Dr not on board

I am currently doing a 6 mo supervised diet. I'm almost done but my doctor says I need more time and doesn't recommend doing gastric. Do I need my dr to be on board or can I get them to send the paperwork to my insurance and get it approved? If so, how do I go about doing that?

Thanks so much.

really concerned :/

Is this your PCP or your surgeon?

Why does your doctor feel you need more time? What is the rationale?

Some insurance policies require aproval from your PCP. The only way to find out if yours does is to ask.

MY PCP was not in favor of me having WLS, she signed but under protest. I was angry with her and told her I was going to find another PCP. My PCP called me at home when I was about 3 months post op and we talked for quite a while, she called me as she was receiving medical records from my program that was showing my progress and I walked out of the hospital off from all meds including insulin. I went back to her. She never admitted she was wrong and we have often joked that she helped to motivate me. While I think it is important to have your pcp on board, they are not the experts when it comes to WLS. I wold check with your program/surgeon and get some input from them.

My insurance required approval/release from my PCP. I had thought I could do an end-run around her by using a clearance/referral from my rheumatologist, but she refused to do it. Still not sure why, since it was on her recommendation that I got off the fence about it in the first place. But anyway, I'd been going through the process assuming my PCP would be against it because she'd always been all about the low carb gluten free or whatever diet program she was pushing on me. Ended up having to delay a couple of months because my blood pressure had been on the way up and ended up too high for surgery and we had to get it under control, but my PCP was actually very happy about my having it. She'd been harping on me about my weight for years. Now she's all but cartwheeling down the halls. :)

I would ask your PCP what her objections are based on. Is she biased against WLS? Is she seeing something in your history or presentation that makes her have a concern? Does she for some reason think you will be successful with diet/exercise alone? Knowing what the objection is can allow you to enter into a dialogue with her and give her some information and research to better educate her. (Or him, you didn't say...) If your PCP isn't interested in a dialogue where you get input and can bring information/research to the table, then you don't have a partnership in your health, and I would suggest finding a new PCP. It might delay your process (depending on your insurance requirements), but you'll be glad in the long run, and your PCP would likely delay it anyway if she's biased against WLS or something is going on.

You may be able to get a new PCP who is willing to sign off on it after an initial physical exam and history, even without an extended relationship.

As others have suggested, your insurance company is the one to ask about the specifics of their requirements.

I would ask him/her "more time for what?" following up with a break down of how long you've been over weight and all previous attempts at losing weight and the results you ended up with. My doctor was a little resistant as well ... but I pointed out to her that I crossed the line to obese right after my daughter was born ... my daughter was 20 years old. I crossed the line to morbidly obese when my son was born ... he's 15. Then I outlined all my diets that failed.

If that seems too aggressive ... maybe write it in a letter and include a print out of this article. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/814800