You should, of course, check with your doctor. Each insurance is a bit different on what they expect; but I have not heard of any that will accept the surgery request without a therapist eval and a few other tests... ASK ASK ASK!!!

hey ive also ready a ton of requirements that i didnt have to go through but...every insurance plan is totally different and has special specific requirements. also my nurse at my surgeons office wrote out an entire 'work up' for me to make sure i dont miss anything. between the surgeons nurses and your insurance you should be able to get a clear answer

I also have never heard of any insurance not doing the eval but my doctor never said anything to me either until I started the classes so I am sure they will inform you when you meet up with your doctor again..Good luck. It's a long journey before and after the surgery but it will fly by and you will be getting ready for your surgery in no time.

Hey girl, it's something you should take your time with. I just had my surgery on the 21st and was released from the hospital last night. I am doing fine. However, back to your topic. As everyone stated, insurance companies are all different. There will be some evaluations and clearances you will need to do, the question is with whom and how many. I had clearances for Pulminary; Heart; Psyc, (which was one visit); Nutritional Counseling, (at least three visits); Gastrology Clearance which included a endoscophy; attending of support groups, which I registered for for appropriate record of my attendance; and I could not miss any appointments with my surgeon. This entire process took about three months and my insurance company wouldnt even dare approve my surgery without a 3 month timeframe period. Heck my insurance company want to definitely make sure you are serious about the decision. LOL Yet the same time, my pulminary doctor recommended I have a sleep study done and the insurance company wouldnt pay for that...but that didnt preclude the surgery so it was all good. They just closely monitored my breathing while I was in recovery. With all this being done, it definitely FLEW by! Yeah I was always at the doctor's office, yeah I was kicking out co-pays; yeah it was alot to keep up with and felt overwhelming at times, but I believe it is better to be safe than sorry and also you'll feel more confident about your surgery knowing everything is all cleared. Best wishes to you sweetie!

thank u guys for all of your advice!im going on my 4th visit in a two weeks. when do u guys think they will start running tests and etc? close to the end?

I just had my cardio test on Monday and my surgery is next Tues. Sometimes they wait until they find out from the insurance company what their requirements are and have the testing done last.