my surgery cancelled
I am very unhappy. My Lap RNY was scheduled for this Wednesday, the
20th, at Moose Lake, MN. I found out last Thursday, the 14th, that
there was a problem with the insurance. It was denied! I called and
called the insurance group that does the deciding and left messages,
but they did not call back. Friday morning I finally got a call from
them, just an hour before my pre-op exam appointment, and was told
they needed at least two years of physician documentation of
attempted weight loss. When I had previously called the insurance
people (three times) and asked what they needed sent in to them for
sure, so this would not happen, I was told they only needed a letter
from the surgeon stating this was medically necessary. Now, this
close to the surgery, they decided they needed more info.
I called my PCP and explained the situation, as there was still time
before surgery to have the reviewer change his decision. My PCP was
very frustrated with this as he had already sent one year past
history as was requested, but he got my file and faxed a letter to
the insurance people documenting my weight loss attempts since Phen-
fen in 1996.
Today, Monday, I got a call from Moose Lake, and they have cancelled
the surgery because the insurance did not do an approval. They did
not cancel until today, so they gave the insurance people the weekend
plus this morning to complete the review. I just got a call from
insurance, and the letter will go to the physician reviewer today,
with a decision today or tomorrow. A little too late for surgery
this week
I’ve had a horrible four days in limbo, not knowing if I would have
the surgery on Wednesday or not. My stomach is just a wreck. I was
nervous about the surgery, as is normal, and now I’m just ready to
cry and give up on the whole thing. Maybe I can lose weight on my
own, without this hassle! I just do not know what to do now. I am
not even sure if I want to reschedule the surgery, after the
insurance approves it, as I know they will.
Don’t bother feeling sorry for me, as I feel sorry enough for myself
*pity party going on here*! Sorry this is long, but I am frustrated
to the max! I’ll let you all know what I decide, when I decide.
Thanks for listening.
Pamela L.
July 27th, 2003 at 5:30 pm
In a message dated 2/18/2002 3:27:25 PM Pacific Standard Time,
plent@… writes:
You know, even when everything goes without a hitch in terms of insurance
approval, scheduling, etc., many (probably most?) people go through a LOT of
emotional changes before the surgery–is this really worth it, should I make
one last attempt on my own, etc., etc., etc. I know I went through that.
Everyone I know who has had WLS went through that. To add to this dealing
with a last-minute denial which, while you are working at super-speed to get
corrected, leads to cancellation of your surgery, must be tremendously
frustrating! Especially when the insurance company could have asked for all
this in advance, saving you the hassle, the being in limbo, having to
re-schedule at the last minute, etc.
If you really thought that losing weight without surgery were a realistic
option for you at this point, you probably wouldn’t have gone this far in
going ahead with the surgery. It sounds like it might be the frustration and
anger talking.
As you probably know, this isn’t the time to make a hard-and-fast
decision…a piece of completely unsolicited advice from a total stranger is:
see what happens with the insurance approval now that they have the needed
documentation; see what then happens in terms of scheduling a new date; and
then see where you are with going ahead with the surgery. Once things are
back on track, you may feel very different. I know that there are others on
the list that have faced last-minute roadblocks, hassles, cancellations, etc.
Some might choose to share their experiences. It’s really difficult to be
so focused on a specific date for a major surgical procedure that offers you
the chance to take control of your life and then have the proverbial rug
pulled out from under you, in a reminder that seemingly arbitrary rules and
timing still have some control over the whole process as well. Frustrating,
annoying, maybe a little depressing, and probably not the best time to make
(or un-make) major decisions!!!!
David
July 29th, 2003 at 12:56 am
I totally agree. I can just about guarantee that you
OK - so maybe I over-reacted!
will feel much better once you have a new date and are
back on the path.
I was scheduled for surgery last Wednesday (2/13). I
got a call at 6:15AM to say the surgery was cancelled
because the surgeon was sick. I LOST IT!!! I was so
scared that I’d have to wait another 3-4 months to get
scheduled. My poor husband was ready to go up to the
doctor’s office and camp out to get me in sooner. I
was so ready for the surgery. I was already up and
showered and ready to go when they called. It really
was a blow.
Waiting until 9AM when the office opened was the
longest 3 hours of my life…limbo. Once I got
through, it took until around noon to get rescheduled
for this coming Monday. I immediately felt relieved
and like a normal person again instead of a raging
maniac
Anyway, I would definitely wait until you get a new
date and see how you feel. Don’t give up.