Question:
I was wondering if any one knew how long it takes to get a date?
I have Kaiser still fighting for approval, but was wondering if anyone knows how long after approval to get a surgery date? — kathy B. (posted on July 7, 2002)
July 7, 2002
It depends on how many insurance approvals come in at any particular point
in time and how busy your surgeon's secretary is *G*. At the Hospital of
the University of Pennsylvania, there are 500 people waiting for WLS. If
they get a handful of those that get insurance approvals at a time, then
the secretary has to call each in turn and set up surgery dates with them.
And my surgeon shares his secretary with another surgeon. As far as when
the date of surgery will be in relation to the date you were approved, that
depends on how busy the surgeons are and how busy the hospital is. At
HUP, WLS tends to be a lower-priority operation as far as booking OR time.
When I had called my surgeon's secretary the week before approval, she had
told me that the July slots were gone and that the August slots were all
but filled. However, when she called me to tell me I was approved a week
later, someone with a July 17 date had cancelled and it was offered to me.
Thus I am 10 days away from surgery right now... Good luck in getting
approval soon and getting a quick surgery date and good luck with your
surgery.
— John Rushton
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