Overcash in ocala??

Hey . I am having a problem. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. I am 16 years old. I called my insurance company and the lady didnt not ANYTHING. She read right out of the book. Same thing i read over and over. It says " gastric bypass or stomach stapling - eligible members must be 18 or over". Well She told me to call a surgeon that is willing to accept a 16 year old. I called dr. overcash's office and was told he MAY or may not , but i can schedule an appointment and meet with him and he will decide. Now the thing is , i dont want to go there and him say no BECAUSE of bcbs not covering. I am in St Augustine. Ocala is a ways away. I could not find any surgeon in this area. I need help. Would overcash deny me because he thinks my insurance will not cover or will he take a shot with the insurance( if he decided to go with me). Any suggestions ? As of now im not going to make my mother drive all that way with me until i can find out for sure! I need all the help i can get!!!!

I was at an info session recently where a young lady (under 18 y/o) asked Dr. Overcash if he would take her as a patient based on her age. He was very candid and said he will take young patients BUT he requires psych followup after surgery for younger patients and he wants to meet and get to know their parents to make sure that the patient will have the necessary support and psych maintenance for aftercare. He told a story about a young guy who he had done surgery on who didn't get the necessary support from his family after surgery, the family never changed their eating habits and basically told the young man to fend for himself after surgery. Well, this patient really struggled with everything emotionally and Dr. Overcash said he doesnt want any other young person to go thru what this poor patient went through without the necessary support. To me, that showed he truly cared about his patient and has since established more stringent practices with younger patients. I have chosen Dr. Overcash as my surgeon and I think if you and your Mom can make the drive, you should meet with him, you just have to go into it with an open mind. However, I think you should research and consider more than just one doctor to feel confident in your choice, don't just go with the first doctor who will take your case. I will tell you Dr. Overcash shoots from the hip and doesnt hold back anything, so do your research, know the risks and make sure your family is aware of eveything too, he will probably try to talk you out of the surgery because you are younger. He tried to talk me out of it and I'm 40 and have been overweight my whole life, but he wants to make sure we each have done everything possible before we enter this major lifestyle change. Good luck P.S. The drive isn't that bad if you go thru the Ocala National forest (can't remember that stateroad number), you pick up that road in Daytona.

I have heard good things about Dr. Overcash, and I'm confident he will be more concerned with your ageand health status then with the insurance co. He will want to make sure that you can handle such a life changing experience and also the kind of personal support you will be getting from your immediate family. Make the appt. and take the drive. You are going to a Dr. with a great reputation in our state. I myself will be driving from the west coast over to Ft. Lauderdale for my surgeon. Ask anyone, finding the most qualified surgeon is by far the most important issue in WLS. There is also Dr. Jawad, in Ocala, he has a great reputation. Make two appts. and then you can have 2X the chance. margaret

Michelle, When I hear the name Overcash I cringe! He almost killed a freind of my familys and I have NOT heard anything good about Overcash. I had gone to a support meeting at 3 weeks out and this meeting was the majority of his patients and they all had something go wrong during or after the surgery. I don't think I would have had they surgery if I had went to that meeting first. But before my surgery I did so much reseach it was sick. I finally decided to go with Dr. Jawad. He has a really really GREAT rep. and They are awesome. And they are willing to work with anyone *****ally needs the surgery. He is very understanding about weight and very comasionate(sp?) Sylvia, his NP, is who you will probably talk to and she is awesome too. SHe never make you feel stupid about anything you ask or any concern you might have. He also is in Ocala. If you need his # let me know I will be more than happy to send it to you. ([email protected]) I live in DeBary and it is a 2 hr drive for me but it was well worth the drive! PLEASE reconsider using Overcash! Good Luck ! Kim RYN 1/06/2004 261/211

Wow, my experience at the support group was the complete opposite and found his patients love him and did not hear of a lot of complications. In fact, I have kept up with several of them and they are still doing great. I have heard nothing but great things about Dr. O for the three years I have been considering surgery. I have also heard great things about Dr. Jawad, US Bariatrics and others but I liked Dr. O and his staff best. Could you email me privately the details of your friend's surgery? I would like to know more, if you aren't comfortable sharing that with me, I understand. Thanks Amy

I live and work in the the healthcare field in Ocala and know both of these surgeons because I've taken care of their patients. My question is simply this - do these surgeons or their office staff read these boards?

Since some doctors advertise or help sponsor the site, I would think they have someone reviewing the boards periodically. I know someone posted a newspaper article recently about a doctor that is a sponsor on here and the article was pulled shortly after it was posted because it was not a favorable article. I thought that was interesting... But it is very important to keep things in perspective and realize that EVERY doctor is going to have some difficult cases which may result in lawsuits or bad press. I am most concerned with their mortality rate, number of surgeries performed, bedside manner and aftercare. Just my opinion... Amy

Amy...that is EXACTLY why I chose Dr. Yasrebi in Jacksonville...tough surgeon......but.... 23 years experience doing RNY Never lost a patient Never been sued Does only 3 surgeries a week...not 3 a day No wound infection 23 hours max in the hospital leaves a feeding tube in for 6 weeks so you hit the floor running Doesn't allow anyone to change your bandages but HIMSELF Changes gloves an gown 3 times during surgery Cleans the abdominal cavity out 3 times during surgery It is soo important to research your surgeon and make the best decision possible. I know insurance plays a big part, but I chose to pay his fee myself (hospital and all others covered) so I could have the surgeon I felt would be the best for me. Love and Huts Charlie The Old Surfer Girl

Thank you ALL for responding!! I have always wanted to go with overcash, i hear from many people he was wonderful. The only thing was the drive. But now im FORCED to go to him because no one around here will see me. The drive just sucks. I just wasnt sure if he was going to take me or not based on insurance. I would atleast like to try and fight it. Thanks ALL!!! If anyone else has more info they would like to share with me , I would LOVE to hear it. Best wishes. Michelle

Well, let me just say that my choice in Ocala surgeons is Dr. Jawad who has an excellent reputation, very few infections, an acceptable level of good outcomes, and was voted the best of the best by his peers in Ocala Magazine as THE premiere surgeon. Read into that what you want and feel free to email me if you like. ~Jan