Requirements for WLS at Hurley?

I am still just looking at my options as far as WLS goes, but if I were to do it, I'd want to have it done at Hurley in Flint.  My mother-in-law had her RNY done there, and it's close to immediate family.  BUT, when I looked at their website, it states that you must "have one or more of the following medical conditions related to being overweight: high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, or degenerative joint disease."

I'm young and don't have any of those conditions yet, but I'm not sure I want to wait for poor health to have this surgery.  My mom died at age 53 of heart failure, and that has definitely been on my mind.  Does anyone have experience with Hurley?  Are there other conditions not listed that also make you a candidate for surgery there?  Is this list even accurate for what they require?

I had surgery at Hurley, with Dr. Farhan, but it was three years ago.  I know certain aspects of their program have changed since then.  For example, when I went through, they did not require a 2 week liquid diet prior to surgery, which from what I've read here, they now do.  I didn't have any co-morbidities when I had surgery.  I was more concerned with meeting my insurance requirements, which I did, easily.  I was never told at Hurley that I had to have any "medical conditions".  Actually, Dr. Minasian, who did my pre-admission testing at Hurley told me I was "too healthy" and that had he not just seen them administer some of the tests, he wouldn't have believed the results.  He actually told me I shouldn't be as healthy as I was.  Which I completely understood why he was saying that.  Anyway, if you have any further questions, I would be happy to answer them, as I can.  Oh, one of the things that I will say, while I did not have any co-morbidities that are most common, I did have a BMI of 51.  And my insurance required a BMI of 40+ or a BMI under 40 with 2 co-morbidities.  That's how I qualified with my insurance company.  I don't know if any of that helps!  Feel free to message me anytime, if you have further questions.  Tina

PS - I was very much satisfied with my experience at Hurley. 

A year ago I started my journey of WLS and found myself at a seminar hosted by Hurley.  I was all pre-approved by my insurance company by the end of December and all I needed was to hear from Hurley as to when I could schedule my Lap Band surgery.  A couple weeks went by and I hadn't heard anything.  I was on Obesityhelp.com one night and came across the DS forum.  It changed my life.   I am so glad I did not hear from Hurley.   In February 2008, I had the DS performed by Dr. Mustafa Hares in Auburn Hills.   He is a wonderful, caring surgeon.  Jackie Smiertka, the RN of the office is the best!!!   I have lost 82 pounds!!   Dr. Hares and Jackie both called me daily to make sure I was doing okay.  I had complications with dehydration and Dr. Hares gave me his cell phone number to call him and to keep him up to date with my condition.    The DS made my transition to a healthier life a lot easier.   Please check into this procedure before you make a final decision on the RNY.   Things happen for a reason and my not hearing from Hurley was so I could discover the DS!!!   Best of luck in your journey!

Good morning!

I had my surgery at Hurley 11 months ago and have remained very active in the support group meetings both at the clinic and the informal one held each month. 

In general the requirements from your insurance company are the same requirements that Hurley would have.  So call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask if WLS is covered and if so, which kinds (Band, RNY, DS, Sleeve) and what the specific requirements are for approval.  Get that list of criteria sent to you so you have it in writing and you can use it as a checklist.

As for co-morbidities.  The list from the Hurley site is the generic list of most common co-morbidities.  You may have other illnesses that are not listed there but are still related to obesity.  PCOS, insulin resistance, Type II diabetes, pre-diabetes, stress incontenance, chronic back/joint pain, asthma, etc -- your doctor may already have something recorded in your medical records that would "count".  Are you already on any prescriptions that might point to something?  Some insurance companies don't actually require that you have co-morbidities is your BMI is over a certain number.  I think BCBS says over 40. 

There's a support group meeting tonight in Flint -- it's the informal, peer-to-peer group that is comprised of mostly Hurley patients.  We meet at 5:30 at the Hurley Health and Fitness Center on the corner of Saginaw and Hemphill Roads.  If you need directions or details, feel free to PM me for information.  I attended support group meetings for over a year before I had my surgery and feel that it has contributed to my success post-op.  We'd love to have you join us.

Pam

Thank you for the invitation.  I will probably take you up on the offer some day soon.  I was too busy today, but I'll keep it in mind.