WOOOO HOOOOO........I think! lol

Hi everyone! I had my EGD follow up appointment with Dr. Wynn this morning and according to her, everything looked great!! She saw something during the test that she thought my be pre-cancerous, but after looking at it further, it turns out it was just inflamation of the stomach linming...shew, what a relief!! Anyway, that alone was good news, then on my way into work, i got the mail and there was a letter from my insurance company.......Here's what it says: "We have completed our review for the patien above (me lol). Based on the information submitted, the request for authorization of coverage for service(s)/procedure(s) in an Inpatient Hospital Procedure setting is approved. Then in bold print it says this....Please note that this is not a guarantee of payment. Please refer to the "Important Information about this Notice of Coverage Approval" provided on the reverse side of this letter. If you have any questions....yada yada yada.........NOW, this has me admitted on my original scheduled date of July 21st, but i had to reschedule until 8/25. My 2 questions are this......Does that letter mean that I am approved? And second, will this, if it is, approval still be good for my 8/25 surgery?? Either way, my Holiday weekend is starting off on a great note!!!!! Have a great day, and thanks for listening!! -Joe-

Congratulations Joe!!! Sounds like you are approved. I'm sure that the approval will transfer to the new date, but I'd call them just to make sure. Can't be too careful. Then, while you have them on the phone, ask about coinsurance, copays, and deductibles, and most of all coverage exclusions relating to gastric bypass! You can never ask too many questions....especially when it comes to the insurance companies!!!! Have a great weekend!!! Ken

Joe, What a good day for you! I'm glad they didn't find anything bad. Sure sounds like an approval letter. Now you can move and vacation without worrying about that. Have a great weekend. Kathleen

Joe, Glad the EGD went well and that the potential problem turned out to be nothing serious. I have my EGD on 6/14 and surgery on 8/2. What insurance do you have? I got a similiar letter from BC/BS PPO Personal Choice and I called the next day. Everything was fine! I think it's just all that mumbo-jumbo corporations have to go through to cover themselves. BUT definitely check out your situation. My letter has a surgery date of 7/12 but I found out from Dr. Iragu's office that was just a "dummie date" to get the process underway. Also "in the fine print" my insurance approval says it is good for 90 days after the initial surgery date -- and the insurance company said if you go beyond that 90 days for some reason you just ask for an extension. once you're approved, you're approved. I hope this makes you feel better!!! But please, check with your carrier on Tuesday to make sure. PS> I was like you, read the letter about 50 times to make sure it said "approved" and NOT "not approved" AND of course, I checked all the fine print....Just check with them on Tuesday but I am sure it will be OK.