JFK Memorial Hospital

[Barbara J.]

Have any of you had your surgery done by Dr. Simon at JFK Memorial Hospital outside of Lake Worth, FL? If so, please give me the pre-surgery requirements, post-surgery requirements and if you were happy with the surgery. Also, did it take long to get the necessary insurance approvals. Thanks.

 

[Pat99]

Barbara-Every insurance carrier has different requirements and approval timing. The best and fastest way to get your information would be to attend a bariatric seminar from that hospital at which Dr. Simon is the speaker. Call his office for a schedule of seminars or look on the Internet. You should be able to leave your insurance information with one of the staff at the seminar and they will get it to their insurance coordinator who will, in turn, follow up with you once they contact your carrier for the requirements. If Dr. Simon does not speak at the seminars attend one anyway so you can at least pass along your insurance information. Once you hear back from them and know the requirements you can set up a one on one consult with Dr. Simon.

Make sure to write all of your questions down in advance and take it to the seminar and also to your consult with the surgeon.

 

[Barbara J.]

I've already had my appointment with Dr. Simon. His nurse did the usual "nurse thing" plus calculated my BMI. After a consultation with Dr. Simon, we decided on the gastric bypass for me. My appointment with the psychologist and nutritionist are set up about two weeks from now. I've already had my blood work done. I'm guessing that Medicare will have to give their approval before we proceed further than that point. Right now, I feel like I'm in limbo; the waiting is worse than a child waiting for Christmas morning. The one test I'm dreading is the endoscopic test that Dr. Simon requires. I have to have it done under general anesthesia, because the lighter type of anesthesia allows me to wake up in the middle of the procedure. I've had two procedures in the past where that happened to me. The doctors had to stop both procedures and reschedule me for the next day to have the procedures done under general anesthesia. It was a real bummer.

 

[Pat99]

Barbara-I also have Medicare, through Humana. Once the insurance coordinator submitted the paperwork to Humana I was approved for surgery in 24 hours.