12 month supervised diet?

Ok so what is the point of a twelve month supervised diet that some of these insurance companies are requiring? Do they want to see if you can lose the weight on your own so that you won't need the surgery?

My policy reads *failed* supervised weight loss attempts. I think they want to know you've tried everything before resorting to WLS.  I also  think they want to know that you are committed.  WLS requires frequent follow up care after surgery.  Also, post op strict diet changes are required.  If you can follow your doctors advice before surgery, they know you will be more committed afterwards.

BTW...what ins co do you have?  BCBS changed it to 6 months this year and if your BMI is greater than 50 there is no requirement.

I have HAP

Shawn explained it perfectly about WHY we have to do it.  I'll add a caution about making sure it's done properly.  Get - in writing - the requirments that HAP wants for this supervised diet and everything they want to see done.  Nutrition counseling, specific diet plan, exercise therapy, drug therapy, blood pressure checks, regular weigh-ins (how often and by whom)... etc.  Make sure you know EXACTLY what they want.  Then share that written information with your doctor to make sure they are documenting everything that is required at every single visit. 

Often the insurance company wants your weight loss visits to be documented completely separately from any other medical issues you might talk to your doctor about at the same appointment.  So if you have a sniffly or an infection and need to talk about that too ... he'll probably need to start a second intake sheet for that medical information and keep your weight related discussion on it's own sheet. 

I had to learn this the hard way.  I had completed 12 months of dieting, saw my doctor, discussed my progress, asked for advice, showed him my weight logs and exercise tracking book, we discussed going on a Rx diet pill.... BUT - he didn't bother writing any of that stuff down in my medical chart.  And my insurance company wouldn't accept just a simple letter stating I'd been dieting for a year, they needed to see if in my medical records. 

So I had to do the 12 months all over again.  Thankfully I learned my lesson the second time around and made sure everything was documented (while I sat and watched it being written down) and made sure that the specific requirements that BCBS required were made clear before the second round of dieting even started. 

Good luck.  I know it seems like it's going to take forever right now ... but those 12 months go by very quickly.  Just use this time to educate yourself, read as much as you can and collect recipes and ideas for life after surgery.

Pam

I have HAP, too.  Had BCN when I started this gig and they both required a year.  I cried but did it anyway.  I was doing great.  Lost 50 lbs.  I've now gained every pound back. 

You MUST have a full 12 months in.  I used the Working on Wellness plan at Henry Ford in West Bloomfield.  They were great.  I made a friend out of my exercise physiologist and she was very helpfull in writing a letter to HAP for me.