southern colorado

[Terre 0]

Can you tell me about Dr.Perlman?

[Doxie 2]

There are 2 reviews about her on obesityhelp dot com. Both are positive. I'm being banded by Dr Fisher who is in the same practice with her. I've had a wonderful experience with the CSSA so far.

[nomebug 0]

I meet with Dr Nagy in the Springs, I am planning to get the ball rolling to have surgery in May. :scared2:

[paisleypea 1]

Dr Perlman has left Colo Springs and is now in practice with Dr. Snyder (I think) in Denver. I also heard from "Fran" the lady who coordinates all of Colo Springs bariatric surgery at Penrose, that as of April 18th, 2009 that the Colo Springs Surgical Assoc will not have a contract with BCBS (any of them) anymore.

I did a consult with Dr. Chae (in Lone Tree) on Friday ---- he is on the board that certifies places as a Center of Excellence. Before I knew that though, I mentioned I was not comfortable with the Colo Springs group and now they are losing the contract and I fear they are losing the Center of Excellence rating. He said, "I've heard that too".

so later when I figured out he did certifications, I figured he probably knew for sure. I'd check into it before I had it done there.

[Doxie 2]

I also heard from "Fran" the lady who coordinates all of Colo Springs bariatric surgery at Penrose, that as of April 18th, 2009 that the Colo Springs Surgical Assoc will not have a contract with BCBS (any of them) anymore.

I did a consult with Dr. Chae (in Lone Tree) on Friday ---- he is on the board that certifies places as a Center of Excellence. Before I knew that though, I mentioned I was not comfortable with the Colo Springs group and now they are losing the contract and I fear they are losing the Center of Excellence rating. He said, "I've heard that too".

They've had a sign up in the office for quite sometime that they would no longer be accepting BCBS. I don't know about the losing the Center of Excellence but I LOVE my surgeon and have had nothing but a wonderful experience there. I had to go in for a slight unfill last Fri and he came out and got me himself from the waiting room. He had rescheduled most of his appts that morning because he had to go assist with something else but he made sure I got in and took care of me first before he left.

What is it that you are not comfortable with? Is it because they don't accept the BCBS anymore?

[nomebug 0]

I am so frustrated because I have to go to the springs for my band because of insurance. Judy the one in the office I need to talk to who gets insurance approval and set my next appointment with is so hard to reach I have been playing phone tag with her. I am going to the springs on Friday to get the eval's done. Man I feel stuck I want to see doc Nagy again so I can set the date for the surgery. It funny about everyone saying they are losing BCS because even the doc expressed to me how they are the center of Excellent and he has done more then 60 band and many bipasses. I wish my insurance gave me more choices. I am stuck!!! naomi

[Doxie 2]

I too played lots of phone tag with Jody. I don't think you can schedule a next date until after she receives the paperwork from the evals. Once you have those done and she gets you next appt scheduled, you should get your surgery date at that appt. I know it seems like it takes forever but you'll be done before you know it. Hang in there.

The insurance has nothing to do with them being a Center of Excellence. It could be that BCBS is hard to deal with or won't pay enough of the claims and they don't want to accept it anymore. I don't really know because I didn't ask and I don't know if they would even tell me.

This quote is from the FAQ page of the Surgical Review Corp that oversees the Bariatric Centers of Excellence and how the insurance companies relate:

Q: Have the insurance companies made any "commitments" to SRC or the Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence program?

A: Many payors and networks throughout the United States utilize the ASMBS BSCOE program. Some payors, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Humana, utilize the ASMBS BSCOE designation to determine their list of approved bariatric surgery providers. Other organizations, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Cigna, highlight ASMBS BSCOE hospitals and surgeons in directories and other member education materials or references distributed to their members. Some health plans reduce or eliminate data submission or pre-authorization requirements for ASMBS BSCOE programs. Many payors participate in SRC�s Strategic Alliances Group to support research and improvement of bariatric surgery care.

What are the benefits of the Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence program?

The main benefits of the Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence program include:

*Patient safety and advocacy.

*A platform for the continuous improvement of bariatric surgery through comparisons of patient selection, operative procedures, and care paths.

*A central database that will guide our decisions and respond to challenges by our colleagues, insurance carriers, and the public.

*An invaluable resource for research.

[nomebug 0]

my problem is I don't want the whole program through the health wellness thing I don't wish to pay the 750 dollars for something I don't need. Dr Nagy said to me it would be fine just to get the eval. Judy has not sent a copy of something with his or a doc signature on it so I can make this appointment that the Health wellness place canceled on me for this week. Oh my gosh I am so frustrated. I called the supervisor at the office. I was told my my insurance I can go through any surgeon:confused: but it has to been done at Penrose so who else is there?????

[Doxie 2]

I was able to get the evals done through Ft Carson/Tricare so I didn't have to pay the $750. I asked my surgeon and he was fine with it.

I really don't know if there is anyone else at Penrose other than CSSA and you're going to have to deal with Jody until the evals are done for any of the drs in the office. I think that most surgeons are going to want you to have that foundation of the psych eval and nut. consult. They want to you to be prepared.

[Doxie 2]

what I did for the psych eval was go to my PCM and he put in a referral for the psych and as soon as I had the ins approval, I called and made the appt myself and had him send the eval to Jody.

[paisleypea 1]

Great info Doxie.

you know - I'm not sure what my issue is with the Colo Springs place ---- just hadn't heard a lot about them. I found it hard to deal with fran when I first called - and then called again. just very matter-of-fact and kind of cold. not mean at all, just not very encouraging/supportive. i think that if she is in surgery all the time, someone else should have that job of talking with new patients.

anyway - it could be a whole bunch of things with them not taking BCBS. There are lots of people who don't --- but I don't know any Center of Excellence's that don't.

Thanks for the info on what that designation means to us as patients.

I'm glad things are good with you and the dr.

[Doxie 2]

Fran is very matter of fact (maybe her European ~or whereever she's from~ background?), she visited me pre-op but had a couple of patients coming from far away to meet with or she would have been in my surgery. I didn't realize she attended the surgeries. I played lots of phone tag with Jody too but once you get past those initial appts and the evals, it's pretty smooth sailing.

I know they do a lot of lap-bands and bypass but I don't ever see anyone else on here that has been there. The daughter of a co-worker just had a band from one of the other surgeons in the office last month.

Have you gone to any of the support meetings? I have not... I work in the evenings so I can't but I usually just come here for support.

[Melinco 1]

I don't know if anyone is still reading this thread or not, but I know one of the posters asked if there were any support groups in Southern Colorado. Dr. Smith holds a support group meeting the first Tuesday of every month at his office in Pueblo. The meetings usually last about 90 minutes and they start at 6:30 p.m.

There won't be a meeting in February 2010 as he will just have gotten back from Haiti, but the next meeting will be March 2, 2010. You should call his office at 719-561-4300 to make sure you can attend if you are not his patient as I have no idea what his policy is regarding these meetings for non-patients.

[ckuntz2290@msn.com 0]

I am from Pueblo. I had VSG 8-19-14 in Parker, Colorado! Love it.