Has Anyone Had A Bariatric Surgeon Refuse To See You?

[lorraine77 2]

That is so crazy I have never heard that dr was a jerk.

[IowaAndy 95]

If it is an uncovered surgery by your insurance then it does not make any difference if you had the surgery in the US or in Mexico. Uncovered is uncovered..........so if you paid to have the surgery here in the US and have complications and has to go back to the hospital then you would still have to pay for the cost of the problems out of your own pocket.

I'm being honest here and I don't want to ruffle feathers, but if my insurance had been denied, I would have financed it here. Again, the surgeons there are just as good and sometimes better, but what legal recourse do we have if something does go wrong? You go to the ER and they fix you up, but your insurance doesn't cover it.

Yes, way broken and no thanks. I didn't have one complication, but the boards are full of people who did.

[Catracks 865]

If it is an uncovered surgery by your insurance then it does not make any difference if you had the surgery in the US or in Mexico. Uncovered is uncovered..........so if you paid to have the surgery here in the US and have complications and has to go back to the hospital then you would still have to pay for the cost of the problems out of your own pocket.

My surgeon had a plan for those people who paid him in cash that they would cover complications (medical teams and hospital). Like someone said, even if Mexico surgeons have plans like that, it would be too far to go for aftercare.

[Sleeved&Hopeful 182]

That is just sad. I can almost guarantee you they don't want you going to the support groups because of the word getting out about cheaper surgery options. They don't want to lose business. As far as turning you down as a patient, I think that is their choice BUT being rude and angry about it is just terrible. Many doctors forget about caring for the patient and only care about their pocketbooks. It's really a huge shame! I have met a doctor recently who had terrible bedside manners and I paid him a lot of money! So I can only imagine how he would have treated me if I would have come to him for questions after a surgery he did not do. He probably would have been a total tool. Doctors really forget about the human connection.It is obvious!

[MeMeMEEE 206]

My surgeon and his partner do surgeries together - however you still have one that is your primary surgeon. I had an abscess and developed pneumonia the day before they were going to operate on it so I went to the ER per my nurse. My Dr was out sick and his partner refused to come over and see me in the ER until the ER Dr yelled at him. The ER proceeded as if I was going to have surgery that night yet when the partner got there he just said "You can wait until tomorrow when you are scheduled." The ER Dr admitted me, I was septic. And I had the surgery the next morning, with my surgeon and his partner. I do not like the partner, it just blew my mind how he treated me.

I've heard that even if your surgery is in the U.S., it's hard to get another surgeon to take you on for follow ups.

[Dooter 1,457]

My surgeon and his partner do surgeries together - however you still have one that is your primary surgeon. I had an abscess and developed pneumonia the day before they were going to operate on it so I went to the ER per my nurse. My Dr was out sick and his partner refused to come over and see me in the ER until the ER Dr yelled at him. The ER proceeded as if I was going to have surgery that night yet when the partner got there he just said "You can wait until tomorrow when you are scheduled." The ER Dr admitted me, I was septic. And I had the surgery the next morning, with my surgeon and his partner. I do not like the partner, it just blew my mind how he treated me.

You've really been through the ringer! So, all that said...would you do it over?

[MeMeMEEE 206]

I would - but I would press harder sooner when I didn't feel well!!!

[Tlmiller2971 10]

The way the surgeon handled it is horrible, however my dr. Told me up front that they typically don't take patients of other drs because everyone does things differently so if I had any plans to leave the area any time soon to consider that.

[Crississippi 4]

Many doctors will not see anothers patients because any complications that may arise from your surgery go on the new doctors record.

For instance, if you have a leak, the new doctor records that they treated a leak and it is classed as a complication and it is now included in their statics. They help clean up a mess and end up the one with a ding on their record. I can't blame them for not taking a patient that had their surgery elsewhere.

[sarahcc 184]

If I was really going to place blame on anybody in this scenario I would place it in two places. 1.) The surgeon for being a jerk. 2.) The trial attorneys that encourage people to file lawsuits that are ridiculous and over-inflated, causing surgeons to have malpractice insurance that is so ridiculously steep and strictly written. I would say there is a good chance his refusal to see you as a patient has a good amount to do with what he's got written into his malpractice insurance. If something goes wrong, everyone always has to blame someone, and he may feel very vulnerable as a doctor in the U.S. who treated you vs. the surgeon you had in Mexico, who may be more difficult to pursue in a malpractice lawsuit if it came down to it.

That being said, a doctor that runs a private practice has the right to deny service to anyone for any reason, same as any other business owner. If he feels uncomfortable or at risk in treating you, you probably don't want him as a provider for you anyway.

I can't blame him for not wanting a Mexico-sleeved patient at his support group. It has nothing to do with Mexico, however. It's about having a patient there for a procedure not done by him or his practice (partners, affiliates, etc...). There's nothing in it for him; no way that could end well for him. If he has you there, you could say, "WOW, this sleeve is amazing, and it works brilliantly and look how great I'm doing, etc... etc... and I had it done in Mexico!" He now has an advocate for the surgery not by him, but from a competitor. Or vice versa, you could go in there saying the surgery was awful and you've had a terrible time, and now he's got a badvocate (hehe... get it? Advocate, badvocate? Only funny to me? Ok.) for a procedure that was not done by him, and what may not have even been in alignment with his standards of practice (I have no expertise there). Either way you're a huge risk for him to allow into support groups.

[Catracks 865]

Sara, I think you nailed it.

[Shoppingbeemom 31]

I think you should start a wls support group in your community. My library often lets people meet for free. You could make phone calls to everyone in the area who you know has had surgery ( and of course they call people they know).There are probably other people in your area that may not like that Dr ( even if they are a patient ), or people that went to a different Dr and want support too. Best wishes