Question:
Has anyone had any luck getting past the refusal for the first appointment.

   — marguerite B. (posted on October 24, 2001)

October 24, 2001
Which 1st appt? The PCP appt or the surgeon appt? And why were you refused? My advise would be to BE PERSISTENT. If you meet the criteria, no one should be able to refuse you. If it's a surgeon or primary care Dr., find a new one. They work for YOU!
   — careywatkins

October 24, 2001
If it's your PCP that is refusing to give you a referal to see a WLS surgeon for a consultation, then CHANGE YOUR PCP. Don't bother trying to change your PCP's mind! This is what I had to do in order to get a referal. In fact, what you might want to do is research and determine which surgeon you would like to do your surgery. Then call that surgeon's office and ask them to recommend a PCP that is WLS friendly and is under your insurance. This site is a great way to research surgeons and insurance. Don't give up!
   — Gina E.

October 24, 2001
I assume you are talking about scheduling a consult with a surgeon. The only reason (I can see) for refusing to set up a consult would be if you didn't meet minimum requirements. If you have a bmi that is under 40 or if you are aren't morbidly obese. If your pcp won't schedule an appointment to discuss a surgical referral; find a new pcp. May pcp's have only outdated knowledge of wls and won't refer patients to surgeons.
   — [Anonymous]

October 25, 2001
My PCP said that she could not "recommend" the surgery because she did not know anything about it, but that she would support whatever the surgeon said. I paid for the surgeon consult out of my own pocket, and he then recommended surgery, made a list of the tests I would need and sent me back to my PCP. My PCP, even though she wasn't crazy about the idea, signed off on the series of tests. It turns out that I have sleep apnea, GERD and hypertension that was undiagnosed before the trip to the surgeon's office. No wonder I felt so bad! My PCP is much nicer about the whole thing now, so I hope that I am educating her about the other MO people she sees and the need to consider their needs seriously! I tried to get another PCP, but no one could see me within one month, so I tried this route and it's worked -- so far.
   — Eli C.