New clinical study that sutures both pouch & stoma

I think each site is different, but I had my upper GI at my local hospital (Duke) in mid-December, and the results were sent to the study doc.  Then had my endoscopy on Jan. 11th, and it was two weeks before I heard back that I was "officially" accepted into the study (based on the dilation of the stoma).  Again, I'm sure each site is different, and my site is Baltimore.  Betsy

I contacted this study and yes, you have to pay for your intial upper GI study.  this is a snippet of my email from them.

Hi Tami,  You would be responsible for the costs of the endoscopy and doctor’s consultation. Once you are selected for the trial, we can cover any medical costs of the surgery and follow up tests. Unfortunately, due to the volume of requests, we are not able to cover the tests needed to determine eligibility.  

 You can have the endoscopy and upper GI done anywhere however we prefer to have it done here (in New York) as our doctors know what to look for in terms of measuring the size of the pouch. I do not have any insurance and am unemployed so this is not a good plan for me... so I will keep looking... Good Luck to everyone else... hope this helps... Tami