how does the process work??

Hi Everyone, I finally joined this website after months of lurking and wondering about WLS.  I am curious about how I go about everything - my PCP is against WLS for anyone - my insurance does not require a referral though... Do I set up an appointment with a surgeon to see if I qualify? Is there some type of WL center I should go to first? My ins. covers wls if I have a bmi above 40 -mine is 45 and have actively participated in a non surgical wl plan - which I have but have no documented proof of this.  My ins. does not have a time frame though so I could be medically supervised for a month and then qualify??? Anyway I look forward to getting to know everyone here. Jo

Hi Jo,

I have not had my surgery yet, but the way I did it was to find a surgeon first.  My surgeon required me to attend a WLS Seminar at Roger Williams Hosp before I could even schedule my first appt with him.  During the Seminar, he handed out a list of pre-surgical tests and procedures needed, which I completed prior to my first visit with him...all except the endoscopy (his office handles the referral of that one).  Once the tests were done, I saw him, and the next step is the insurance approval.  Once I get that (in the next two weeks I am hoping), I will see him again, hopefully get a date, start his pre-surgical 2-wk diet and then have the surgery.  I am having lap band, but I think the procedure is the same for RNY patients of this doc.  Other people have had different experiences with different docs, so hopefully others will tell you about their processes as well. Good luck, and welcome to the board.  Everyone is great about answering questions and supporting you in your journey. Cara

 

Cara, I called his office and will be going to the session next week!  I go to the weight loss dr tomorrow but I figured this process will take a long time so I may as well start now and by the time I will be able to see the sugeon I will have fullfilled the ins requirement for dieting under supervision. When did you start this process?  Let me know when you get a date - I am curious to see how long the whole process takes... I have been reading old posts from 3-4 yrs ago and it seems the waiting time has dramatically lessened.

Hi Jo,

I actually began my process on Valentine's Day when I attended the seminar at Roger Williams.  Julie and I attended the same nite.  She just had her surgery in June, I am still waiting because I found out in April that my insurance carrier required me to do a 3 month supervised behavoir modificiation program whi*****luded nutrition counseling as well as documented exercise.  I thought that sucked at the time, because I had already been consistantly working out since last October, and actually began logging my exercise in February of '08.  But once I got to working with the nutritionist and fitness trainer, I felt like I was getting some valuable lessons that I could use once I had my surgery.  And as of today, I have actually completed my 3 months.  I delivered the trainer letter and documentation of my workouts to Dr. Pohl's office today, and I hope to hear something by the end of the month about whether or not I have been approved.  At this point, it is in the hands of the powers that be.  I certainly anticipated that my surgery would have also been scheduled for June, same as Julie, but we have different insurance carriers, and that makes one hellova difference in the grand scheme of things.   I will say this:  I did complete all of my pre-surgical testing prior to seeing Dr Pohl for my first visit, which was the end of April.  It took 2 months for me to get in to see him for that.  Once I saw him, I was able to get my endoscopy scheduled and completed...so now all that remains for me is the insurance approval and the surgery date.  My hope is to have surgery in August, preferably before my son goes back to school on Aug 26.  I'll be posting when I get the approval and date.  Seems like it has been a long ride, and you are getting a good jump on things!!  In the big picture, it has only been 5 months at the most for me...not really that long for something so life changing.  I wish you the best of luck in your process!!  Feel free to ask other questions if you have them. 

I menioned it to my PCP and she told me she didn't know much about it but felt I wouldn't qualify. I didn't let that worry me. I picked a surgeon, booked my appointment and waited. Once I saw my surgeon...everything started from there. Your PCP isn't the one that will be doing the leg work. You'll need referrals and maybe some info from your chart but the PCP can't deny you that. 

Hi Jo,

Welcome to our Forum! Glad you're here!

Hopefully you get the answers you're looking for here. Check out some of our profiles. You will see that some of us have posted our journeys right from the beginning. To include all our pre-op requirements!

I wish you the best!

We're here for you any time with answers most questions you have. If we don't have the answers, we may be able to help you find them!

Again, welcome!  

Jules

Thanks everyone for the info... I set up an appointment with a doctor at the medical weight loss center in east greenwhich... I know it is a gimmick like evrything else but since I NEED a medically supervised diet I figured what the heck at least this will count towards something. I told my husband last night that the true reason I am going to the weight loss doctor was so I could get the surgery.   I will post a bit about my history in a new thread.