Re: changing doctors
Hello everyone:
I am getting a little disappointed with the staff and physican I chose for this WLS and I was wondering if any of you all out there have changed doctors after you have had all the required tests done by one doctor. I was also wondering if anyone has used Dr. Michael Williams or Dr. Paul Macik. I was planning on doing a little more research on these doctors and see if they can do me this year. Thanks for your imformation and I hope each and everyone of yall have a nice, safe weekend.
Keep up the good work on the wls journey.
Mary Rafeedie
I am having surgery on 11/8 with Dr Macik. He came highly recommended to me by other professionals in the field. I am coming all the way from North Carolina to have him as my surgeon. The longest part of my process was the insurance approval. After that I got a surgery date that was only about a month out.
Hi Mary,
I just changed doctors the last week of September. I had been through the whole process...the staff submitted my info to insurance and I was denied...
I changed surgeon's after being denied because I was told the surgeon does not "do appeals". They said that either I would neet to do it or my PCP could do it...They were just like oh, well, that's what the insurance company says...they only approve on a patient by patient basis.
The insurance company would not even tell me "exactly" why I was denied except that it was not deemed to be medically necessary...The surgeon's office would not even call to find out why exactly I was denied so that I or my PCP could write the appeal.
The surgeon's office told me my PCP would have to call, my PCP told me it was my surgeon's office's responsibility to do that because they are the specialist and they don't know what was submitted on my behalf (in other words they could not have a fully intellegent conversation on my behalf)...finally my PCP called my surgeon's office and the surgeon's office finally called the insurance company.
To make matters worse the surgeon's office couldn't even tell me EXACTLY what was sent to the insurance company...because after I gathered 3 years of diet history/weight history, 6 month medically supervised diet, all my jenny craig consultations...when they got ready to submit the request, the surgeon's office told me none of it was necessay!!! UGHHHHHH!!! I had a feeling it was going to be denied because they could not even agree on what had to be submitted.
When I asked them what they submitted after I was denied they said - we would have only submitted what you requested us to, we don't submit things on your behalf unless we have your permission or you ask us to - what the heck does that mean?!?
It was at this point I got really worried, even if I were to write my own appeal and get approved do I think these people have any personal concern for me? What if I had an emergency? That's when I decided no way, my life is more important, I'd rather wait and see someone else.
Anyway, I say this to say it was a blessing in disguise...I changed from Emory (Dr. Daniel Smith) to Dr. Christopher Hart, a collegue of Macik and Daly...and I'm so happy I did......what an altogether different experience...I am actually a person with a story not just another "patient". They have more resources like an exercise physiologist and support groups....I'm so happy I made the change, the office staff are live humans with feelings!!!! I've already made some friends from my first support group - the office staff even attends...and one of the staff members has had surgery herself!
Hart, Macik and Daly work out of several Hospitals...I'm going through North Fulton Regional Hospital off Alpharetta Hwy. Virginia is the Coordinator at 770-751-2924.
Good Luck to you! 
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