Good Morning. Do you know who your surgeon is?

Yes I know of a similar tale. Someone who was given a sandwich to eat in hospital while recovering from RNY. They had to be re-operated on within days of the first op as the food caused very serious issues.

Seriously, bread in hospital!! They wonder why they're not losing.

This is why these boards are so great.

I also had to use a COE to get my surgery paid for by my insurance...and self pay was not an option. Not if I wanted surgery before I turned 80. But COE's are only a designation required by insurance companies...it just means the hospital/surgeon has met the criteria of NUMBER of surgeries done.

My surgeon just recently switched hospitals and lost his COE for most of the year. It's back now and ALL he had to do was have a set number of surgeries to get it back.

It's the insurance company's way of regulating it not the MEDICAL community's way.

thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/27/fewer-complications-at-bus iest-bariatric-centers/

One surprising study finding was that so-called bariatric "centers of excellence" did not necessarily have lower complication rates, and in some cases, actually had higher rates.

"It's important for patients to understand that hospitals that have Center of Excellence designation have met minimum standards for safety," Birkmeyer said, "but they're not necessarily the hospitals with the best outcomes."

Yes, I also used a COE but...only because my insurance demanded it not because he was the best surgeon.

Liz

I was also in the predicament of having to use a COE because insurance required it.  I didn't really like the idea of feeling like my hands were tied.  So I did my homework and asked tons of questions before going forward.  I still call my surgeon's office whenever I have a question.  I call so much that his MA knows it's me (or even DH) when she looks at her Caller ID.

I can also say that my surgeon was not my first choice (neither was the hospital).  I started researching another surgeon and his office roughly a year before I started my process.  I really didn't like his attitude or that of his staff.  Following my gut, I did some research on him and the hospital and found a host of issues.  He was also listed with a COE, but I decided to hold off on going forward with WLS.  I'm glad I did because his practice just recently lost a malpractice lawsuit here in FL.

Over on the VSG forum, some of the vets periodically post info type posts for the newbies. It's kind of like a FAQ format. Perhaps we can compose those types of posts for our respective surgery types and post them occasionally. Kind of like a public service announcement.

As for my surgeon, I didn't have a choice, I have Kaiser so I was assigned a surgeon. DH had his VSG back when they were still using outside contractors. He got to go to a very experienced surgeon and a top notch hospital. Me, I think  the surgeon was good, but the hospital, uh, sucked big time. However, I grilled the surgeon at the consultation, the pre-op, and even asked a few more questions the day of surgery. If the answers had not been acceptable, I was willing to max the credit cards and clean out the saving to go elsewhere. Knowing that this was a one time shot, and that if the surgeon screwed it up I could have life long problems, I wanted to be sure that I had the best chance possible for a good outcome. DH was provided photos of his hiatle hernia repair & sleeve. I asked my surgeon, he said no.

On a side note, my DH's surgeon wasn't an option for me unless I wanted to wait until after January at the earliest. He is Navy reserve and was deployed a month after DH had his VSG. Before taking on bariatric surgery, he was a combat surgeon. Right now he is taking care of our wounded in Afghanistan. It is good to know that they have a good surgeon.

As for my surgeon, I didn't have a choice, I have Kaiser so I was assigned a surgeon.

Actually you can fight that...but if you are happy with yours, don't take the time, LOL.

Liz