Anybody have Dr. Valin?
Hi Goldfish,
Thanks for taking the time to reply. You are almost at your one month mark huh? I hope all is going well for you. It's funny, some people have said they attended a seminar with Dr. Valin prior to seeing the nutritionist and psy consult (that guy was a big reason I didn't go back) I can relate to the "if we don't approve, we have the power to not allow the RNY. "
I know some people have had a great experience with Dr. Valin and his office and I am pleased for them. He just wasn't the surgeon I wanted performing my RNY. I have chosen Dr. Raftopoulos at St. Francis and look forward working with him.
Congratulations on your upcoming adventure as your life continues to change for the good.
Mimi
Thanks for taking the time to reply. You are almost at your one month mark huh? I hope all is going well for you. It's funny, some people have said they attended a seminar with Dr. Valin prior to seeing the nutritionist and psy consult (that guy was a big reason I didn't go back) I can relate to the "if we don't approve, we have the power to not allow the RNY. "
I know some people have had a great experience with Dr. Valin and his office and I am pleased for them. He just wasn't the surgeon I wanted performing my RNY. I have chosen Dr. Raftopoulos at St. Francis and look forward working with him.
Congratulations on your upcoming adventure as your life continues to change for the good.
Mimi
Hi....interesting you should ask...
i just recently left that group (Dr Valin's) because they were not at all helpful, rushed me through each visit, and the office staff and the Dr's wife who is the head nurse, was rude and made me feel like i was a bother whenever i called them especially about the insurance approval process! i felt like i was in this journey all alone especially when it came time for them to submit to my ins co for approval. After i was denied the first time(most ins Co's deny the first submit) they "said" they called and had a "peer to peer" with the medical director at the ins co and "were not going to it again!" and told me to contact this LAWYER!! so i ended up appealing to the ins co (i wrote a 3 page letter of appeal) MYSELF and FINALLY got the INSURANCE CO to approve me for the RNY but they only approved me for the procedure and not the 2 nite stay! When i called Dr Valin's office, and asked them to please call my ins co and explain that this is not an outpatient procedure, they refused and told me "they already called them twice" and would not call them again and for me to "call the lawyer"!( between you and me...they must have some agreement going on with this "lawyer").
Anyhow,everyone at that office (not including Dr Valin because i never ever even met him in the 6 months i was going to them-which i thought was weird) was rude and not helpful. I finally decided AFTER that last phone call to the office that this was not the place for me!! i want a DOCTOR (who i would like to have met long before the week before surgery) AND THE STAFF to be caring and helpful and i just didn't get that with them at all.
I HAVE SINCE LEFT THIS GROUP (thank God..i feel so much better now about this whole procedure you can't imagine) AND I ABSOLUTLY LOVE THEM!! I GOT APPROVED FOR THE 2 NITES (imagine that) AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE ONE PHONE CALL TO THE INS CO MYSELF BECAUSE THIS OFFICE STAFF IS THERE TO HELP AND COMFORT YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY LIKE THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE! AND THE BEST PART IS THAT I HAVE ALREADY BEEN SCHEDULED FOR SURGERY! oh, and i met the doctor on my first vist to them...imagine that too!
So, unless you plan on doing the insurance approval process yourself...and like feeling rushed and all alone in this whole process, I wouldn't recommend this group. SORRY........
i just recently left that group (Dr Valin's) because they were not at all helpful, rushed me through each visit, and the office staff and the Dr's wife who is the head nurse, was rude and made me feel like i was a bother whenever i called them especially about the insurance approval process! i felt like i was in this journey all alone especially when it came time for them to submit to my ins co for approval. After i was denied the first time(most ins Co's deny the first submit) they "said" they called and had a "peer to peer" with the medical director at the ins co and "were not going to it again!" and told me to contact this LAWYER!! so i ended up appealing to the ins co (i wrote a 3 page letter of appeal) MYSELF and FINALLY got the INSURANCE CO to approve me for the RNY but they only approved me for the procedure and not the 2 nite stay! When i called Dr Valin's office, and asked them to please call my ins co and explain that this is not an outpatient procedure, they refused and told me "they already called them twice" and would not call them again and for me to "call the lawyer"!( between you and me...they must have some agreement going on with this "lawyer").
Anyhow,everyone at that office (not including Dr Valin because i never ever even met him in the 6 months i was going to them-which i thought was weird) was rude and not helpful. I finally decided AFTER that last phone call to the office that this was not the place for me!! i want a DOCTOR (who i would like to have met long before the week before surgery) AND THE STAFF to be caring and helpful and i just didn't get that with them at all.
I HAVE SINCE LEFT THIS GROUP (thank God..i feel so much better now about this whole procedure you can't imagine) AND I ABSOLUTLY LOVE THEM!! I GOT APPROVED FOR THE 2 NITES (imagine that) AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE ONE PHONE CALL TO THE INS CO MYSELF BECAUSE THIS OFFICE STAFF IS THERE TO HELP AND COMFORT YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY LIKE THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE! AND THE BEST PART IS THAT I HAVE ALREADY BEEN SCHEDULED FOR SURGERY! oh, and i met the doctor on my first vist to them...imagine that too!
So, unless you plan on doing the insurance approval process yourself...and like feeling rushed and all alone in this whole process, I wouldn't recommend this group. SORRY........
Couldn't agree with you more on all the areas you mentioned in regards to Dr. Valin. I had some of the same experiences. Recently, I made 3 calls to the office to have my records faxed to my new surgeon and it has yet to happen...
Like yourself, I am thrilled I switched before it was to late.
Glad things worked out for you!
Like yourself, I am thrilled I switched before it was to late.
Glad things worked out for you!
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