Some Newbie Questions

I'm hoping to have all of my paperwork together for insurance approval by mid-April. Dr. Schweitzer's office hasn't contacted me since the first consultation  5 months ago. Am I supposed to go back in and see him at some point or do I just send them the paperwork? I know I could call and ask... I just have a hectic schedule and never think about these things until I'm at work at night. 

Do they keep the records of my NUT visits or do I give them my copies? (or copies of copies) The doc works out of Greenspring, but I go to Bayview for the NUT classes.

I have my sleep study tomorrow, so I'm hoping they don't take too long with the results. Anyone have any idea how long they usually take to get back to you? Do they know right away or do they have to read a printout of some sort?

When I called to make my 1-on-1 NUT appt one of the ladies said I have to take 2 different 1-on-1 sessions. This is the first I've heard about that.  I haven't actually made the appt(s) yet because I can never get the woman on the phone when I call.

Psych eval is April 9th. If you "pass" do they usually sign the paperwork right away?

Am I missing anything?  Oh, I still need to go to a support class too.. Which means taking off work or coming in late. Grrr not everyone works during the day! lol

I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting ahead of myself lol.

Lisa hello to you, I can only tell you about the sleep study. I had one done last year at BWMC in Glen Burnie. I got the results in less than a week. They do all kinds of reading from the machines and then give you the results. I dont know about anything else. I hope things go smoothly for you. Take care...

                                                                        Julie

Lisa,

All of the appointments that were done through the JH Bariatric staff were kept in the same file that is passed around amongst them all, so you shouldn't have to send any of that paperwork in.  My initial consultation with Dr. S was in March of last year and my surgery was not until October and that first appointment was the only time I saw him before surgery day. 

When I had my sleep study, it took about a week for them to get the results to my PCP.  My PCP faxed that in with my 6-months of supervised diet paperwork. 

Did the nut say why you had to have two nut appointments?  I was only required to have one but that may have been because I'd done so much research and was able to tell her what my requirements post-surgery were going to be.  I saw Lauren Dimitrov for the pre-op and my one-month followup.  Margaret Furtado did my 3-month followup.  I liked both of them.  You shouldn't have to speak directly with one of them on the phone, you can call the appointment line number and set it up that way.

I wasn't given any paperwork after either my nut or psych appointments.  It was sent directly to Teresa at Dr. S' office.

I'm sorry you have to attend another support meeting, who is requiring you to attend that.  Dr. S' office only required that you go to an introductory session prior to the initial consult.  Maybe they changed their policy in the past year?

You're doing great to keep up with everything! 

Heather

Lisa....
     I am a patient of Dr. Magnesun, which is a partner with your doc. I am also in the final stages.....so I hope the info I can give you helps.

~~NUT Visits- I was told they would send the info over to the doc.....but I did mine @ bayview. Ask them if you can get a 90 minute visit instead of the 2 seperate appointments. Since I live 2 hours away, they were more than willing {they actually suggested it!} to do both visits at one time. I was actually surprised too...... they never told me when I initially called to set up my appoinment, but instead decided to tell me the day before when I  called to confirm the time!

~~Sleep study- My PCP ordered one, & I just had it last week. First let me say, you will be exhausted the next day! You will have wires & electrodes taped all over you, and it is hard to sleep. It is painless, just very uncomfortable! Secondly, I received a paper from my PCP which said they have to read the results in Baltimore & they are very detailed. It said this could take up to 10 business days for my PCP to receive the report.

~~Psych eval- I had mine done on 2/27, & received a copy of her report today. She actually wrote a full report & didnt just sign the form from bayview.

The best advice I can give you is just relax, breathe, and do not over think! I know, easier said than done......... like I said, I am in your place now. I just finished my 6 month supervised diet, my NUT & psych appt, and all my tests. I am waiting for the final reports to be sent to the surgeons office, so they can submit to the insurance company. The other advice I would offer is if you feel overwhelmed, or not sure, post it here! I have been on here for 2 years now, and you will not find a better support system! If youre unsure, you can bet you will find someone here who knows!!!!!!!! If you need to talk, please feel free to message me.

~heather

Thanks everyone, this helps!

Heather, did you have to go to a support group meeting? Now that I'm thinking about it, it was only mentioned in the original seminar. I'm not quite sure if Dr. S requires it or not. Hmmm I guess I could just go to be on the safe side.

Hopefully my daughter lets me take a nap the next day after the sleep study! :)

 

 

Lisa.....
    I am not sure which Heather you were talking to, but yes I did.
~heather

Awww its normal to want to get all your ducks in a row! I never had to get the sleep study but I thought I was gonna have to have one so I got all frazzled. lol Well ok im frazzled everyday but anyway...you are just doing what you have to do to line everything up! Im so excited for you!!!!!!

Best of luck with getting all your stuff together!

The results from my sleep study came back pretty quickly and I had my psyc eval just like a week before my actual surgery so I am assuming that came back pretty quick too...lol

Hi Lisa!

Congrats on making getting close to the end of the dreaded paper work stage of this journey. I don't think I ever posted on this board before but I lurk often so I thought I'd take a minute to say Hi and offer you what advise I can on your topic...

So, I am a patient of Dr. Steele's. (another partner to your Dr. S) From my experience with Hopkins, make sure you get and keep a copy of everything from everyone. Often the surgeons office has not received something from one of your visits and it truly helps if you can provide them with what they claim to be missing.

I suggest you contact Dr. S's office coordinator to find out what exactly HE requires. All of the docs in that practice require different things. For example, Dr. Steele requires her patients to attend 2 Bayview support group meetings where others only require 1 or possible none. Also, some doctors require you to make another "consult" appointment before surgery if your original consult has been more than six months. Just double check for safety. There is nothing like thinking you are done to find out you missed something little.

With regards to the Psych and NUT visits...if you are doing them both through Hopkins doctors (ie. Greenspring or Margaret for NUT and J. Coughlin for Psych) they both automatically forward your records to the the surgeon. However, I still suggest you get your own copy to have handy just in case. Also if you find you need to attend the Bayview support meetings there is a sign in sheet there and they group leader reports to the appropriate doctors which of their patients attended the meetings.

I hope my very long 2 cents have helped some. Again, congratulations on getting to the end of this portion of things. Best of luck to you!

Tanya