Anybody on Medicare How long was your waiting period for surgery.

   I,m on medicare and have been waiting on Surgery.  I have to six months under a doctors care.  I have no surgery date yet.  I been seeing the doctor for almost 5months.  I was just wondering how long it has taken most people who are Medicare to get approved for surgery.   How long was your wait.

 Hi..my wait was mostly about my Surgeons schedule. I saw her initially in Feb '09 and had my RNY on June 2nd. 
jude

I don't have medicare but do have state medicaid and hmo of united health care. And had to do the 6 months first. Then after the 6 months it went to the surgeon. I did not get to see the surgeon until he read my file and that took about another 2 weeks then got the call to come see him which took another 10 days or so. So I fnally got to meet him. Well he told me it would take a month to get approved. Well not even 2 weeks maybe 12 days or so. And they called and said I was approved ask how soon I want I said asap. So I was called on July 13 and went to surgery on July 28th and first saw my surgeon on June 30. The following week was all testing tht had to be done and seeing the dietican and getting my surgery clearance as well the physical part. Had my upper gi, blood work, ultrasound, etc.. So be ready for alot of test. Once it gets approved the time flies by so fast. And here I just got home yesterday.

HI THERE,

I WAITED 14 MONTHS BUT IT ALSO INCLUDED NOT PROPERLY HANDLING MY PAPER WORK TO THE MEDICARE BOARD AND MY HOME DR. NOT SENDING PAPERS IN WHEN NEEDED(OFFICE).
BUT ONCE THE NURSE ADVOCATE WENT TO THE BOARD  THAT SAME DAY I WAS APPROVE,SHE HAD EVERYTHING SHE NEEDED FROM ME AND THE DR'S FROM DIFFERENT TESTS AND ALL.

I HAVENT HAD MY SURGERY YET BECAUSE I NEED TO LOOSE 15 LBS BEFORE AND I CANT LOOSE IT...

I REALLY WISH YOUTHE BEST AND REALLYPRAY YOU ARE APPROVED SOON...

ALSO THERE WASNT A WEEK THAT WENT BY WITHOUT ME CALLING THEM AND ASKING FOR AN UPDATE...

GOOD LUCK
GOD BLESS
MARY JANE

  I was just going to say you look great in your pictures.  The pictures really tell the whole story. I still can,t image how it feels to have that weight gone and being able to move about freely.

I have Medicare but by the time the surgeons in the city I live in jerked my chain around and I chose to go to Denver for my surgery. Well lets just say all my needed tests and appointments were all ready done so by the time I got to the right bypass surgeon I had my surgery ok'ed and a date given to me like 3 weeks after the first day I met him. (Hint this was after well more than 2 years of getting the local bypass surgeons JERKING ME AROUND) Medicare authorizing is not really the problem hunn.. it is all the pre requests you have to complete and as long as you meet all those, Medicare is pretty much automation from what I hear. Or at least it was for me. It is up to you on how long all the clearances take and how hard you push all the different offices to get the appointments and their individual paperwork to your surgeon. But do remember the 6 months is a requirement for Medicare but also remember to see that nutritionist and the diet they need to follow you during that 6 months. Just seeing any Dr for 6 months, once a month, is not what Medicare is looking for. Make sure you get accurate information from your surgeon on what your specific requirements are or that 6 months may have to re start over when you do get the right info. Every persons needs are different but Medicares requirements are pretty specific. I do not know all the specifics for their fine line but by the time I got to the right surgeon every requirement was all ready complete for me and the authorization was automatic. Also remember during that 6 months you can also go get your other clearances.. like Cardio, Pulmonary, Psy...ect.... you can do these while you are doing that 6 month diet and Dr/nutritionist monitoring. So at the end of the 6 months you are ready to go. GOOD LUCK

Kathy

  Thank you for the help.  I started thinking.  I was just being unreasonable.  It was just me.  but, Doctor and his P.A.s don,t want to mess with Medicare.  So they putting me off saying I had to lose more weight.   when I first went to see him I weighed 380 pounds.  but, I had already lost 20  pounds. 
  He told I had to lose between 70 and 8o pounds before surgery. So that after surgery.  I could reach a normal weight.  He gave no real guideline for a diet.  Just eat your vegatables first. No junk food.  No Desserts, No cokes.   I had pretty much given all that up any way. So wasn,t a big deal for me.  I haven,t had fried food in years.

But, I haven,t been able to lose the weight like he wants.  I got down to 350 then gain 10 pounds back.  He just keeps me hanging keeps telling to come back in three months.   Then he if I lose twenty more pounds he will do the surgery.  Then a week later I get a call from his P.A. saying.  That I need to redo my six month -diet because.   My medical doctor did not document enough stuff on my report and They were electronic reports so they could not be redone.
       So found after visit my sugeon for nearly a year.  That if was the first they ever looked at my paper work.

    My medical doctor said,  That his documentation was fine.  that he done this before without complains.  He had put everything needed on my paper work.
       So I did not know what to do.  But, to redo my six- month diet.