Just got accepted by insurance for bariatric-Tumwater

I don't know what to expect regarding time frame. My insurance company is Uniform and my case manager is Riaz. I have decided to go with a hospital in Oregon as it was highly recommended by Riaz. My husband's a pharmacist and said to definitely not use Virginia Mason. I have to lose 13 pounds. I want the surgery tomorrow! What is a reasonable time to have to wait?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer. I would love to connect with someone in the area to talk about what I should expect.

Hey there I am here in Oly,  I had my surgery through Madigan and the whole thing took about 6 months.  Not too sure about civilian ins, I think a lot depends on weather your ins requires a 6 month diet.
I know a lot of people who had surgery through Virgina Mason and have done quite well, IDK why your hubby doesn't like them.
Type me anytime!

  Time really is your friend - even though I know you want this done yesterday!  Many insurances have 6 month or more wairing periods, and some only give a surg. date after you go through a series of classes, so the answer is a firm "it depends!"
  Use this time to gather as much info as you can from this site and others. Go to support group meetings and hear the ups and downs you can expect. We all have had different experiences and are willing to share!
   As far as the doc/hosp. in OR, you may want to check the Oregon board for others that have used them. I don't know where you are located, but if you are very far from that hosp., do make sure you have a local doc (your PCM?) that will see you in an emergency.
   Congrats on getting started on this journey!

Not sure where your husband's pharmacist got his info about Virginia Mason... they were rated in the top 10 in the country for gastroenterology and bariactrics (per KING 5 news about a week or 2 ago). I would ask around here because I used Dr Chang and mine was flawless.

I would take that info with a grain of salt and ask people that actually know.


Just my 2 cents...

Hello there,
I have Uniform and Riaz is my case manager as well. I've heard good things about the Legacy program in Portland as well as VA Mason. Congrats on making the first step and getting into the nurse case management program and the first step of losing your 5% weight. I have been told that from starting the case management to surgery date is about 6 months depending on how fast you lose your initial 5%.
Where do you plan to do your support groups?

Thank you for your reply. I haven't found a support group yet. I don't know if there are any in the area.

Which hospital in Oregon?  I think the wait for Good Sam (Legacy Obesity Institute - OWLS) and OHSU are both about three to four months -- depending on whether or not your insurance company will pass on the approval quickly or not.

I know I needed to go to a seminar then go through a series of tests and then wait a month before I was even able to see the surgeon.  I think the process is still pretty similar.  Most of my wait time, though, was waiting for the insurance company to give their stamp of approval.

Good luck on your journey!

Lori

Thanks Lori. The hospital in Oregon is Good Samaritan.