Anyone have/had Kaiser?

Hello! I'm on the waiting list to start my 24 week bariatric program with Kaiser and was wondering how long it took you to actually get into classes. Thanks!

I have Kaiser and did my classes in Fontana. It took about 3 months to get assigned to a class. A friend of mine is currently waiting to be assigned her class and she was told it could take 3-4 months to get in. She's been waiting a little over a month so far. Good luck!! =)

Thank You! I'm just so anxious to get started with the classes. I know it's worth the wait though. I will be doing my classes in Bellflower.

It seems they are opening more and more classes, so maybe it will not take so long.  I went in person to the office in Riverside (van Buren) and they found a spot starting in less than one month.  I think they must have had a cancellation.  Good luck! 

Thanks! I'll have to take a drive to see if they have any cancellations...

 In the state of CA you don't have to do the 6 month supervised diet (Kaiser's bariatric program) or lose 10 % of your weight before you can get approved for surgery.  The CA DMHC (Dept. of Managed Health Care) a state agency that oversees HMOs has a peer review that states that once you are identified as a candidate for WLS (you meet NIH criteria) you do not have to do a supervised diet or lose weight prior to WLS.
File a grievance with Kaiser about having to do the bariatric program. If they still deny and state that you have to do the diet, call up the DMHC and file a grievance. Hopefully thtat will speed up the process for you. Did you know that Kaiser also covers the DS? We are fortunate to live in the CA and have a state agency who will advocate for patients. Research all your options and I hope you'll be able to get surgery sooner if you don't have to do the pesky and unbeneficial diet. Best of luck

SUMMARY CONCLUSION
There is no literature presented by any authority that mandated weight loss, once a patient   has been identified as a candidate for bariatric surgery, is indicated. There is a mixture of results that question whether weight or truncal obesity is a risk factor for complications after bariatric surgery. The more analytic studies have not found that body mass index (BMI) or total weight isan independent risk factor for complications or death from bariatric surgery. 

No institution that has recently published data on bariatric surgery describes a protocol requiring weight loss between identification of the need for surgery and the surgery. Many institutions in California have published results of surgery with particular focus on factors that contribute to morbidity and mortality. No paper from a California institution mentions mandated weight loss before bariatric surgery. Nor does any literature regarding the treatment for the morbidly obese recommend continued weight loss during the period between identification of the need for bariatric surgery and the surgery. 

Mandated weight loss prior to indicated bariatric surgery is without evidence-based support. Mandated weight loss prior to indicated bariatric surgery leaves the patient at increased risk from the patient’s comorbidities. Mandated weight loss prior to indicated bariatric surgery is not medically necessary. Mandated weight loss prior to indicated bariatric surgery would be deviant from the standard of care practiced in the United States and other published countries. The risks of delaying bariatric surgery, while not entirely known in the short-term, are real and can be measured. Any potential value of losing weight prior to bariatric surgery is theoretical and not supported by any data. An experimental study including fully informed consent to determine if there were a reduction in risks or other benefit from mandated weight loss prior to bariatric surgery is indicated.
Here is the link:
http://www.dmhc.ca.gov/aboutTheDMHC/org/boards/cap/Bariatric REV.pdf

Yup...about 2 months for me.

That's awesome! I hope it goes that fast for me...

Hi Christine,
  I am going through Kaiser in Fremont.  They do not require any classes.  They do require the 10 percent weight loss though.  This is how my timeline went:

Aug 24th  Orientation
Sept 17th  Surgeon consult, Nut consult - was already below goal weight YAY!
Oct 2nd  Gallbladder ultrasound
Oct 9th  Psych eval
Jan 16th Preop
Jan 27th  Surgery.

I feel that I am very lucky since the whole process is only taking me 5 months.  I can't wait to be on the losing side!

Wow...yeah you are lucky! In southern ca you have to take the 24 week bariatric class before surgery..Goodluck to you!