Three-month pre-op diet with BCBS...

Hey all! I've taken another step in my journey! So far things have gone very smoothly (although I'm still in the very beginning!)
10/02/09 PCP referal to Bariatric Surgeon.
10/13/09 WLS Seminar at Surgeon's office.
Next...
10/20/09
1st Appt (H&P) with Surgeon
Psychaitric evaluation
PCP to start three-month diet
(I'm running low on vacation time so I'm trying to squeeze as much into a day as possible!

My question now is: For the three-month supervised diet, does that literally mean 90 days or does it mean one visit a month for three months? My insurance literature doesn't specify and I haven't had much luck with the BCBSIL reps over the phone. Has anyone else done this?

Just a side note- my Surgeons office has been great! They handed out a packet with just information about the process and procedures and a second packet with all the forms that need to be filled out before my 1st visit. In that packet they include a chart for me to give to my PCP to track my three-month diet so we know we're recording all the info they will need at the insurance company Awesome!

Hi
I have just finished all the hurdles. I will have the band in the next few weeks. The BCBS of each state is different. The three months is really one visit each month with your primary care doctor, talking about calorie count and diet and excersie and weight documented in medical records with the right numerical codes. since they don't take letters you have to have copies of the appts. I also learned that three months of weight watchers counts too. Call Customer Service and ask what they will accept. I sent everything from this year to them from all my drs and it was 125 pages. Good luck and Keep up the fight. The group at LAP-BAND®® chat is a good place to ask questions to with answers right away

I'm in Texas and I have BCBS and I am NOT happy that it's now down to 3 months!! I started in January, and it was still 6!!!! I've worked my butt off for this dang surgery, and by the way, I'm still waiting on approval, but that was because my instability in my life got my psych eval denied the first time.

As far as the 6 month supervised diet I did for it, I just went in and saw a nutritionist once a month that said the same 3 things every times, "cut back on sodas, chew slowly, take small bites..." I went in once a month to hear that over and over again. I never actually had to go on a diet.

Hope that helps.

__________________

Joshlyn Shavaughn
Tarleton State University
Banded 11/25/2009, by Dr. Richard Carter.