Newbie from North Jersey..

hi all,  I am considering Lap-Band... I am curious if there are any Northern Jersey folks around here that have AETNA .. and had the Lap-Band...  I am curious how AETNA co-operated.. what surgeon you used.. and how long did the whole process take... from first appt to surgery date?

Hi & welcome.Where in Jersey are you exactly?I used Dr Pupkova @ BArix in Langhorne.She is awesome & so worth the drive.Her old associates Drs Bertha & Abkin are in Florham PArk & they too are very good.CAn't help with Aetna.Sorry

Welcome and good luck with the process.  I have Aetna and was approved with in one week but I had over a year worth of doctor supervised visits.  My company also has WLS as an option on there policy.  I emailed Aetna to find out what the guidelines are for having the surgery and if my company policy accepts WLS.  They got back to me in writing so I had all there guidlines in writing to follow.  You should email Aetna to find out your policy guide lines so you are prepared for your first doctors visit.   I had Dr. Bertha as my surgeon and he was great.  His office staff was great to work with and they handled everything with my insurance.   Good luck!

I second Michelle's recommendation of Dr. Bertha and his staff.  I also had no problems with Aetna and was approved within 10 days after everything was submitted.

Hi there, I use Dr. Garrison out of the same office as Drs. Bertha and Abkin.  He is wonderful and so is his staff.  I have Aetna insurance as well.  I had an approval in 4 days.  Carla made sure all my ducks were in a row before she would even submit to insurance so be assured they almost guarantee approval if you have all the right documentation.  Most important with Aetna is that you have been on  Dr. supervised diet for at least 6 months. Then there's the psych eval, cardiac, pulmonary, etc. Good luck.  I truly recommend Dr. Garrison as my surgeon.  He has the most wonderful bedside manner.  My family loves him.  Good Luck. I am doing RNY in 12 days.

hi all,  thanks for the responses here..  i contacted dr. garrison's office.. i was hoping he was still seeing patients out of the st. michael's location; but it appears he is based out of florham park only now.  i did however, schedule to attend the seminar, but it isn't until the end of the month...  under the aetna plan there is the 6 month documented option or the 3 month surgical multidisciplnary criterion...  has anyone did the 3 month surgical multidisciplinary route instead of the 6 mth with a pcp?  again i appreciate all responses.. i am still researching surgeons but i keep hearing dr garrison's name for some reason...

actually  dr  garrison  has a support group meeting  tonite  5/6 at  7 pm  in his florham park office..147 columbia turnpike  suite 308...  donna

I just had the Realize band done with Doctor Abkin (same office as Bertha and Garrison), and I can't say enough about them, and their staff. I think they deal with Atena, but I would call just to make sure. Feel free to contact me if you have ANY QUESTIONS concerning the band - no matter with which doctor you go to.

I am in the process of going through my 3-month program with Aetna. Today was my second of three visits. It is actually going very quickly. I have my third visit on June 5th and hopefully will be able to have surgery shortly thereafter.  The doctor says it will take 1-2 weeks after my final visit to get approved. He says that the good news is that Aetna is very good about approving surgery as long as you follow here routine. I am having Gastic bypass and I am using Dr. Gritsus who has his office on Pequannock and does procedures in both Valley and Chilton.  I too, can't say enough good about my experience. When I first attended Dr. Gritsus' seminar I was very apprehensive. During the seminar he made me feel like he was talking directly to me and I felt so comfortable talking to him.  His experience is exceptional and his staff are just as warm and welcoming as he is.  They also handle ALL of the paperwork with the insurance company. I have had to do nothing!  Good luck with your endeavor and I will keep a lookout on this board to follow your progress. Hope to see you on the other side.

Carla, the insurance person at Abkin/Bertha's office, told me that she has had trouble in the past with Aetna and the 3 month option, and that they (the office staff) really want you to do the 6 month one to make insurance go smoother. I have Aetna, and was approved for a band after an extra review by an Aetna doc.  He spoke to my PCP before they okayed me.