Lap band At Fort Carson

My sister wants lap band and she has tri care through the military so would have to have it done at Fort Carson. Can anybody tell me the names of the surgeons at Fort Carson who do the surgery, and also how much hassle is it to get approved thru tri care. How much will she have to pay up front? She has no computer so I am trying to do some of her leg work. Thank you for any hep you can give. Janet W

Hi Janet, You truely are an angel to your sister! She must start with her PCP, get a referral to the surgical clinic who will decide if she is eligible. She will need to go through a class through the nutirional services (at the Evans hospital) The dietician is awesome, and still available to me 2+ years after my surgery. She will have pre-op testing within a week of surgery (EKG, Blood work, US on the gall bladder to see if it needs to come out "while they are in there") Tricare really is not the challange other people on the outside have in getting approved. If the surgical clinic is a go, your a go...The surgeon, the surgical clinic, and Evans hospital take care of all the paperwork details. I never even saw a bill of any kind. Also, there is no cost out of your own pocket. I doubt that things have cahnged in the 2 ys since my surgery. I also suggest she begin going to the support group- held once per month to get much needed information...plus I was required to go like 3 months before I got my surgery. She 'll need to have a psychological clearance as well. This is not currently being done ON Ft carson, se'll need a referral to the outside to get it done. There are hoops to jump through, but in comparison to non-military it's not bad. Denise