Fill Centers USA ... problems and questions

[coltonwade 27]

As a mod myself we do not get involved unless we have to on threads and locking them is a last resort in all honesty .

But I agree we should get back to the topic of this thread of the thread can just die out .

Which is how the OP felt about Fill Centers USA.

That being said. Somewhere on here is a , or use to be a Fill Centers USA " rep" if that what he is/was.

Im a little surprised he has not jumped in .

Maybe i can find him and he can give some insight on their policies?

Mindy

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Guys I am not a Mod. but if I were I would lock this topic.It has been hijacked and has gotten way off topic.All this he said she said is not doing anyone any good here.

I think you'll find that if the mods closed every thread where people had differing opinions or the topic strayed, you wouldn't have any threads at all.

It's okay that people don't agree, it's how the game works. I've been posting on message boards for a long time and one issue is typically standard and that is the threads tend to moderate themselves. Those posting usually do a pretty good job of moderating one another. When you get too much moderator "butting in" you lose members left and right. It makes for very boring boards when everyone has to agree with one another. They did it on OH until last year and they lost tons of people. Actually, many came over here where they were free to speak their minds.

[coltonwade 27]

There you are ! I thought you could bring some light to the subject .

Thank you for the info !

Mindy

I'm here. We just don't jump in and battle. Everyone is free to have their own opinions, and issues like this usually work themselves out.

We do have our policies outlined on our website under a Q&A section which is available for anyone to look at at the following link:

http://fillcentersusa.com/Q&A.html

As for why patients aren't able to come in if they seem to not have enough Fluid is a myriad of different reasons. Providers are instructed to follow a protocal outlined by band manufacturers to reduce the amount of problems that may arise from a band that is too tight. There were plenty of instances where we were taken advantage of, when people wanted to be extremely tight no matter what the cost, only to have us deflate the band.

Warning about Utah Fill Center. It's only one doc, Dr. Derek Muse. He's okay, but he requires flouroscopy for an addition 100.00. So fills are actually 265.00. Insist on potential overfill because fill centers won't allow you to go back for free w/in 72 hours if you're underfilled.[/quote]

Bottom line is that we are a service based corporation. When we started, trying to find a place to get an adjustment without promising your firstborn for payment were slim. We are very reasonably priced considering the wide range of prices out there. There may be a better option for some of you. We aren't forcing anyone to utilize our services, but we do have some perks for those who like to travel and not worry about finding care if you have a problem. Using anyone for any sort of medical care is a choice.

[smatyas 0]

Like I said, I stay out of these things. I'm not in the habit of arguing. All policies are explained to everyone who schedules with any one of our locations at the time of scheduling.

[coltonwade 27]

Thanks for the input though .

Mindy

Like I said, I stay out of these things. I'm not in the habit of arguing. All policies are explained to everyone who schedules with any one of our locations at the time of scheduling.

[Kat817 19]

All of the prices regarding Fill Centers USA were quoted to me when I first called them, and were right in range to what I was paying with my Dr.

What I WILL say about Fill Centers USA--is that they were there when I was in a panic and my own Dr. was out of town. They did not belittle me for having another Dr. They did not act condescendingly because I had surgery in Mexico. They DID offer suggestions and do their very best to get me to a Dr. close to me. I live in a rural area, and there was only one Dr. in the state doing anything band related, and he was not a band surgeon, but was affiliated at the time with Fill Centers USA. He is no longer however. This particular Dr.'s office was not particularly helpful....BUT the girls I was talking to at the 800# did not stop there, they found another Fill Center that was extremely willing and helpful, actually offering to meet me in the middle of the night which is when I would have arrived there with a 5+ hour drive and do an unfill for me.....I was not an established patient, and yet they were willing to do that!

Before it got that extreme, they found a Dr. to talk to me on the phone, and give me some suggestions as to why I was blocked. With their help, over the phone, the issue was resolved without me having to drive all the way in and be unfilled. BUT just knowing I had an option, and the way I was treated was a massive relief!

I did not go into being banded without a plan in place. I had a Dr. for follow up care, and even a secondary one in place! But my problem occurred during Spring Break-----and my plan fell apart. I HAVE made adjustments to the back up plan--------lesson learned!

But even though I never had to actually set foot in a Fill Centers USA office. They still call me every month to see how I am doing, and whether I have any questions or issues I would like to discuss. They do not push me to change from my Dr. in any way.

If for some reason my Dr. was unable to care for me, and we were to get another Fill Center in NM, I would definitely check it out.

When my situation hit, it would have been well worth the cost involved. And all the help I received, I never spent a dime.

And I do not now, nor have I ever worked for Fill Centers USA, or any affiliate, in any capacity!!!

Kat

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I'm here. We just don't jump in and battle. Everyone is free to have their own opinions, and issues like this usually work themselves out.

We do have our policies outlined on our website under a Q&A section which is available for anyone to look at at the following link:

http://fillcentersusa.com/Q&A.html

As for why patients aren't able to come in if they seem to not have enough Fluid is a myriad of different reasons. Providers are instructed to follow a protocal outlined by band manufacturers to reduce the amount of problems that may arise from a band that is too tight. There were plenty of instances where we were taken advantage of, when people wanted to be extremely tight no matter what the cost, only to have us deflate the band.

Warning about Utah Fill Center. It's only one doc, Dr. Derek Muse. He's okay, but he requires flouroscopy for an addition 100.00. So fills are actually 265.00. Insist on potential overfill because fill centers won't allow you to go back for free w/in 72 hours if you're underfilled.[/quote]

Bottom line is that we are a service based corporation. When we started, trying to find a place to get an adjustment without promising your firstborn for payment were slim. We are very reasonably priced considering the wide range of prices out there. There may be a better option for some of you. We aren't forcing anyone to utilize our services, but we do have some perks for those who like to travel and not worry about finding care if you have a problem. Using anyone for any sort of medical care is a choice.

Ahh, Smatyas.... I am so glad you posted.

Anyone with a policy to overfill people ... well, that would be stupid and asking for erosion.

I saw the previous post of the OP where she suggested that you guys keep changing your prices and you chimed in and explained that you have increased your prices ONE time in the history of your company.

Truth... it always comes out.

[Kat817 19]

That is what they told me last time they called to check on me! I am so glad! There are 12 people I know right here in the little corner of NM I am at that are banded, and most of us travel to Canon City CO, or Denver CO! Long trip~!

Thanks for the update!!

Kat

[amella 0]

I dont ever want to experience getting stuck or bp so i prefer my fills to be conservative. I do agree with you though that they are completely exploiting us in what they are charging for these fills! It is robbery! I wish someone would come along like a Walmart (only a quality walmart that does everything correctly and safely) and would charge a reasonable price for fills and put all these other ones out of business or force them to stop robbing us!

I totally agree with you on that! Dont worry about the person who is fighting with you about that - who would argue with something like that!!!! What your saying so totally makes sense!!!!! :thumbup: if someone enjoys paying up the ying yang for their fills and argues with what you are saying then maybe they are spoiled brats - id be willing to bet maybe she does'nt have to work for a living. She also happened to mention that all of her fills were free the first year!

She certainly seems to have lots of time on her hands to write one reply after another and take over your forum! any hard working person does not have that much time!

Just read some more of this forum!!!! Unbelieveable!!! What an abuse of power that is for someone who is a moderater to cause so much friction and drama on someone's forum and take it over and be so emotional!!!! What are you going to do to me now ha? are your going to kick me out for having an opinion about you???!!!! For gosh sake mam! Get more professional!!!! Of course you are always going to have people who are going to come on here and side with you - oooooh cause your a big shot SUPER MODERATER! OOOOOH! Well I happen to disagree with YOU moderater! You going to be a big bully now and kick me out for having an opinion? Im not worried if you do because I have a life and a job!

Edited January 30, 2009 by amella

[jms462001 9]

I dont know their policies and i dont use them (My doc does my fills) But it woudl be nearly impossible for ANYONE to promise a free fill " after so many hours if it did not work . how would they make their money?

First off Fills can take up to 2 weeks to kick in . So what are they suppose to do say " Ok if your fill does not kick in after 2 weeks you get another one for free ? " how would they make any money ? that's the whole point of fill centers ?

Honestly be lucky they offer free unfills after 72 hours if yoru too tight. THAT is nice ! If i need an unfill even a slight one I have to pay another $125. I dont mind though my doc is my doc and he has to make a living and make money . I do not think its unfair for them to charge you again for a fill.

There is NO WAY after 24 hours you can know if your fill has kicked in . My fills do not kick in for 4-7 days typically .

HTH

Mindy

Yes, If a person is self pay and they are on their 2nd fill within 2 months or so and that fill is not sufficient within 2 weeks, they should add to the fill for free. This is what my Dr will do for me and I certainly do appreciate it because fills are expensive and I could not afford to pay for 3 in 2 months time should that prove necessary. I'm sure they are busy enough that they lose no money offering such a service to their self-pay patients.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I totally agree with you on that! Dont worry about the person who is fighting with you about that - who would argue with something like that!!!! What your saying so totally makes sense!!!!! :thumbup: if someone enjoys paying up the ying yang for their fills and argues with what you are saying then maybe they are spoiled brats - id be willing to bet maybe she does'nt have to work for a living. She also happened to mention that all of her fills were free the first year!

She certainly seems to have lots of time on her hands to write one reply after another and take over your forum! any hard working person does not have that much time!

Just read some more of this forum!!!! Unbelieveable!!! What an abuse of power that is for someone who is a moderater to cause so much friction and drama on someone's forum and take it over and be so emotional!!!! What are you going to do to me now ha? are your going to kick me out for having an opinion about you???!!!! For gosh sake mam! Get more professional!!!! Of course you are always going to have people who are going to come on here and side with you - oooooh cause your a big shot SUPER MODERATER! OOOOOH! Well I happen to disagree with YOU moderater! You going to be a big bully now and kick me out for having an opinion? Im not worried if you do because I have a life and a job!

Why are you attacking someone that you don't even know just because you disagree with her POV? Mindy is well known here, people like her, and SHE knows how to behave. Perhaps you could learn from her.

You are a newbie, you have a LOT to learn about lapbands and living with one. Perhaps let Mindy teach you a bit instead of attacking her, calling her childish names, and overall misbehaving.

Instead of taking all the experience of your whole 5 posts and trashing a mod that you don't even know and worrying about friction on a forum that isn't even yours, why not let Alex (the owner of this forum) worry about it instead?

[Kat817 19]

I use a different surgeon for my fills than did my surgery. Not due to any issues with my surgeon, but do to my own problems here in the US-------I have a common name, and share a birthdate with someone who is "on a list" somewhere, and it has given me hell getting my passport!

So I have used the surgeon I originally planned to use prior to insurance delays back when I was researching banding.

He charges me for every fill. There is no guarantee. Now if he filled me and within a reasonable time line I needed some removed, he would do that without additional charge....but that is it.

It is not strictly a Fill Centers policy, my Dr. is not affiliated with them in any way, and he does the same thing.

Do I wish he would fill me for less? Sure! But it is the way it was when we originally spoke and he agreed to do my follow up care. It was not sprung on me---I knew going in, this was going to be part of it.

I am sure they would not lose money doing a free fill. Especially surgeons themselves, who are also making $$$ on the operation itself. But they don't all do that. The fact is they don't have to.

Fills are not an exact science.....what works for one is not the immediate answer for the next. To expect him to "know" what I need is unreasonable, it is something together we will just figure out, and if I have to pay to do that, then that is part of being banded.

If I take my clothes to the dry cleaners, and when I get them they either have too much starch or too little------they don't redo them for free. And it took a lot less $$$$ for them to train as a dry cleaner than it did for my surgeon to go to school.

Would be nice if banding was a one time charge and all upkeep from then on was included, and with some Dr.'s it is. With others it isn't. We all had a choice from the beginning where we went, and what the policies were. I chose mine, now I pay for it. That is just how it is.

Kat

[TQUAD64 9]

Wow! What a thread this turned out to be. Interesting information when you are able to read through the back and fourth arguments.

Delrio, I suggest utilizing the private message feature associated to your LBT membership. In that way you can convey your points directly to the individual you are taking exception too, thus allowing other posters not to get lost in the argument of who said what.

Best regards!

[amella 0]

oh I see now!!! wow thank you so much for enlightening me! I had no idea that the amount of time one has a lap band matches the amount of time an individual should have on basic intelligence and opinions!

So because I only had my lap band few months I should not have opinions about the price of fills! Thank you so much for your help on that, gee, I had no idea!

Personally I would much rather learn from the beautiful, intelligent and obviously very educated lady who brought up all the good and intelligent points she brought up about the price of fills and the robbery that is taking place with them.

She obviously is a very educated lady who probably works very hard for her money and she is just tired of being robbed! She is also very beautiful if you observe her picture, and that usually strikes a cord in other woman - beauty and intelligence in one whole package - whooo - look out cause that is a recipe for attack by other females, that is what i think is really going on here.

Their is nothing at all wrong with her voicing her opinion about the price of fills. I dont understand why anyone would have a problem with that. Its so easy to be complacent and just swim with the tide! Well she obviousy does not and she has been attacked for it. Don't you realise that it is because of people like her who speak out about things that are wrong is why anything in life ever changes for the better?

Edited January 31, 2009 by amella

[coltonwade 27]

I dont ever want to experience getting stuck or bp so i prefer my fills to be conservative. I do agree with you though that they are completely exploiting us in what they are charging for these fills! It is robbery! I wish someone would come along like a Walmart (only a quality walmart that does everything correctly and safely) and would charge a reasonable price for fills and put all these other ones out of business or force them to stop robbing us!

I totally agree with you on that! Dont worry about the person who is fighting with you about that - who would argue with something like that!!!! What your saying so totally makes sense!!!!! :thumbup: if someone enjoys paying up the ying yang for their fills and argues with what you are saying then maybe they are spoiled brats - id be willing to bet maybe she does'nt have to work for a living. She also happened to mention that all of her fills were free the first year!

If you have a problem with me please take it OFF the forum. Per LBT rules do not personally attach a member on the forum, mod or not.

Feel free to PM me if you like.

She certainly seems to have lots of time on her hands to write one reply after another and take over your forum! any hard working person does not have that much time!

Again If you would like to address me personally I would suggest you utilize the PM system on the forum .

Just read some more of this forum!!!! Unbelieveable!!! What an abuse of power that is for someone who is a moderater to cause so much friction and drama on someone's forum and take it over and be so emotional!!!! What are you going to do to me now ha? are your going to kick me out for having an opinion about you???!!!! For gosh sake mam! Get more professional!!!! Of course you are always going to have people who are going to come on here and side with you - oooooh cause your a big shot SUPER MODERATER! OOOOOH! Well I happen to disagree with YOU moderater! You going to be a big bully now and kick me out for having an opinion? Im not worried if you do because I have a life and a job!

I personally have NEVER kicked off anyone from LBT .

that is not how i opererate. I respect everyone's opinions and listen to them and voice my owns. Please refrain from calling people names .

Thank you

Mindy