What to do

Hi everyone I was wondering if anyone knew if it is better to go through your PCP to get to a surgeon or is it better and faster to go through a program like New Start? What exactly are these programs anyway? thanks, anita

My suggestion is to contact your insurance company and find out if the procedure is covered, and if so, what the requirements are. Some policies require months of a dr. supervised diet, pre-existing clauses where you would have to wait a year from the start of the policy to be covered for obesity surgery (if its a covered benefit that is). Basically a bunch of hoops to jump through. In my case my policy only required a letter of medical necessity. At first I thought I needed to see a pcp first for the letter, but it turned out that the surgeon himself was able to provide a letter for the insurance company. I went to New Self Bariatrics through Alexian Brothers because my friend who had the surgery went there. They have a team of doctors who specialize in WLS. I dont have any complaints, nor did I have any complications. But of course that varies from person to person. What ever you decide to do, just make sure you research the doctor or group to make sure they have a good track record. Good luck to you!! Oh, if you didnt know already...heres the link on this site to find surgeons. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/showdocs.phtml

If your insurance requires that you get a referral in order to go to a specialist then you need to go through your PCP. Now, many of the programs like New Start, The WISH Center or New Self Bariatrics will tell you at their seminars how you need to handle the referral process.