Question:
Tommarow is my Primary care Physican Appointment, anyone have some advice?

I see my regular doctor tommarrow. I have to ask him if he will write me a letter of medical necessity. Does anyone have any advice on what to bring? What to say? What not to say? What to ask for? I would appreciate your advice. From what I've heard my insurace paying rests mainly on his letter so I'm pretty nervous.    — Kicker (posted on February 6, 2002)

February 6, 2002
Go in with information concerning the surgery you want. If this doctor is new take a diet history and medical conditions you have that could be caused by your weight. Do your homework and have all the information with you. I found that my PCP did not know anything about this surgery and I was prepared with all the info I felt he needed. It really helped alot that he saw I was so well read on the subject.
   — Rebecca D.

February 6, 2002
MY first visit to my pcp he ordered a sleep apnea test. I found out I had severe oxygen deprivation as well as the sleep apnea. He knew that the surgeon usually requires that. The pcp also said that my diabetes must be in better control, as well as my depression. He sent me back to the endocrinologist and changed my antidepressants. In other words , he gave me a tune-up. If you have any comorbidities, make sure they are being treated. I have a very long wait before the surgeons consult so I have been able to take care of all this before seeing the surgeon.the tune-up gets you physically ready for surgery and also gets the documentation you need for the insurance approval. good luck. by the way I WAS APPROVED TODAY!!!!!!!
   — PATSY N.

February 6, 2002
I did a lot of prep work before I saw my PCP. However, it was not used. The doctor who will be performing my surgery wrote the letter of necessity - he did not need any of the info and letters that I had already obtained. Since he was a "specialist", he knew the right codes to use and the right things to say. You may want to check with the WLS doctor to see if his office does the letter... Good luck
   — Ann O.

February 6, 2002
What you need to take depends upon two things: (1) what you need from your PCP and (2) how knowledgable your PCP is. If your insurance co. requires a referral and your PCP has never referred anyone before, you will want to have as much info as possible available. Print out the medical journal type articles available on the internet and through this site to take to your PCP. If your PCP is not very knowledgable, you will want to educate him/her. If you have chosen a surgeon already, take any materials that surgeon has. If your letter of medical necessity is going to be from your PCP and not from the surgeon, then you are going to need to take your medical history of weight loss attempts, co-morbidities, etc. that are not in the files with your PCP. My PCP was pro-WLS and has been a great help to me. My insurance did not require a referral first, so I chose my surgeon and he did all the letter-writing. Good luck
   — mskarns

February 6, 2002
Just let him know how much you need his support. Tell him you know there are diseases lurking right around the corner and you would appreciate his support to nip this obesity in the bud once and for all so you can get on with a healthy lifestyle. Keep reminding him you're doing this for your health and don't mention vanity.
   — blank first name B.

February 6, 2002
I never asked my PCP for a referral. I told him he needed to write me one. I was determined and positive and was not going to let anything stand in my way. I'm now 3 weeks post op and have lost 29 lbs so far. DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!!
   — Goldilauxx B.