Question:
I have just been approved and find it may be 2004 before I can get in. Is this normal
— michael M. (posted on February 24, 2003)
February 24, 2003
I don't know.. but it only took about 3 weeks from approval to surgery. I
don't think it should ever take more than a month or two, in my opinion.
Look around for sure!!
— SarahC
February 24, 2003
Hi there,
That seems like a really long time. If your insurace permits I would
start looking around for a different doctor with a much shorter waiting
list. Things happen and you may have to change your insurnace company or a
number of other things that would prevent you from having the surgery.
Just my opinion,
— Jennifer M.
February 24, 2003
Hi Michael. That sounds like a real long time to wait since you already
have your approval. I've heard of it taking a year from start to finish.
I'd definately look around and don't think that just because a Dr. has a
long wait that it necessarily means he's the "best". I found
that in my search that the Dr.'s with the excessive wait often is because
they are general surgeons who perform "emergency" surgeries
before gastric bypass "elective" surgeries. My doc had an 8 week
wait from approval to surgery. Not too bad. Good luck and congrats on
your approval. ATLEAST YOU ARE ONE STEP CLOSER!!
— denisel
February 24, 2003
Unfortunately with the rise in the number of people getting wls the wait
time is getting longer and longer too.I think that alot of it has to do
with the state you are in also....for example....the state that I am in
only has about 7 or 8 surgeons who do the wls and they are all booked.It
takes a few months just to get in to the seminar,then a few more months for
a consult,then a few more months to get approved,then a few more to get an
actual surgery date.The usual time length in my state is around 9 months to
a year.We don't have enough surgeons here for the demand.But then again you
hear about people getting there surgeries done 2 weeks after talking about
it with there pcp's...but I don't think that is the norm.
— jennifer A.
February 24, 2003
I had my consult in Aug of 02, Surgery is scheduled April of 03, That is an
8 month wait.
— Jamie M.
February 24, 2003
I made my appointment with my surgeon back last March, the first
appointment I could get was in September, and I am having surgery on April
3rd. This surgery is becoming more and more popular. My doctor's office is
typically scheduling surgeries at least 4 months in advance after approval.
Hang in there, it will be here before you know it.
— tpalmer
February 24, 2003
Get on the phone and start checking around. If you don't have restrictions
then even look in the adjacent states. I would not have put up with a 1
year wait after approval.
<p>My surgeon is a general, trauma and WLS doctor and he manges to
get people scheduled within 4-6 weeks after approval. He does 5-6 WLS a
week as well as many trauma and general surgeries, not to mention seeing
all the patients and he's the director of the trauma department. So if he
can manage to schedule things sooner than a year, then I think all surgeons
should be able to. I would think 4 months max, from approval, would be
reasonable.
— zoedogcbr
February 24, 2003
Yes, it is common for the date to be so far out. It was 10 months from my
consultation to surgery date. I thought it would never get here. I will
be a year since surgery and I am smaller now then I was at 17 years old,
I'm 49 now. It is worth the wait.
— Robin G.
February 25, 2003
My wait was 15 months (from the day I brought the issue of WLS up with my
PCP, until my date of surgery). I don't think it's unusual, especially now
with so many people trying to get this surgery, to have a wait of a year or
more. Some people seem to still have short waits, but in general, most
people have to plan for at least a year out of their life from
pre-to-post-op. It's frustrating, but well worth it in the end. Hugs, Joy
— [Deactivated Member]
February 25, 2003
Michael, I took a look at your profile and you say you have BS/BC, is it
possible that you could go to another state with the same insurance plan,
you would still be in there network, just another surgeon, or state. I
think I would call your insurance company and talk to someone that could
help you, some people could really be a matter of life or death, tell them
that you really need to have them help you find a allternative to the year
wait. Hope this helps
— cindy
February 25, 2003
Waited 18 months, thought I would lose my mind. There is no excuse to have
to wait so long for life saving surgery. Now 5 months postop and down
102#. Don't give up, hang in there, but look for alternatives ie. other
surgeons, hospitals, etc.
— Dana S.
February 25, 2003
This waiting period is not uncommon for a good surgeon. My surgeon is not
taking any new patients at this point because his program is so booked. If
you are satisfied that you have chosen the best (or one of the best)
surgeon(s) in your area, then it is worth the wait, to get the
experience/expertise you deserve.
— Esse
February 25, 2003
Hi All. Just gonna play devil's advocate here. I know we all want surgery
as quickly as possible. I think there were some comments that
"there's no excuse for having to wait that long....." "you
should never have to wait that long...." etc. Unfortunately there are
many valid excuses for having to wait that long. Most of us tend to think
of the surgeon as the whole program. However, he's just one component of
it (a pretty major component but still just one piece of the puzzle).
First, there has to be O.R. space. Many hospitals simply don't have enough
operating rooms to do a large number of cases each day. This is true even
in large hospitals. There are many, many types of life saving surgeries
that take place in the O.R. each day so we can't justifiably say that one
is more important than the other. There is also a critical nursing
shortage in the U.S. right now. Even if you did have surgeons willing to
operate late in the day you'd still have to find an O.R. team to work.
There just aren't enough nurses. I am genuinely sorry that you're having
to wait and I understand your frustrations completely. But, if you're with
a surgeon you feel safe with, your health is reasonably good and you have
insurance coverage I'd say he's probably worth the wait. I say this because
I just want to be fair - we can't blast the surgeons who are generally
working as fast and efficiently as they can. Possibly start attending a
local support group. Also ask if you can be placed on the cancelation list
and maybe you'll get a date sooner. Hang in there.......you're gonna make
it!
— ronascott
February 25, 2003
Hi Michael. I know that it's so frustrating to wait. When I had my
surgery back in 2000 I had to wait approximately 8 mths from start to
finish (and that's when not as many people were having it done!). My
suggestion is to take this time and learn as much as you can about the
procedures and what your after care is going to be like. Please take the
time to learn what it's like on the "other side" that way you'll
be well informed once you get there!
— Cristy K.
February 25, 2003
Mine was also an 8 month wait, Mar 01-Nov 01. Now my surgeon has a waiting
list of over 200. Their wait is over a year. I really feel for them. I
thought my day would never come! I used that time to dig into researching
the surgery and preparing the best that I could. Some of the wait time was
b/c pre-ops had to attend mandatory nutrition classes, and of course all of
the other pre-op exams needed before surgery. All of the services/classes
were booked way in advance due to the influx of pre-ops. I know this is a
hard waiting period, but it WILL happen for you.
— Cheri M.
February 26, 2003
Thank goodness I live where one of the top surgeons in the state works and
does WLS and I only had to wait 9 weeks start to finish. I still do not
believe it has to take a year or more if you are an advocate for yourself.
I already had talked to my insurance and knew what they required. I made a
contact at the insurance company that my stuff could be sent to so it would
not be lost 3 times first. I already had talked to my psychiatrist about
doing my psych eval before I saw the surgeon. Once I saw him, Wed before
Thanskgiving, the following Monday I faxed letters to 4 of my providers
asking them to send office notes and letters to the surgeon documenting
other medical conditions. I asked them to take care of this within 1 week
and all except my internist did. The surgeon was insisting on a new sleep
study so I got on the phone to my pulmonologist and asked that he get this
scheduled. I told him if he needed to see me fine but it would need to be
soon as I was hoping for surgery by the end of January. He ordered the
study without seeing me and I got in 2 days later because I called the
sleep center and explained my situation. I made sure the results of my
sleep study got to the surgeon right away. Since my pulmonologist wasn't
getting around to it I called the sleep center and asked them to fax it and
explained my situation - they did. Once I knew that everything had been
faxed to insurance I kept in contact with them. I got a letter they wanted
additional information on a Saturday and the following Monday it was faxed
to them. I had my approval a few days later. As soon as I had my approval
I called and got my surgery date and pre-op testing info. I also had to
end up having a 2nd sleep study to be fitted with a BiPAP machine. They
could not get me in for 2 weeks (2 weeks before surgery) so I started
calling around to other centers. While I was doing that the local sleep
center was trying to call me and tell me they could get me in 2 days
later.
<p>The moral of my story is that it can take a lot longer if you sit
back and let everyone else put things together. If you take charge and get
everything arranged then it can happen very quickly. I ended up needing a
Cardiolite stress test 10 days before surgery and the doctor's office said
they could not find a table that would hold my 432 lbs - supposedly had
tried for 2 weeks. It took me exactly one phone call to find a place and 3
phone calls to find one literally in my back yard. I am not a person who
sits still for being a folder in a pile that someone will get to when they
have time or feel like it. My surgeons office and surgeon is extremely
busy yet he manages to get in 5-6 WLS's a week in between trauma and
general surgeries. I do not think he is some super human doctor so why is
it he can and others can't turn this around in a normal time period? In
the world of healthcare if you want to get things done you MUST take charge
yourself. My persistance paid off because I had my surgery Feb 3rd. Even
if I had not pushed hard worst case with my surgeon is 3-4 months unless
you have major problems with your insurance. JMO
— zoedogcbr
February 27, 2003
I waited approximately 6 weeks for a consult appointment, then had surgery
8 weeks later. I was the one who had the need for a specific surgery date,
and got lucky. From what I am reading, I think it depends how many
surgeons are in your area and are on your plan. I now realize how lucky I
am to be living in a city with many qualified surgeons, although I did not
have to compromise in my choice to get prompt appointments. Good luck!!!
— Fixnmyself
March 2, 2003
WOW...That dosen't seem right, I wonder why so long? I live in California
and have Blue Cross PPO. I had the RNY, It took only 3 days for my
approval. In fact it took me less then one month to see my Dr. get my
approval and get my surgery date set. I am now 7 days post-op and so far
doing great. I wish you luck and hope you get in much sooner.
— Kathie W.
March 2, 2003
My consult was in August of 02, my approval came 3 weeks later....Surgery
is scheduled April 23. . A total of 8 months waiting from consult. (I also
have BCBS ppo and had NO problems getting approval, Surgeons office did all
the paper work). I think the more there are applying that it would not be
too much of a surprise that the wait is up till 2004. Hope you get a sooner
date...Good luck, Jamie
— Jamie M.
March 2, 2003
I just saw my surgeon for my first consult on Feb 19. I had to wait four
months to see him after I made my appoinment in Oct'02. I needed a specific
date for surgery beacuse I am a teacher and I was able to get the date I
wanted (July 3rd). If I wanted to have my surgery in mid to late April I
would have been able to. I was told that my paperwork will not be sent to
insurance until mid May or early June and if I get approval it will only
last for 30-60 days. So my wait to have surgery will be a total of 9
months.
— Lisa N.
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