help with va facilities...please??

Hi everyone!  I haven't posted in awhile but I've been lurking.  (sounds kind of wrong doesn't it?!) :) Anyway, I had an appointment with my pcp at the Salisbury VA and he just blew me off when I told him I wanted to try to get the surgery.  He just said "you're right, they don't do that here" and wrote a consult for the nutritionist.  Who knows if and when that may happen.  What I need help with is finding which VA hospital closest to me does the surgery and I will try to call them.  Does anyone know which ones do it?   I've tried and tried to find out, but no luck.  No listings on the va websites either.  Im thinking Durham would be one but I have nothing to back that up with.  I'm willing to go anywhere, but I'm trying to find one in this state if possible. Does anyone know???? Thanks everybody...for all the info here on the board.  I really enjoy reading it all. Caveman :)

Hey Caveman,

I did a quick search using the criteria "veteran's adminstration bariatric surgery" and came up with some things that might help.

http://www.move.va.gov/download/Resources/BariatricSurgery/B ariatricSurgeryHandbook.pdf this handbook has a url that may provide the information you are looking for: http://www1.va.gov/surgery 

I am not sure, but I think that because the Durham VA Medical Center is affiliated with Duke, you may end up with DukeWLS. You might want to call DukeWLS directly and ask them if they work with VA patients. There number is 919-660-2229. 

I think that you could also contact the Raleigh Veteran's Adminstration Office. Here is their contact information. 1649 Old Louisburg Rd. Raleigh, NC 27604 Phone: (919)-856-4616

I hope that this helps some.

Barb

 

Thank you Barb.  I had found that handbook but unfortunately the link to the list of hospitals on the bariatric surgery doesn't work. I didn't know that the Durham hospital was affilliated with Duke.  That would be awesome if it was done through them!  I'll call that number first thing Monday morning and then I'll try the admin number you listed. Thank you so much Barb!  It's so frustrating trying to find this stuff. Caveman :)

Be prepared for a long wait with Duke.  I have heard some on the back story of what happened with their staff and they are well, um... a bit behind the 8-ball there with lining up all the current patients and it could be as long as 6-8 months at least before they are "caught" up or in a better situation handling incoming patients.

Thanks Monika! I'll go look at the posts. At this point, I don't mind any sort of waiting period. As long as I can get the process rolling I can be patient. That would be time to just prepare more and such. Oh, who am I kidding??? I want it NOW!! haha just kidding. Thanks again, Caveman

GREAT attitude.... keep it going.  Take this time to find out what the VA requires for approval and cross those hurdles, prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for all the changes, collect together information about proteins powders and protein rich foods for post-op, and enjoy the newfound hope that you have already grasped hold of.

Let me know if I can help you in anyway. 

Aww shucks thanks...

Yeah I've been reading so much that I think I'm starting to overdose!

Caveman

Caveman,

Monica is right that the Duke program is going through more than it's share of growing pains. They are adding surgeon's to their staff and are getting ready to move their offices down the street. But probably most challenging right now is the major upheaval they are experience in their office. They are really struggling with administrative staff turn-over and shortages. That is causing delays in processing things. I know, because my husband is in the midst of getting things done for his own surgery ... wish us luck! All that said, they have one of the best program's in the country according to the stats. As you said, you can use this time to get 'your ducks in a row,' which is exactly what my husband did. Not all insurances require it, but many, including Medicare do require a 6 month supervised weightloss attempt documented by your physician (it can be be your PCP.) At any rate, my husband had spent the last 7 months going through that process and just had his first clinic appointment this past week. When he went for his clinic appointment, he had all of his tests done and the 6 month medically supervised weight loss attempt done. Once they get everything out of dictation from his initial clinic, nutrition and psych visits all of the information will be put together and the insurance specialist will review it and submit it to my husband's insurer for their determination and hopefully approval.

Please do call Duke and find out if they do handle VA Bariatric surgeries. Also be sure to call the VA locally to get someone to check and see if there are other practices in the area that can support you because when I read the criteria in the manual, it looked like UNC Chapel Hill might meet their criteria as well and I'm sure that there are others that would meet the criteria ... it all depends on whether they have enrolled with the VA program.

Wishing you every success,

Barb

Wow, thanks Barb! I will definitely call them Monday morning. I feel like I finally got some potentially positive information! If all this pans out, I don't mind the wait at all.

I hope things go well for your husband. I bet it has been frustrating for you both, but it sounds like it's maybe winding down now. Yeah!!

Thanks again to you and Monika and everyone else here. I'm sure glad all this information is here.

Caveman

Caveman,

Thanks for the well wishes and I look forward to hearing of your journey as you move forward. I have to say that to be honest, we have been very satisfied overall with our experience with Duke. I think in part, that is due to the fact that we had a pretty good idea of what the process and time looked like. Our insurance dictated the 6 month medically supervised diet attempt and we knew that Ben could get his other tests taken care of while he was in the process of getting that 6 month medically supervised weightloss attempt documented. One thing that I will tell you, is that it is important for you to get and keep copies of all of the medical documents and reports that will become part of your record at Duke or any other facility you use. If you do this, you will be more in control of the timeline because if something is missing from  your medical records at Duke or any other program, you'll have a copy that you can provide immediately. We have found that to be very helpful.

Barb