Frustration

I have spoken with three MD's offices in the last two weeks and my frustration level is increasing. I first called Dr. Virginia McGrath in Memphis and was told that although my insurance covers both open abdomen and lap sugeries, she can not see me because the hospital, St. Francis, that she works out of won't accept the in network amount that BC/BS wants to pay them. They told me that they are in negotiations with the insurance company and will call me if things get resolved, but as of right now they aren't taking any Bc/BS patients. I also spoke with a Dr. Alston here in Memphis and even though I can get in to see him in June, he doesn't do lap surgery, which is what I really want. The last physician's office that I spoke with was Dr. Madan's office. They told me that I had to send them in a $25.00 money order to purchase a booklet regarding Gastric Bypass before they would even consider seeing me. They do accept BC/BS, but refused to tell me how long of a waiting list they had. The only thing that the secretary would tell me was that the Doctor only see's 10 patients a week and she doesn't know how long it will take him to get to my name. I have gone ahead and filled out all the paperwork for all three of the physicians, so hopefully I wll hear something soon. Anyone else having these problems or has anyone else dealt with any of these three physicians? Please let me know.

Hi Anne, I had my surgery with Dr. Alston on 2/24/04 with great result. I don't have your ins. type but I haven't had any problems with my wls. keep the faith, Rhonda

Rhonda: Thanks so much. As I said before, I really want the lap surgery but if I have to have open abdomen, I am planning on going to Dr. Alston. A few questions for you though: How long were you in the hospital after sugery? How long from the first time you saw him to the date of the surgery you had? Did you go through withdrawl from the sugar and carbohydrates that you were eating? and last one I promise..... Is there a restriction on caffeine? I'm a nurse but I really want all my ducks in a row and I feel the best way to do that is to hear if from someone who has lived it. Do you regret your decision in any way? How much have you lost so far??? Talk to you soon......

I know you are eager to get in to a physician to get the process started. However, the wait is worth it. I think that most doctors are pretty booked these days. I had my surgery almost 4 years ago by a doctor in Dr. Madan's office. At that time, it was required that you attend a seminar or purchase the material regarding WLS. The reasoning behind this is so that they have provided you with as much information as they feel is necessary to help you make a very important life changing decision. WLS is not a simple task to undergo and some people don't take it as serious as they should. Therefore, doctors want to do their very best to prepare the patients for what they can expect post op, etc. You might also consider seeing a doctor in Nashville. I have several friends in Jackson (TN) who drove to Nashville when they couldn't get in to see a doctor in Memphis. Good luck to you. Whatever wait, tests, hoops you jump through, it will all be worth it! Toni Ross 7/11/2000 Preop - 317 1/2 Post op today - 170 (up about 20 lbs. from norm) (I've not been making good food choices lately!)

I already purchased the materials that Dr. Madan's office asked me to. My frustration is that they won't even give me a ballpark time frame of when I can expect to see someone or atleast talk to someone. I was also thinking of going to Nashville. It makes me really mad that Tencare reimburses the hospitals more than BC/BS does. If BC/BS would up their re-imbursement then I probably would have already seen Dr. McGrath by now.