm headed down to mexico to get a mini gastric bypass lol but i can't imagine where the money will be coming from right now

Thats great Elaine! At least doing it in Richmond and the pre-op diet and dietary classes it will be no time before you're done. As for a mini-gastric bypass......why would you even bother? eli

Hi. I am in nanaimo BC. I want Lapland surgery. Does anyone know how I could get covered on msp. Any help or ideas?

Unfortunately, Lapband surgery is not covered by MSP. The only surgeries that are covered are the Sleeve and the gastric bypass.

This info was copied and pasted from another question about Dr. Ngyuen Elaine for info on pre-op just in case you didn't see it. Hope this clears things up more for you.

I am seeing his partner Dr Ngyuen, so I imagine that they have similar requirements...  the tests I had to complete are: appt. with internist, approval from psychiatrist, sleep a/p, scope, and the dietician program, which is a 7 week course that they go over basic nutrition and I think they go into before/after diet.