YES!!!!  Im on Medicaid (DSHS) and just had surgery my surgeon is Dr Lauter in Bellvue, LOVE HIM

Hello can you please give me specific info on your approval with DSHS and the Doctors.   Did you have a DSHS Open Medical Coupon or did you have Healthy Option w/ Molina?   Also can you give the names and ph #’s of the providers who helped you?   I am finding it very hard with DSHS Medical Coupons and am getting very discouraged! Anything you can do to help would great!   Sincerely,   WLS in Seattle

I was self pay with Dr. Lauter in 2005. He was trying so hard to get Medicare approval even back then. He felt strongly about EVERY patient's right to this surgery. I am so happy to hear that he is finally able to offer it to those who can't afford it or do not have insurance. I highly recommend him and his staff. He gave me my life back!

The magic combination for getting WLS is having a surgeon who accepts Medicare/Medicaid, a hospital who does the same AND is a Center of Excellence. Overlake Medical Center finally got their COE designation at the beginning of this year. They have 3 surgeons working out of their hosptial, all of whom accept Medicare. Medicaid is a special case - best to check out their Bariatric Surgery page and get in touch directly with the coordionator. There are 2 physicians who do GBS out of Virginia Mason for Medicare patients, but only Dr. Hunter does a lap procedure. At St. Francis, only Dr. Aparovich accepts Medicare. Provider lists can be accessed directly via the Medicare website or by calling them directly. They are super nice and easy to talk to.

Dr Ravi Moonka in Federal Way, same practice as Dr Hunter Takes Medicare for sure, don't know about Medicaid. 

Rockwood Bariactric clinic, Spokane, Washington
1800-776-4048 ext 2607

This clinic works closely with Sacred Heart Hospital together they are.
a center of excellance.  The two Dr's are Rawlings and Bright and have just hired a new fellow which will start taking patients in Sept.

Wow, RaeAnn. . . absolutely amazing results! We really do need to get together one of these days!

Dr. Spitz at Sacred Heart also accepts Medicare. (not medicaid, but the hospital does) He works with Dr. Bright mentioned earlier at Rockwood - mine is being done June 2nd - and I'm looking forward to having my life back too.

Thank you all, i finally got a hold of the University of Washington Medical Center. They are sending me the info on what i need to do , and the letter i need to give to my doctor telling her what all she needs to do. I can't wait i am so excited. I know it's not going to be a walk in the park , but i am 29 and desperate to get my life back. Wish me luck. YAAAAAAY! ME.

The University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle accepts Medicaid and Medicare. To obtain more information, call (206) 598-5879. We have four surgeons, Dr. Patchen Dellinger, Dr. David Flum, and Dr. Brant Oelschlager  perform gastric bypass and lap band, while Dr. Andrew Wright performs lap band only.

Chicago Surgical Clinic, LTD
201 E. Strong St., Ste 7
Wheeling, Illinois 60090

does any one know if medicare and medicaid pays for revisions? 

I am having surgery covered by Medicare ( I don't know if they accept Medicaid) by Dr. Rawlins in Spokane, WA

Name:  Dr. Rawlins
Facility:  Rockwood Clinic South/Sacred Heart Hospital
Phone:  509-838 2531
Address:  801 S 8th Avenue Suite 7070
Spokane, Wa 99204

There are 3 bariatric surgeons at this site: Dr. Bright and a new one whose name I do not know.  I assume they also accept Medicare. 
Judi Ryker
judiryker@comcast.net 
Judi 409

for those of you who have been approved, it would be nice for you to post info. on how you went about applying thru dshs, how long it took from beginning to end, and what conditions you got approved for having that were effected by your weight.  i don't have diabetes, but i do have asthma, edema, back and joint pain and it documented.  but what if one doesn't have anything.  i of course have documented depression and have been medicated for it.  please this approach would be helpful.  i have spoken with molina, they do cover it, i have a cnp coupon and molina.  they told me to expect the process to take up to a year.

I am on mediciad with a cnp coupon. There are 3 stages to approval. Stage 1 is just having your doctor fax the request with lab reports and documentation as to why you are a good candidate. Stage 2 (the one I'm in) is a 6 month process....dietician visits, 2 times a month for 6 months, psychological evaluation, monthly visists to your primary care doctor, evaluation by an internist and surgeon, as well as losing 5% of your weight and keeping it off for the 6 months. One that is all done, you go to the final stage, stage 3 which is picking one of the 3 approved facilities, the UW, Oregon Surgical, or Rockwood in Spokane.

Good luck! I am still in stage 2 and have been for 8 months due to lack of people that accept mediciad for the psych eval and the dietician.

Hello,

I just found out today that Dr. OH in Federal Way accepts Medicare :-)

Nancy

So far I have found:

Name   SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON MEDICAL GROUP If they accept Medicare and or Medcaid  MEDICARE-YES Phone number  360.213.9955 Facility  PACIFIC SURGICAL SPCIALISTS Address 505 NE 87th Ave. Suite 301 Vancouver, WA 98664
ALSO....
Name  DR ALPEROVICH If they accept Medicare and or Medcaid  MEDICARE-YES Phone number  425.251.5111
Facility  ST FRANCIS HOSPITAL, FEDERAL WAY Address   16850 SE 272nd St  Covington, WA 98042
I've spoke with both Dr Alperovich's office as wll as St Francis.  St Francis indicated that both Dr's Oh and Hirai, but I hsve not spoke with their offices for confirmation.

Dear Mambers,

We at Franciscan Health Systems have a surgeons who accept Medicare and DSHS:

 Dr. Ki Oh/Dr Thomas Hirai

Accepts Medicare/ NO DSHS

Phone: 253-275-6030

Dr. Gabriel Alperovich

Accepts Medicare and DSHS

Phone: 425-251-5111

Hope this helps.

Nora Forsell

Bariatric Coordinator

St Francis Center for Weight Management      253-944-6544

St Francis Hospital

Franciscan Mission:
 

To nuture the healing ministry of the church by bringing it new life, energy, and viability in the twenty-first century. Fidelity to the gospel urges us to emphasize human dignity and social justice as we move toward the creation of healthier communities.

Vision:

We are the South Sound's first choice for healing of mind,body and spirit.
 

 

I am sorry to use such strong language, but the post stating that Dr. Oh at St. Francis takes Medicare is just a hair away from being an outright lie. After attending one of his seminars last year, I did not recieve the promised intake pack. I called and called and called, and each and every time I actually got through to a live person was asked up front "what kind of insurance do you have? This was also asked at the seminar. After sending a fax to the office manager about not being able to get through to a real person  AND not getting an intake pack, I finally got one. When I tried to turn it in and set up a consult, I was denied.  After pushing for an explanation, a staffer eventually admitted his practice is a Medicare provider, but they take "only a few cases per year" and there is a 2 YEAR WAITING LIST.  If you ask any of the bariatric professionals in the Puget Sound area, they will tell you point blank NO PHYSICIANS who work out of St. Francis take Medicare. except for Dr. Aparovich who only recently re-established his practice. In my case, it was stated in no uncertain terms during my March consult at Virginia Mason Federal Way. Additional evidence was provided just last month when Group Health Bellevue needed to move more than 70 Medicare patients b/c they were no longer part of the COE certification process, and ONLY VM took any of them. Beyond that, Virginia Mason is currently the only provider group in our area which has the magic of being a COE, accepting Medicare, performing  RNY in addition to gastric banding, and doesn't have a mile-long waiting list. However, they have only ONE provider who does RNY as a lap procedure, and he is in Federal Way. Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue just had their COE inspection and hope to have their certificate by the end of the year.  I have been a part of their program since the beginning of '09, and finally had to go with VM because their COE certification was dragging on and on, and my health was not holding up. Because their group is open to any and all WLS patients from all providers, I am still attending their AWESOME meetings, and switched my post-op care back to the surgeon whom I originally hoped to work with.

I had a horrible experience with Dr. Oh's staff's customer service. I really feel that they are solely in it for the money.