My approval package is ready to submit!!!

I'm finally done with all my preop testing that the doctor ordered and now I'm ready to begin the actual approval process. I talked to Dr. Lord's office yesterday and they have my package together and ready to go except for they were waiting on my primary doctor to fax the letter of medical necessity to them. I specifically made an appointment with my primary care doctor back on May 14th just for the purpose of asking for the letter and she agreed to do it and assured me it would be done within a couple of days. Well....it looks like that didn't happen. Anyway, Dr. Lord's office called her and she told them she would dictate it and mail it to them (And she also was going to fax it to them so they could have a copy sooner and go ahead and get my approval package sent in to insurance). Am I getting close to getting a surgery date??? ........stay tuned!! Send positive vibes my way!! I'm afraid to get too excited. Betty

i am right there with yas! wish there was a way we could find out sooner, but alas, this hurry up and wait seems to be part of the process. i'm also trying to stay busy so i don't completely lose my mind, but it's difficult not to think about it. ~kas

Here are some positive vibes aimed your way. I wish you the best of luck.

Thanks Angie. I appreciate it. Betty

has anyone told you to call your ins and inquire about the decision? my sil just had wls done a mo ago and she actually found out she was approved before her surgeon's office did, by calling the ins co and asking-daily for 4 days in a row. when she got her approval number, she called it into her dr's office and they set a date right then! had she waited on her particular ins (bcbs/ga), she would have had to wait on them SNAIL MAILING the answer to her dr's office. ugh! i'm thinking of calling my ins on monday ~kas

Hi Kas, I definitely will be checking with my ins co. I plan on calling my doctor's office on Monday just to verify that my package did indeed get submitted. Once I know that for sure, then I will begin to follow up on it myself after I give it a couple of days or so for them to begin processing it. Let us know what you find out on Monday. Good luck!!

Hi, I know how you feel, my primary MD took over a month to prepare the letter of medical necessity. When the surgeon sent my package to the insurance company I got denied because my bmi is not 40. I haft to wait a couple months and then go reweigh. My bmi is 37.8, but I have sleep apnea, a fatty liver, and bad knees. Thought for sure I would qualify, I'm 16 lbs too light. That is very depressing. Good luck with your process. Kary

Kary, Fortunately (or unfortunately -- however you want to look at it) my BMI is well over what my insurance requires. I meet all the requirements listed in my policy, but one never knows what will take place when things are sent in for approval. I may run into problems too, even though I more than meet all the requirements. These insurance companies can come up with all sorts of things to delay the process. I'm sorry you are experiencing a problem. Sometimes the insurance will approve someone with less than 40 BMI if they also have comorbidities such as sleep apnea, etc. Maybe someone here can give you some good tips on the best way to submit an appeal to the insurance. Good luck!