Question:
How do you get through the waiting?

I had medical letter written and sent to cigna indemnity ppo and btc before my consult. I also had psych eval and other tests done before my consult. Consult was on April 22, 2003 at btc in Ypsi...Now I'm told by btc it could take 3 to 4 weeks to get my paperwork sent to cigna as its in the insurance part. What takes them so long????    — Karen D. (posted on May 9, 2003)

May 9, 2003
Karen, I feel your pain. The waiting is usually due to doctor's having to review your file, and the usual office paperwork shuffle. What I did was kindly called them every few days "just to check status of my file" and it seemed to help move things alone. My wait time was cut because I took an active role in getting things pushed through. I called the other providers doing tests and asked that they fax my test results to my doctor ASAP and to also fax a copy to me for my records. That seems to move them more quickly. They may get a little annoyed, but they are getting paid to do what they do, and they are not the one's waiting for surgery. When it was all said and done, I mailed my surgeon and his staff a very sincere thank you card expressing my gratitude for their hard work. I hope this helps.
   — Happy I.

May 9, 2003
I had my surgery at BTC in Wylie, TX. I agree...politely let them know that you are on top of things. You might check out some of my profile for my timeline for getting things scheduled...
   — Amy W.

May 12, 2003
Hi there! The waiting is definitely hard, and it doesn't get any easier once you get approved. My suggestion is to do what I did -- have the attitude that it's going to happen, and start preparing! I was denied but then approved 2 weeks later. You can read my profile if you want the details. Just do stuff to help you get ready -- organize your clothes by size (I have a whole new wardrobe for when I've lost about 40 lbs!), get yourself some small tupperware so your meals don't look tiny in a giant tupperware bowl, start a wls scrapbook, do your spring cleaning, etc. If you want, go to the library, put in the keyword "consumed" and read my question I posted titled "Is anyone else consumed by their pending surgery". There are lots of fabulous suggestions and it will help you to see you are not alone in your frustration! As far as your asking what takes the insurance co so long? Two answers, one - sometimes they are that busy/backed up in their paperwork. And two - bureaucratic red tape! It's just typical for anything that requires approval by a government or business agency! The only way I could deal with it was to TRY to put it out of my mind, not to easy to do! Frequent this website and read people's profiles -- they are very inspiring and it will give you something to pass the time. Good luck!
   — beeda

May 12, 2003
Not that I am looking for pity or anything but one way to help the wait is consider those that are waiting A LOT longer. I thought I had it bad....got the referral January 10th, seminar February 11th, Consult March 3rd.....been waiting since then....it has been 9 weeks since I have had all my testing done and what I am waiting for is for my doctor to dictate a letter to the insurance company....meaning my case hasn't even been to the insurance company yet, it has been sitting in a pile of charts waiting for him to talk into a dictaphone....for 9 weeks, it is getting really old. I was upset and then I saw people that are put on waiting list that are a year or more and I didn't feel so bad....don't know that it helps but there isn't a lot you can do.
   — Sarah S.