Medicare Disability Qualifications for surgery

HI. I am on Medicare due to disability and have been for 6 years. I hope to have WLS and have a consultation next week with a surgeon and then for a psych consult afterward. I know that St. Vincent Carmel is one, if not the only, Indiana hospitals approved currently for Medicare disability surgery. My question, what other than the surgery consult and psych consult do I need to do since Medicare does not pre-qualify for surgery, per se? What should I expect as far as waiting period? Thanks in advance!

There will be 2 required education classes you will have to attend...then you will go through all your pre-op tests which the surgery center schedules for you. Take a list of questions with you to the consult-these are usually held with a lot of pre-ops..then you get to see the doctor on a one-on-one consult...it's usually an all day thing. Then they submit your package for approval with Medicare-and you go from there....the good people at St V's handle everything else for you as far as all your pre-surgery needs/apointments. Good luck on your journey!!!!!!!! RNY 7/28/04 296/147/140

With St V I had the first consult then 1 education class then my presurgery classes while waiting a total of 6 weeks for surgery after being approved for surgery... Best of luck!! enjoy the journey Linda