Does your doctor charge you for your support group?

Hi All,  I am new to the forum and am awaiting insurance approval for WLS.  My question is: Does your doctor charge you for his support group?  If he does, what is included in the price?  My doctor is asking for $2500 to cover once monthly support group meetings for life and follow up visits.  He said most insurance companies will only pay for follow up visits for a set amount of time.  (I checked with my insurance company, they said they pay for all follow up visits.)  I asked his staff for a brochure or a copy of the contract provided when I pay this money and they said that there wasn't one.  If necessary, I will just pay the fee to insure my doctor will agree to the surgery.  I just want to be a good steward of my husband's hard earned paycheck.  Is this fee normal?  Any thoughts are much appreciated.   Also, I have been reading postings on this site for a while now.  I feel so much more informed about what to expect.  THANK YOU ALL! 

I have never heard of paying for support groups....but I am new here also.......but i use Dr. Titus Duncan and I have not  pay for any support group yet or have been informed that I would have to in the furture. Hope this helps

Hi, I am also new and after reading your post I am wondering if others on this site have used Dr. Daly.  I have an appointment to meet with him about surgery coming up but I definitely don't want to pay to attend his support group.  I think my reply to him would be that I will wait to see how many follow up visits my insurance pays for and if/when they stop paying for visits then we can discuss me paying out of pocket

I like your reply to Dr. Daly!  I'd be curious to hear what he says!   In fairness, he seems capable, confident and experienced.  I just am not sure I want to pay for something if the industry standard isn't to do so AND I don't like the idea of giving someone money without a written contract for services (I asked his office staff for one and they said there wasn't one.)   I'm looking forward to hearing what others on the forum have to say. 

I really hope to hear from others that have used him as well.  I meet with him next week and will let you know if he asks for the fee.  I am taking a family member with me who is in the medical profession and this person will know if something does not seem right. I am really glad to hear you had a positive experience with him over all.  This is a very difficult decision to make in the first place and to not get a good feeling about the surgeon would make those doubts bubble up more.  I have seen others post on this site that have had him as their surgeon and their experiences seem to be positive also.

I have only heard of one other doctor that required you to pay for support groups but that doctor did not require it in advance (before surgery) and the patients all refused to go to that doctors groups.  I used Dr Duncan's office and attend his support group along with three other groups.. all free of charge.  For RNY I think most iinsurance companies will cover the post op care.  For the lap band, I am not sure.  After one or two years you could probably follow up with just your PCP, but of course that is up to you.  Good luck with getting this sorted out.

This is how it worked for me - For $6,600.00 fee I had surgery, support group meetings, exercise classes, and follow up visits with Dr. Williams and/or his nutritionist for life. How much will your total doctor bill be if you accept the $2,500.00 fee?

Becky

Thanks Becky!  My total doctor bill will be paid by my insurance-- their website says they pay around $20K in the Southeast and the $2500 is on top of that so my total would be around $22,500.   I think I may call other doctors who work with my insurance to see what their fees are.  Were you pleased with Dr. Williams?

I was/am extremely pleased with Dr. Williams. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him and give a silent thanks that he chose this type of work. 

"says they pay around $20K in the Southeast and the $2500 is on top of that so my total would be around $22,500." ....just my hospital bill alone was over 20K. Is the 20K the max they pay? The doctor bill, the hospital bill, and the anesthesiologist bills are all different bills and what they pay towards them are different amounts....

My hospital bill was about $23,000.00 - after insurance discounts Dr Williams - $6,600.00 - no insurance discounts Anesthesiologist - Over $1,200.00 - this was also after insurance discounts 

... then there were the misc charges like psychological evaluation, nut consult, etc. 

I just don’t want you to be surprised by all the charges that will be coming out of the wood work. Some plans pay just about everything, some pay well, some pay close to nothing.

Becky

Hi Becky, My ins does not give out the specific amounts they pay but instead they provide the average amounts paid by all insurance companies for the surgery by region and then give some kind of generic statement about keeping their payments in that range.   My doc is an "in network provider" for my insurance company and so has agreed to accept their payment.  Thankfully my deductable for this year has been met so my out of pocket expenses (other than the $2500!) should be just a few $15 office visit co-pays.   Thanks for your detailed answer.  It is amazing how much this surgery costs!  BTW-- Congrats on your weight loss!  It sounds like you worked really hard and have maintained a healthy weight for several years-- way to go!