"I have not yet had surgery with this doctor but I have am planning to. The office has submitted documentation on my behalf to my insurance company (Blue Cross of CA). I look forward to having an abdominoplasty within the next 1-2 months if my insurance will approve it. I am also planning on having breast augmentation and will be paying for that myself (I've already been told what that will cost and have the money set aside) and will have it done at the same time as the abdominoplasty. I'll update the review once I have surgery - hopefully very soon."
"I met with Dr. Nichols 7/03. He was very upfront about the possible risks of surgery, to the point of almost discouraging a patient if they are hesitant at all. I told him about my medical history and we reviewed my chart information. He was mainly concerned over my mental history and went over my psych eval in depth with me. He explained he was concerned due to my prior mental instability issues and if he did the surgery he would expect me to be in close contact with my current psychiatrist. I told him that is why I wanted to have my doctor do the evaluation instead of someone on the list the coordinator gave me, because he has known me for years and would be able to give a more complete referral than someone who I could just give very basic information to and possibly leave out a few things they may need to know to decide if I should even have the surgery at this point in my life. I thought he was very concerned for my overall health and outcome after surgery, not just whether he could get paid for another surgery and move on to the next paycheck. I really appreciated that in him, it seems to be an uncommon trait amoung doctors these days. I have been told by several local people that I could just go to another doctor that would not make me jump through hoops like this program but I am glad they care that much. I'll write later about his actual surgery capabilities if/when he does the surgery for me. "
