Please if anyone can Help!!!

I have been on the waiting list for the UW for almost two years now and would like to know what or when I may be called or where on the list my name is so that I can figure out what my next step is. I am on medicaid insurance and the only place that I have found in WA State that will take my medical is the UW, so I put my name on the list along with my PCPs help. My comorbidities are going up, as I already had high blood pressure, arthritis, agoraphobia, asthma, diabetes, sleep problems but now my kidneys are starting to act up, my arthritis is getting worse and so are my legs. I don't want to keep going downhill just because the state doesn't want to help, but feels it is better to have to pay for 15 pills a day for me instead of paying for the surgery and me getting off those pills. Please if there is anyone out there that knows what I need to do now then let me know as I don't want to go into a wheelchair or have kidney dialysis when what is causing all this is my weight. I have started exercising on my own trying to loose the weight, but due to my legs it is not going real well. Please Please help ANYONE....

I'm so sorry that you are going through such trouble. I'm on Medicare and they require that bariatric surgery be done at "Centers of Excellence" I'm wondering if Medicaid has the same requirement. Here is website for Medicare that will show approved centers. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareApprovedFacilitie/ I am going to Legacy Good Sam Obesity Center in Portland OR. Don't give up. You might post your inquiry in the "Insurance" forum, maybe someone there knows something. Good luck and let us know how it's going, DeVonne

Hugs to you!! I'm sorry you're having to wait sooo long for your surgery. Can your PCP find out where you are on the list and update your file with your worsening medical conditions. At this point it sounds like it's more medically necessary than ever!! I'd probably start there and see what can be done. Good luck with everything and let us know how it goes! Tina

Dee, I am so sorry to hear about your struggles. It may not be any help but Sacred Heart Hospital here in Spokane just had its Center of Excellence inspection late October and is awaiting the certification. My surgeon's bariatric coordinator expects it to come some time late winter, I think. She already has a very long waiting list of people with Medicaid who must wait till the hospital gets its certification. But she said that whoever decides against the surgery at the last minute will get bumped to the end of the list to make room for the next person in line. They are discussing adding another day of surgery during the week in order to expedite the backlog of patients. I think she thought that they should have gotten folks caught up by the end of summer. If that isn't too much longer for you to wait then maybe you could give her a call and discuss the situation. Let me know if you'd like the number and I will send it to you. I don't know if I should just post it here without her permission. Molly

The other posters are correct about the center of excellence thing. I'm pretty certain that St francis in Federal Way is the ONLY center of excellence in washington state right now. I would contact them and find out which surgeons work out of that hospital. I believe that Dr Shrikanth (I think that's how you spell it) is out of that hospital. Hope that helps and good luck!! Corinna Q

Dr. Srikanth and Dr. Oh are out of St Francis. They just added another dr but I don't remember his name. Tina