Patterson or Friedman

I am going to be making an apt (now that I know I will have insurance in 3 months!!) in the next month to see a surgeon but I haven't REALLY made up my mind on which of these 2 to choose, any thoughts? Brandi

Hey Brandi! Congrats on the job/insurance! Couple of thoughts; first, since most people have one or the other surgeon we're going to tell you the one we have is the best! Personally, I have Dr. Patterson and she's been phenomenal. My surgery is still a few weeks away, but I had an insurance denial and she was instrumental in getting the denial overturned in the appeals process. She's extremely thorough and professional. She answers all your questions and doesn't rush you when you're in with her. At least that has been my experience with her. I have complete confidence in her skills, and that's definitely what you want when you're having any type of surgery. I can't speak to Dr. Friedman's abilities, but many people on this board seem to really like him as well. Second, I don't know if the process is different because of your insurance company, but I had to go through my primary care doc first to get a referral to Dr. Patterson. I went to Patterson's info session which tells you just about everything you need to know, then got the psych eval, sleep apnea test, and visit to the dietician she requires before she would even see me. She requires you to know what you're getting yourself into. So, it may not be quite so easy to get in as you're thinking. Dr. Friedman may be different though. You could call Dr. P.'s office to find out when the next info session is. I believe they're still just once a month but I'm not sure anymore. She requires you to attend that first, then gives you the application packet. Anyway, good luck! Just remember it's not a terribly quick process for most of us which I think is good. THIS IS A BIG DEAL!!! Chari

Hiya! I already attended Dr. P's info forum last summer, I really liked her alot. I am just hoping to get a little more feedback from both Dr.'s patients to help me make up my mind. I will get a refferal from the PCP though for sure. Thankx! Brandi

Hey Brandi! If you decide to go with UHC- Select EPO at work, you can SELF-REFER to specialists..... even tho my doctor is pro WLS, and would certainly give me a referral to anyone I need to see to get through this process, it's nice to know that getting referrals isnt necessary. Go to the surgeon's site via this website and parients of each of these doctors will have posted how they feel about each of these surgeon's........ later, Debby

Sweet! Thankx Debby! That is for sure good to know! Do you know what the monthly out of poket expense for that insurance is? All I know is work pays 74% of the total cost. Brandi