waiting

Ok,  so i've waited 2 months for my initial appt with the surgeon and it's finally approaching in 2 weeks. I have BCBS and i'm wondering if there is anything i can be doing right now to speed the process up? I just want the damn surgery like tomorrow! ok not tomorrow i know there are like 3 months worth of tests... but really soon. So anything i can be doing to speed up... who should i be calling?

I found BCBS to be pretty easy.  Really the only thing they want are the test results.  It wouldn't hurt to call them and see if there is anything special that they require that you don't have - like a supervised diet or a letter from your primary care.  Good luck!!!

so do you think that after all the testing is done, that will be it... i'll get a date or is there another wait period? So you have BCBS?

Schedule an appointment at a sleep ctr. if you haven't had sleep apnea testing.  This can be a long process & is the most time-consuming component of all the required testing.

I suppose you could also phone the office & say that you are available if any cancellations occur.  Two weeks isn't very long, really.

Good luck!

Hi,

Besides what the insurance requires, most surgeons require that you have a psychological & cardiologist evaluation, dietician appointment and an endoscopy of your stomach to rule out any problems.

If you need referrals, ask your primary care physician to help. He/She should be working closely with you as they will be your guidance when you are between regular follow-up appointments with your surgeon.

Also, my surgeon, Dr. Pohl, wanted me to have a pre-op physical with my PCP and a letter (or office notes) stating I was physically 'fit' for surgery.

Good Luck!

Jules

Julie, i swear i have the worst PCP ever, first off every time i've gone to the dr's i've seen a diff dr cuz mine is never available. The one i did see didn't even want to give me the referral because i have no medical problems until i started bawling my eyes out in the office. I go to family care at memorial. So as far as working closely with my PCP i would love that but i do not see that happening. I just feel like i should be doing something while i'm waiting. I'm so anxious, this is all i can think about.

Yes I have BCBS.  After completeing all the tests I had a followup meeting with the doctor.  At that point they submitted all of my paperwork and within two weeks I had a date.

Any idea where i should call to schedule a sleep test?

I had mine through Dr. Millman ~ I saw Lauren his RNP though.

Good luck!

Pam

the problem with trying to schedule the apts beforehand is that most Dr's have certain places theat they request you go to.  The longest wait was the sleep study, the nutritionist, and the psych eval.  The other tests were either scheduled for me, or walk in's.

I had BCBS and had no issue at all with getting approved.  The only criteria the plan we have had, which I called the number on the back of the card and found out the requirements, was that BMI over 40 or BMI over 35 with co-morbidities.