Question:
My family and myself all set for Feb 26 surgery now not happenning

On Dec13 2000 i went to the obesity center in morristown nj i was given a surgery date of feb 26 2000, i went for all my pre tests and was cleared for surgery, so i called the center on feb 8 2001 to see what was going on and the director said my file was put in the insurance denied pile by mistake and now there is no opening til march 27 2001, i have made plans to have my business covered and all other plans and now i am screwed any suggestions on a different surgeon who may be able to accomadate me quicker    — sonnybone (posted on February 8, 2001)

February 8, 2001
David - Did you speak to one of the office girls or the office manager or surgeon? Knowing that you have all of your plans set and you own your own business, maybe if you spoke to them again and tried to reason with them, they could get you that date again.. After all, why should you be penalized for what was their error ? Good Luck ! Diane C.
   — Diane C.

February 9, 2001
IF YOU WERE HAPPY WITH YOUR SURGEON UP UNTIL THIS POINT THEN YOU SHOULD STICK WITH HIM. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS OR NOT BUT WLS IS IN. MY FIRST CONSULTATION WITH MY SURGEON ISN'T UNTIL MARCH 8TH. I MADE THIS APPOINTMENT ON JAN 30TH. I THOUGHT WELL GEE MAYBE I COULD GO TO ANOTHER SURGEON AND GET A CLOSER APPOINTMENT ONLY TO FIND THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES. SINCE THE WLS EPISODE OF OPRAH AND THE FACT THAT CARNIE'S BIG NEWS MOST SURGEONS ARE BOOKED UP SOLID, AND NO ONE SEEMS TO BE CANCELLING ANY APPOINTMENTS AND I CAN'T BLAME THEM A BIT. MY SUGGESTION IS THAT YOU TRY TO BE AS PATIENT AS POSSIBLE AND SEE IF YOU CAN MAKE ANY OTHER ARRANGEMENTS. I UNDERSTAND YOUR PLIGHT AND HOW FRUSTRATED YOU MUST FEEL RIGHT NOW, BUT IT'LL PAN OUT FOR YOU. GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING APPROVED, SOMETHING I HAVE YET TO DO.
   — [Anonymous]

February 9, 2001
Similar thing happened to me, in that I found a surgeon and he was booked until May. I was told by the insurance company that I was approved for the surgery, not the surgeon so I was able to continue shopping for a surgeon that does the WLS surgery. I did this by not going through the Obesity clinics (which is what I tried to avoid), I went through my insurance company's web site and found a general surgeon that specializes in gasteroenterology. This surgeon of course was 'in network' and I'm so glad I found him. Most people may disagree with me, but I tried to stay away from the 'commercial' surgeons in the Obesity centers. I found a very competent surgeon and could not be happier.
   — corpdiva2006

February 9, 2001
I had a very similar experience happen to me. Mine was postponed until after the 1st of the year, but my insurance was changing on Jan. 1. The nurse would not even hear me out, so I emailed the doctor and told him how devastated I was. He wrote back and sweezed me in on Dec. 21st. Find out if your surgeon has a email address. They are much more accomodating than the office staff. Good Luck.
   — Judy G.