TennCare determination on Bariatric Surgery

Subject: TennCare determination on Bariatric Surgery Great News!!! It's Official. Monday I received confirmation from the Bureau of TennCare. Tenncare has made the final decision regarding bariatric surgery. They will continue to cover bariatric surgery. Below is a quote taken from the letter explaining coverage in the future. "We are pleased to advise you that we plan at this time to continue coverage of bariatric surgery, as long as the surgery meets TennCare guidelines. This surgery is not 'routine' surgery and will be covered only when there is appropriate medical support for it." J.D. Hickey, State of TN Deputy Commissioner I want to take this time to thank all those who contributed to this success. The collaboration from the Tennessee Bariatric Programs (surgeons, program directors and staff); the Obesity Action Coalition as well as my associates clearly paid off. As a group we quickly realized the significance of such a decision and that it was more than just coverage of bariatric surgery for the uninsured and under-insured of Tennessee. Pam Davis, RN, CCM P.S. FYI-TennCare is now following pretty much the same criteria they do for their commercial BCBS products, they require documentation in the medical record of your weight loss attempts. They will not accept a "summary" letter from your PCP. Pam

hi i was wondering about the bariactric surgery, how long does it take to get approval from tenn care