Need some help with UNITY HOSPITAL...

I have chosen to see Dr. Jeffrey Baker at the Unity Hospital Bariatric Center in Fridley, and I am wondering if anyone who has been there can give me an idea of what kind of time frame I am looking at until surgery.  I am hoping to have the surgery done in the summer, hopefully early summer, and would really love to know if this is a realistic goal at the place I have chosen. Thanks, Jules.

First off, great avatar Jules & welcome to the MN board! Second, great choice on surgeon & hospital. We have great surgeons in MN and we're all very fortunate. Have you been to the info session yet? And do you know if your insurance requires any dietician visits prior to surgery? For example, BCBS typically requires 6 months. So, that all plays a part on when you'll get surgery. Unity has a great outline of their process though that you get at the info session and once you have your first appointment, you should have a better idea of how long your process would take IMO. Best wishes!

WELCOME!!!!!

and what Amy said LOL

I know it depends on insurance and appointments and all that but I was just wondering if there was some required time period before.  I haven't been to the info. meeting yet because I have had to wait a month just to find an opening in my schedule for one of their class dates.  I'm just sick of waiting! Now that I've made my decision and I know where I want to go, I just wish everything would fall into place faster.. It's just me being impatient But thanks for your help!

Jules, that is awesome! And once you get going with their program, you can always call and try to get your appts. quicker (look for cancellations, etc.). WTG.

Hello and Welcome - the waiting game is the hardest!

Depending on your insurance - there are plenty of hoops you have to jump to get it approved and processed and get a date.

Just an example - I started at the end of November and I am having my surgery the end of March. 

My best suggestion is to stay on top of it and get all your appointments made and paperwork taken care of - it will help the time pass and you can make sure everything is in place.   Also - make friends with the nurse/paperwork people at your docs office - much easier to get the information you need.

Best of Luck. Linda

 

From my experience with BCBS, I went to my info meeting July 19th, did my nurse appointment, 3 psych. appointments, dietition appt. and my surgery was 1-3-08. Now I already had in my 6 months of Doctor supervised diet. So it's at least 6 months or so I'd say......... I had Dr. Jeffrey Baker, he's very nice & low key. The waiting game & hoops to jump through is the hardest. Good Luck, Kelly

Hi Jules, and welcome to the MN board! I had my original RNY with Dr. Jeff (love him, he is so personable & a great doc, too). You will need to start by checking with your insurance to determine what the criteria is for the surgery. I had all required weight management history prior to starting the wls process. From my intro class to my surgery was 2 months. I got really lucky and wasw able to schedule all appointments very quickly. So it will really depend on your persistence and determination. I would say that 6-9 months is an average time frame depending on insurance requirement for a medically supervised diet. Stay positive and focused, keep moving forward, and get connected with support now (like this board). Good luck!