Cleveland Clinic Program Fee

Does anyone know how much the program fee is at The Cleveland Clinic? I looked on the website, but was unable to find that specific piece of information. Also, do you recall at what point in the process it was due? At the initial consult? Thanks in advance for any information you may be able to provide.

 HAD MY SURGERY AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC AND THE TOTAL SURGERY THE DOCTOR QUOTED ME WAS 35,000 FOR HIS FEE AND THE HOSPITAL FEE AND THAT DID NOT COUNT THE PSYCH, NUTRITION AND GROUP THERAPY SESSIONS THAT THEY MAKE U GO FOR. THEY SEND U A BILL MONTHLY BEFORE THE SURGERY AND WHEN U HAVE SURGERY SCHEDULED THE BILLING DEPR CALLS AND TELLS U HOW MUCH UR INSURANCE IS PAYING AT WHAT UR ESTIMATED CAST WILL BE AND THEY WILL SET UP A PAYMENT SCHEDULE WITH U BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT HS TO BE A CERAIN PERCENTAGE. I HOWVER HAD OPEN RNY WITH SOME COMPLICATIONS AND HAD TO STAY THERE 8 DAYS AND HAD A TUBE FEED AND MY BILL WAS OVER 107,000 DOLLARS!!!!! YIKES THEY DO TRY TO GET UR MAXIMUM IN INSURANCE BETTER...

When I had my surgery in 10/2005, the Clinic did not have a program fee.  My insurance covered my pre-op appointments and my surgery, so I just had to pay the co-pays for my insurance until I hit my maximum out-of-pocket for the year.  I don't know if the program operates differently today, but you can probably call and talk to someone.   Here's a link to the page on the Clinic's website about insurance matters and financing - perhaps some of the information there will be helpful.  http://cms.clevelandclinic.org/bariatricsurgery/body.cfm?id= 71&oTopID=84 Also, the Clinic accepts most insurance coverage, as well as Medicare and Medicaid.  Keep in mind that each insurer and Medicare/Medicaid will have their own requirements to qualify for surgery.   You may also want to look into the bariatric program at St. Vincent Charity Hospital, which has been around for a long time and has a great success rate.  They do have a $325 nonrefundable "membership fee"; it's not clear from their website when that has to be paid.  http://www.svch.net/bariatric/index.htm St. Vincent's offers informational seminars where you can learn more about surgical weight loss options.  I'm not sure whether this is free or not, but you can always ask.  Here's a link to their website, where you can sign up for a seminar online.  http://www.svch.net/bariatric/gettingstarted/calendar.asp Anyway, I hope some of this information is helpful!  Good luck on your continuing journey -  Kellie