I don't know where to start.....I'm new at this

My insurance will finally pay for bariatric surgery! But I have no idea how to even contact a surgeon or a clinic. I understand that this type of surgery is performed in Portland? Can anybody help me with my first step?

Linda Im glad you found the site On the left hand side where you posted your message there is section that says Bariatric Surgeons, click on that, there is 27 surgeons listed in Oregon. Also if you go back to this spot and click on other messages at the bottom of the box you'll see the word profile, if you click on people's profiles it list their weight loss story and their Dr.'s name. Good luck and you know where to find me if you have any questions. Gail

There are sugeons around the state, Linda. It's hard to help without knowing approximately where you are. Are you within travelling distance to Portland? Have you research what type of surgery you are interested in? You can call any surgeon's office for a consultation. Here in Portland, there is Legacy and OHSU and Kaiser. I had mine at OHSU and highly recommend them. tee

If you don't mind traveling to Southwest Washington, my surgeon is Dr. Cagle and she is awesome, only does lap RNY. She has a pre-op group that meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 and afterwards does a presentation with her partner Dr. Dally of the surgery. Other than that, I would recommend calling your insurance company and ask them for their criteria for bariatric surgery in writing so that you can start on the requirements. Mine required a 6 month Dr. supervised diet.

Hi Gail, I see you found me! Thank you all for your help. I have the same insurance as Rose in this discussion. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/OR/postdetail/6568.html?vc=0 Evidently I can only go to one specific place but I have no idea where to start or who to call.

Call the place your insurance has identified. Ask for bariatrics or gastroenterology. They will send you to the right place. tee

Thank you, I suppose I should get in touch with my insurance company. It says in my handbook that "Surgery is performed in a Center of Excellence recognized by Regence BCBSO". Of course I have no idea what that means.

Linda, I am a state employee also, don't know where you live but I am in Eastern Oregon and I am having it done in Portland at Oregon Health Sciences on the Hill. There are more than one Preferred providers in Portland that do the surgery and I am sure that you can find one of them. All the docs that do the bariatric surgery at OSHU are preferred providers and that is where I am going. Had my NP and dietician visit last week.

Sonya thank you so much for the info! I'm usually am good at researching things, but for some reason I'm feeling so lost on this subject. I have heard there is a Bariartric clinic in Corvallis. I could also go to Portland, I would just prefer not to. Where do I find a list of Preferred providers? How long is it estimated that you will be off work? That is a huge concern right now. I'm not sure if I should even be checking into it....yet.

Hello Linda, My name is Lisa and I live in Albany. I'm pretty much an occaisinal lurker on this board, but I saw your question about a clinic in Corvallis, and I just had to answer. YES, there is a Bariatric Clinic in Corvallis. Dr. Read does the surgeries, and he has a whole staff and process dedicated to this. We have a support group that meets monthly, and everyone keeps in touch with you. It's FABULOUS. I had surgery in July, and couldn't be more pleased with everything. It's called Samaratin Bariatric, and I will e-mail you their phone number if you like. (Not sure I should post it on a public forum?) As far as being off work, there have been some folks that were off for a long weekend (5 days all together I think), others that were off for a week or 2 weeks, and others who had complications that were off for 3 months or more. I tend to be a slow healer, and was off for 6 weeks and would have done better had I been off for 8. It just all depends. Dr. Read has montly (or every 6 weeks?) information sessions that you can sign up for (they are free) and that would get you started. Their office is FABULOUS about contacting insurance companies and all that. They could certainly help and get you started. Good luck in your search. E-mail if you would like more information. Take care, Lisa [email protected]