Question:
My doctor is having problems with payments from Medicare and Medicaid

As of July 2001, my doctor is having problems getting approvals from Medicare post-surgical patients bills are being rejected and are now on appeal. How can I find out if Medicare will give information on how to get approved or give my doctor some assurances of payment? He is very reluctant to do more procedures and I have been waiting for months to get my surgery done already. Any help would be greatly appreciated. write me at [email protected]    — Lil F. (posted on September 1, 2001)

September 1, 2001
If your bills are being reject post-op, if you were given approval there should be something in writing somewhere. If you're looking for approval of your own surgery, your surgeon should have an insurance staff who handles pre-approval. If he just flat out won't take Medicare, then don't waste time = find another surgeon. I am fighting with insurance and my surgeon's office isn't the most ambitious to help and it's taken me 8 months this far to get my approval which I still haven't gotten for lack of cooperation. Good luck on your journey.
   — Elizabeth D.