UHC fees

Ok, so I have an appt w/ Dr. Mcginty next week, but I also called Dr. Kini's office and have an appt w/ him in July.  My question is this when I called Dr. Kini's office the receptionist told me that the pschy and nutriotinist were not covered and they would each be 250.00 she said UHC does not cover these.  When I called Dr. Mcginty's office they told me the nutrionist was covered , but not the pschy.  I'm confused.  Why is one office covering one but not the other?  Has anyone been charged out of pocket for these services?  I called UHC and they said everything was covered except the co-pays.  So that's going to be 500.00 out of pocket for me.  I have an appt w/ both offices to see which Dr. I'm comfortable with.  BTW I have UHC choice plus.  Thanx guys

You should go by what your insurance company tells you and see if they have a list of nutritionists and psychs that are covered.   Good luck with your consults. 

Joanne

Good idea JoanneNYC!  Didn't even think to do that.  Dr. Mcginty's office said that I would get a list and it was up to me to choose which pschy I wanted.   The person *****commended me to this doctor said after her pschy was done he called Dr. Mcginty's office and have her the ok  to process right then and there.  Is that how it's usually done?

Hi, Dr. Kini is my doctor, and I have Oxford.  It al depends on your specific insurance plan.  I saw the nutritionist that was covered by my insurance, and she was also recommendeded by Dr. KIni, and all I paid was my co-pay.  As for the psychological exam.  My insurance pays half and I had to pay half.  Which turned outto be $100 dollars.  Dr. KIni's office does not require you to see their specialists, but they give you recommendations.  Again, it all depends on you specific benefits .There are some offices that may include the nutritionist as part of your consult ( not many though).  Always call your insurance ompany ! Shara

I just saw Dr. Kini on Wednesday. I also had my psych evalutation on Thursday. I had to pay $150 for the visit. This doctor which was on the sheet they gave with allo the testing did not take any insurance. I got an appointment with her first so I decided I'd just pay and get it done with. As for the nutritionist...lots of insurance companies only cover this if you are a diabetic. Lucky for my Empire BCBS covers me becauase I am morbidly obese and preparing for surgery. Call the insurance company and get specifics. I only have to pay my $20 co pay for my visits. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Hi, thanx guys for the responses! Baborah how did the consul w/ Dr. Kini go?  Were you comfortable with him?  What can I expect?

Hi Prettybaby! I am a patient o Dr. Kini and I also have UHC choice plus. It's not the offices that cover the respective consults. The consulting professionals either accept your insurance or they don't.  The Nutritionist that works in Dr. Kini's office doesn't accept UHC so you will have to pay.  I had my flexible health spending plan cover this.  The Nutritionist at Dr. Mcginty's office may accept UHC.  Dr. Kini gives a list of references whom his patients have used before that are reputable and have experience with wls patients but you can use whoever you would like to.  If you go to the UHC website they can give you a list of nutrionists in your area who accept your plan.  The same applies for the Pych. However, it's been my experience that most Pych's don't accept insurance.  My company's plan with UHC cover Pyschiatrists through United Behavioral Health.  As for the co-pays, Dr. Kini is in network so the surgery should be covered after your annual deductible is met. That amount is set up by your employer's plan. In your case it is $500.  You can call UHC to see how close you are to that and you would only have to pay the difference.  As for Dr. Kini himself, he is great!  So far he's done over 300 of these surgeries and NO ONE HAS DIED!!  (that was important to me) He is a really sweet man with a mild disposition. He is confident and honest and I was instantly relieved when I met with him. You really don't meet with him too much after the initial consult because he is busy (doing the surgeries) but his Nurse Pratictioner and other office staff are very nice, courteous and professional.  They only do this surgey and they know their stuff! This is probably the most knowledgeable, competent staff in any Dr's office I've ever been in!  They will answer any question and make you feel very comfortable (like family).  They are a little busy but they know what they are doing!  They will walk you through what has to be done. If you follow their instructions and go to all your consults you will make it. They even give you a sample letter for your PCP to follow and mine wrote it pretty much word for word and just changed my info and I was approve.  From consult to surgery date (on Tues.) the process was about 5 months.  I had my 1st consult in Feb., did my other consults in Mar and Apr. and was approved with a date in May. My surgery is on Tuesday!  So even though the process was thorough it was relatively quick compared to what others have been through.  That was my take on Dr. Kini but by al mean go to both consults and go with the surgeon whom you feel most comfortable with!  I hope this very longwinded response helps and Good Luck with everything.  Please feel free to PM anytime!  May God Bless you on this journey!  --Carla--