My first appt is tomorrow!

And I was hoping someone might have some information on what I can expect tomorrow.  I will be going the the U of I in Iowa City, and have BC/BS Blue Access for coverage.  I've read all I could on their website, but I was hoping someone had some first hand experience to share with me!

I am three weeks out from surgery at U of I.  I have nothing but good things to say about the team.  Dr. Samuel did my surgery.  Debi and Amy are fantastic.  They will keep you on track.  I had Wellmark BC/BS and so far they are paying very well.  Be sure to attend the monthly support group meetings if you can.  They are very informative and its good to see people who are further out and have already experienced what you are going through.

Good luck,

Karla

How long from start to finish did it take you to get your surgery? Just curious

My first appointment was May 29.  My surgery was August 20.  Most of the delay was because my PCP wasn't writing the insurance letter correctly.  They wrote 3 or 4 different versions until they got it correct.  Once that happened, insurance approval took only about a week.  Wellmark is great to work with.  Hope this helps.

Karla

Well, the way it looks, the only things I have to complete now, is the psych evaluation and get a letter from my PCP showing my weight loss attempts along with proof of having a BMI of 40 or more for the past 3 years.  This last one is where I might get stuck, I've been tetering in the 38 range for the past 7 years, so this is the first year I've been at 40, so I hope that doesn't  cause me to many problems, otherwise, my appointment went great, every one was super nice!

Well, good luck with everything.  The psych eval was a piece of cake.  The doc I had was very laid back and easy to talk to.  Part of my 3 years of dieting was the 1300 cal. diet they put me on.  I lost like 35 pounds on it.  I didn't know the BMI had to be for the last 3 years as well.  I thought you just had to prove a BMI of 40 or above at the time of the request for approval.  I'm still working my way down to a BMI of 40.  Can't wait to get there.

Did the floods get to you in Hiawatha?  Love Sam's Club.  We have to make a couple of trips a year.  We're getting one closer to home in October, though, so we might not make it up north as often as we used to .

Take Care,

Karla

Funkymonkey -

I'm new to this site, but I also have BCBS Blue Access.  I am just scheduled to attend the seminar with Dr. Smolik's group next month, but I will be curious to see what you find out.  I talked with the insurance company by phone and they were very helpful. In fact, I was planning to attend a seminar with a different group in DM, but while the surgeons were covered their hospital was not so the insurance company directed me toward Mercy and their weight loss program.   In looking at their site the only requirements are BMI of 40 or more, psych eval, and no sustained weight loss in the last 2 years.  I have been up 20 pounds from my current weight, but have also been 10 pounds lower, so am just trying to maintain at this point as I don't know what they consider a "sustained weight loss."  I know the surgeon will have requirements as well -  am anxious to find out what those are.  Please keep me updated on how you are doing and what you find out.  I've read a lot of books, been on a lot of sites, and have visited with a family member who had the surgery and I'm so ready to move forward. 

bambam

I"ve had no problems with the insurance approval, the surgeons office sent the paperwork in on the 17th and I got the approval letter today, the 27th.  The longest part was getting the therapist to fax her letter over! She sat on it for 3 weeks, I think it was a passive-aggressive thing, since she was more overweight then I am.  I'm going to the U of I, and they have been super for me! Let me know if you want any other info!