Anyone going to Dr. Mark Collquit in Maryville,Tn

I have been going to Dr. Mark Collquits office in Blount Memorial Hospital Physicians Building  in Maryville,Tn. for a RNY Bypass. I started on my journey here by first attending a Seminar in 11/2009 and went on from there. Paid my 1st fee upfront and started working on my classes and doing everything i have to do to meet their standards also while meeting all critiriea the insurance requires before they will pay for my surgery. I was called at home on 1/1/2010 by the office manager of the Dr. to let me know that after 3/1/2010 they will be contracting no longer with my insurance company which is by the way BlueCare medicaid connected to BCBS of TN. Well of course I almost had a coronary!!!! I was told that if we could squeese everything in and get everything submitted to the insurance that we should have no problems unless the ins turned me down. I did all of my classes & everything to meet the criteria the ins required and it was submitted on 2/2/2010. I am trying to be patient but oh my lions and tigers and bears OH no, thats from the Wizard of Oz ,well just picture me as Dorothy when waiting to get in to seethe Wizard.....I am not kidding!

I've been thinking I need to try & get the 14lbs off just in case they did call me with approval. I was wondering where I could get whatever is the best liquid diet stuff to get this off.

My honest advice is to find another surgeon. Even if you can squeeze everything in you will have to find a new surgeon to care for you after March 1. For long term care, you need a surgeon who will continue to accept your insurance. Unless of course, you are able to self-pay for your care after March. There are absolutely necessary follow-up procedures and labwork after surgery and there are very few surgeons out there who will take on a patient who had their surgery with someone else.

There are a few surgeons in Nashville who take BlueCare and my surgeon, Dr. Michael Hodge and his partner Dr. Watson take all forms of TennCare. I started with BlueCare but ended up with Ameri-Choice by the time I had surgery. You can check with the Bariatric surgeons at UT. I cant remember their names. Drs. Hodge and Watson are in Johnson City. I highly recommend either of them but it can be quite a drive, depending on where you live. With them, there is NO program fee and TennCare covers everything but the anti-nausea med on surgery day.

In your place, I would rather look for a surgeon I would be able to stick with rather than have surgery and then have to find a new surgeon.

Karen

Thank you so much for replying to my post! I started going to Centennial  Center for the Treatment of Obesity in Nashville and I think one of the Dr's name there was Dr Dyer. I went to a free seminar up there and then went back for another class. I got signed up for to start there and they set a date for surgery but first I would have to attend all the same classes as I did at Dr Collquits office. This place in Nashville charged me $50 to get things started and they obtained all of my charts from my Dr's here in Cleveland,Tn and we were half way thru everything then the lady that handles the insurance end of the deal called to tell me they needed proof of 6 months of supervised weight loss attempts. The lady and I talked about the other info they had and then in the same sentence she told; Oh by the way you are aware that we don't work with your insurance that you have. I read to her out of the manual they gave out at the Seminar where it stated that Dr. Dyer  would work on an out of network basis with Amerigroup,TennCare Select and BlueCare TennCare also I told what paragraph & page # she could find this on and told her that if what she was telling me was so they needed to re-write their information in the manual. I also told this lady before I even got started with anything with them what my insurance was, member #, & group # from the get go and was told then that they did take it. Therefor after finding this out I called BlueCare TennCare myself and asked for a list of Bariatic Surgeons they worked with and this is where I got the name of the Centennial in Nashville and also Dr. Collquits name and phone# at Maryville,Tn connected with Blount Memorial Hospital. I decided to go to Dr. Collquit since he was closer to me.

Dr. Collquit does ask his patients that are from out of town to stay a week in a Hotel not far from the hospital in case we have any complications and will be close. I thought if the insurance approved the surgery then the would accept the coverage of follow up until released to come back home and then from there on get my blood work done by my PCP and stay on my vitamin regime.  

I had Americhoice and had gone with Dr. Dyer. They called me on a Friday when everything was to be sent off to insurance on Monday, and told me they no longer take Americhoice. This was 3 years ago....fast forward  they started taking Americhoice again and I ended up getting my surgery in August. In between there I was denied once by insurance and had to reapply. I had to do another NUT evaluation (more $$) and another 6 month diet. It was a long 3 years to get to were I was when I had surgery.  I just wanted to tell you NOT to give up no matter what happens, you may have to start again, but hang in there until you get it done no matter who you end up with as your surgeon. ~shell
 

Thank you Shell for your advice and I hope I have enough strength and fight left in me to go on no matter what. I am glad to hear I'm not the only person this happened to. I am Happy for you and wish you the best of luck from here on out! 

so sorry this happend to you! Dr. colquit is my doc too. so far no problems with my insurance ( knock on wood!) I have bcbs of IL and was approved as of 1/29. I have 19 pounds to go of 50 he required me to lose before I can get scheduled.  As the ones before said don't give up!! You have come a long way.

I had the band done in Nov.  by Dr. Colquitt.   I hope you get some good news soon.  I am very impatient and I thought I would just die waiting..but when I got the call everything seemed to happen really fast after that.......I use the UNJURY they sell online or at the office..I like it . ..Lots of Protein....I didnt have to do the all liquid diet before surgery so I guess im not to much help..but....hang in there.......Everything happens for a reason......

Thanks for your response and thanks for the encouragement!!! I called the Drs. office today and found out that they have extended the deadline until March 31st !!!!!  Melody who works in the office and whom I think dearly of told me not to give up there is still hope and to keep my eye on my mailbox because sometimes the patient will get the OK before they will. So everyone I am still hanging in there. Thank God and anyone that has been praying for me keep it up!

An update to everyone who has responded to my post and to let anyone that has read my post and is having doubts too!  I called my Dr's. office this morning and talked to Melody she is so sweet. Melody let me know that they have moved the deadline for my insurance up to March 31st.

My information was submitted to the insurance on 2/2/2010 so I still have time to get in, we are just waiting on the approval now!! My chin has picked itself up off my chest now and I have hope. I will continue to stand on my Faith seems God may have a plan for me in this journey yet.
I pray the Lords will be done & I have the strength & courage to accept whatever the decision may be!

First of all, I totally agree - Melody is amazing!  =)

I am a patient of Dr. Colquitt, too.  I went through the same insurance deal with them, also - I have BlueCare.  BUT... Teri (the insurance gal) told me that I can switch my TennCare from BlueCare to Americhoice (which they will continue to take).  I had my surgery on 2/2/10 and am in the process of switching to Americhoice now.

Best wishes to you and good luck - fingers crossed!  =)