Blue Care Network.

Hi everyone Im new here, and have been considering WLS for years now, this Januray I have been able to get on my moms health insurance. I have a PCP doctor visit on the 18th of this month so Im going to ask my doctor for a referral to a surgeon. I was wondering if anyone has had any problems with BCN, do they make you do a supervised weightloss with your doctor? And if so for how many months? It worries me because Im only going to be on BCN untill the end of the year when I turn 26 and then Ill be off. So if anyone who has gone threw BCN can provide me with any information that would be great, thanks in advance :)

I have BCN for state of MI employees.  I wasted my $10 copay by going to my family doctor for a referral.  I was told that my first step should have been to go to the Orientation for WLS (I went to one at Grand Health Partners in Grand Rapids).  After the Orientation, they send info to your family doctor to get what referrals are needed.  So it was $10 for a visit that I didn't need to pay.

You do normally have to go through the 6-month supervised weight loss with BCN.  I had that waived because my BMI was over 50.  So my Orientation was at the end of January 2010..and my surgery was April 16, 2010.  The very day I finished w/all that was required for preop appts, I was told they were submitting everything to BCN for approval.  I got a call back within 2 hours saying it was approved and I was given a date for surgery.  I'm not sure what your BMI is, but if its over 50..everything will move along quicker without having to do that 6 mths of dieting first.

Good Luck!!

I also have BCN through an auto company.  They do require the 6 months documentation as the previous poster says if your BMI is under 50.  It does not have to be contiguous.  I had been on a 6 months program (within 2 years), but they only documented 4 months, so I had to see my PCP for 2 more months and have her document it specifically the way BCN wants it.  My info session was in Feb 2010, sugery in June 2010.  My approval with insurance also took like 2 days.  So, if you get all your info together and don't submit until you have all of it, it will go smoothly!  Good luck.

Where are you located and do you know what hosipal system/surgeon you are planning to go through?

Thank you both for the replies. I was pretty nervous because I have read that some insurance companies make you do a 12 month supervised diet, but I'm glad it will only be 3 (my BMI is 55.7). I live in Dearborn Heights (just outside of Detroit) so a hospital in the Wayne County area would be preferred. I want to get the VSG done, I looked on here and seen a few I would be interested in ,I like Dr.Zeni at St.Mary Mercy in Livonia, from what Ive read so far.

Just to clairfy - on BCN there is NO required supervised weightloss if your BMI is over 50. 

U of M has a very good program too - I would recommend you going to their info session as well.  They do sleeve for people with a BMI > 50 as well.  Dr Birkmeyer and Dr Finks are both really great and the nutritionist and PA for the program are good too.  They now have two other internal medicine doctors working with the program to help with follow-ups because they have so many patients. 

I had to do 6 months then they rejected it and i had to do two more months.

Any of the Centers of Excellence will be okay.... Call the number on your card and ask for some material since info has changed.... Like now they approve the sleeve, etc.