Did anyone else?....

Did anyone else use the Duke WLS Center?   I applied in mid June and have heard nothing.   They accepted my $250 nonrefundable application fee and I have heard nothing from them in 2 months.  Is this standard? 
  When I called , they said they were booking their early May applicants for October appointments!   How long did you all wait for an initial consult?

I turned my application in on July 21 and when I called Friday they told me I would not recieve my packet until the first of October. They told me my appotment would not be until late November or early December. She told me they were really behind due to the amount of applications.

How are you doing with waiting?  Im very frustrated.  I turned my application in more than a month before you.  From what they told me , the wait will be longer than October.  

Have you attended any of the support group meetings on Tuesday?  I had preliminary tests done by my primary in June , now I am concerned they will time out.

Others in NC , did u wait this long?   Any recommendations for other docters/wls practices in the Triangle area?

My husband and I faced the same frustration with Duke.  We submitted our applications in April 08 and after approximately 1 month of waiting (during which I made numerous phone calls to them, some answered and some not).  We both got our first appointment on July 10, 2008.  That was the last straw for us.  While Duke's reputation cannot be disputed, we didn't want to be treated like a number.  I received a referral from my knee surgeon for Dr. Paul Enochs, his office is in Cary and he operates at Rex Hospital in Raleigh.  We attended an information session and had our first appointment within 2 weeks.  Ironically, Dr. Enochs preformed my RNY on 7/10/08, the day that would have been my first appointment with Duke.  Unfortunately, my husband's surgery has been delayed due to insurance requirements, but even so, we are expecting him to have his RNY by mid-September to early October.  All in all, it was an expensive lesson (we lost our 2 $250 application fees at Duke), but I wouldn't change a thing.  We have been very pleased with Dr. Enochs and his staff.  They have a personal approach and don't make you feel like a number.  Here's is their website if you want to contact him.

http://www.surgerync.com/

Nadabear , I checked out Dr, Enochs site and I am quite impressed.  I especially like what he said about having a goal of having patients prepared for surgery in 1 to 3 months. 

When I checked my insurance (BCBS Federal) , I found that he is a preferred provider...yippppeee!!!   Now all I need to know is whether his practice is considered a center of excellence.   Do u know?  I plan to call his office on Monday.   I will spend some time this weekend checking him out further , but I cant thank you enough for the referral.

This is why I love this site....

I'm butting in here to discuss something I admit I know very little, if nothing about, but...

I do recall Anniep59 saying that she had a less-than-satisfactory experience with Duke and I just looked at her profile to see who she went with.  It says, "Tim Farrell, Chapel Hill."  I know she is ultimately very happy with her WLS and going with Dr. Farrell instead of Duke possibly saved her life (something about a vena cava filter?).  You may want to ask her about all this.  I also hear great things on the forum about Dr. Enochs. 

Wishing you the best!

Wow,,,this must be some kind of omen.  I am feeling better about the wait , because now my eyes are open to the options.  This has given me a new lease , I dont feel tied to Duke and like I have to wait for them to get around to me.  Thanks , u guys.

NewMe48,

I'm glad you found the information helpful.  I don't know if Dr. Enochs is a Center of Excellence, definitely call them on Monday.  I sort of doubt it because it's just him and his staff, also he doesn't mention it on his website, and I would think he would mention it if it was applicable.  Does BCBS require you to have surgery at a Center of Excellence?  Dr. Enochs was a preferred provider with my insurance and they didn't have a Center of Excellence requirement.

I hope all goes well.  Keep us posted.

When I began considering WLS I had thought that I would go to Duke as it is not that bad a distance for me and as a rule they have a great rep for many of their medical programs, just not so good for their WLS program. After all isn't that where Kennedy had his brain surgery? I now don't regret chosing a more local venue now. My journey has been a bit long but worth it at the clinic I am going through in Greensboro. There have been no non refundable fees up front for me at Central Carolina Surgery and when we got through the preapproval process it only took about three weeks for the insurance (BCBSNC) to come back with my approval. I almost got to have my surgery on August 4th but due to my contracting bronchitis just days before my surgery my Surgeon and PCP felt my surgery should be postponed and I am back on the schedule for September 22.
As for what I hear from others including Anniep the Chapel Hill clinic is very much a better alternative to Duke's program as of late. I have never heard any issues with them.

It took me 1 year 2 months to go through Duke WLS to have my RNY. The Adm. Staff leaves a lot to be desired for sure. They have been experiencing growing pains for a long time. I went threw lots of lost test and records. Somewhere I had read awhile back someone say "Thank God the doctors are doing the surgery and not the staff". LOL

I am so sorry for your delays and understand the frustrations you will have. But I can honestly say I am truly glad I waited to have Duke WLS do my procedure. The doctors are awesome there. The staff at Durham Regional couldn't have been anymore caring and knowledgeable in my treatment. As strange as it might sound to you this past year give me time to prepare myself more for what I am up against the rest of my life. I took that time to read on the internet and ponder my decision and learned a lot about myself. Some people handle their patience better than others. I can never look back and feel I was rushed into this decision.

Good luck in whatever you decide about your care. Personally I wouldn't do anything different if I had it to do over.