Question

I live in the Knoxville area and am interested in Lap Band surgery. However, the surgeon at Fort Sanders Park West requires a large "up-front" sum even with my BC/BS of Tennessee. Is there someone as good but not as expensive?

an up front sum? for what??? My surgeon did require that I pay whatever the rest of my insurance deductible would have been at the time of my consultation... but I got it back a few months later. I had some other medical stuff that I was getting taken care of and had my deductible technically met before I even had the consultation, but it wasn't showing up in BC/BS of TN's records yet. That stuff takes a while for insurance to process I guess.

Dr. Boyce requires a program fee of $3000 to pay for different thing that aren't covered by insurance. My insurance paid the program fee for Dr. Boyce but I was prepared to pay it if my insurance didn't because I feel like he is the best. If you don't feel comfortable with the fee then Dr. Colquitt in Maryville does the lap band and his fee is less. Janie

Benita, Dr. Colquitt in Maryville Premier Surgicals is an excellent Dr. He did my gastric bypass last January. Here's his number 865-984-3413. He's also in the top of the center of excellance with Medicare and so is Blount memorial hospital. He charges $200 to register on line after you attend the seminar. Then the balance of $300 at your first consult. That's it, unless your insurance only pays say 80%, then you would have to pay the balance. Most insurance companies pay just about all of the surgery. He is a real sweet Dr. and great bedside manner. I checked out a lot of surgeons, and thought I didn't have a chance last year when I was diagnosed with leukemia. Dr. Colquitt said he would do my surgery as long as my oncologist sent him a report regarding my blood work and the white cells had to be in normal range to help fight infection. At that time my white cells were 50,000. Normal is 4000-10,000. A month later on the right chemo pills for my type of leukemia my white cells were in normal range and she was more then happy to send a referral. I found out the first part of November that they were booking for December. I didn't want to take any chances of being in Nashville and have something go wrong. I asked for the first date available in January, one resolution that wouldn't get broken. I was 277 and I'm now 145 to day and my ll months out is on Saturday. I'm 15 lbs to my goal. You will be in great hands with Dr. Colquitt. Check him out, don't know too much about his partner who assists Dr.Colquitt, but I know I didn't like his bed side manner when I had my surgery. May God travel with you on your journey to a new life, Kathy