The "Up-Ward" part: I met with nutrition this past Friday. I GAINED! :( So much for reaching my goal of being below 300lbs! My last weigh-in I was 299...this weigh-in I was 302. I shouldn't be too surprised. The week before my weigh-in I was a voracious eater...when it's "that time of the month" I feel like I could eat non-stop. I NEVER feel full...that's kind of scary. It's gotta be head hunger...something I'm going to have to work on. In fact, I think it will always be a struggle, and I should just accept it and get a firm hold of some coping strategies.
The "On-Ward" part: I gave my notes to nutrition, and after reviewing them she said they looked great, and she gave me the number for the insurance lady in their program (the lady who submits to insurance). I called the insurance lady yesterday to make sure they had everything for submittal. She said I had completed all of the necessary requirements and she would be submitting in the next few days!!! I asked her how long CareSource usually takes to make a decision, and she said on average it's about two weeks!
I'm here...FINALLY!
I just hope there aren't any problems with approving the procedure.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
SCORE! (Addended Medical Notes)
Hurdle #1 has been successfully HURDLED!
I took the adivce of both Dr. Cetin and my Psychologist (Dr. Windover) and prepared some S.O.A.P notes based on the information on my poorly recorded medical records. I had to type them up for Oct 09 - Jan 10.
I've never typed a S.O.A.P note in my life, and I am in no way familiar with medical terminology or acronyms. So, I had to do A LOT of research to make sense of my medical records and type it into a more detailed note. I also had to research the S.O.A.P note format. It went pretty quick once I figured all of that stuff out.
So, I took my typed up notes to an appointment I made with my PCP. Dr Windover (my psychologist) advised me to approach my PCP the right way so as to not offend her. For example, I really shouldn't tell her that she never listened to anything I told her about the details required in the medical notes she took, and that I painstakingly did all the work for her, so now she should just sign it. So, instead I started my approach by putting the blame on the Bariatric Program at Cleveland Clinic. I told her per their request/suggestion I prepare these notes and have her sign them as addended notes. I guess that was the right approach, because she reviewed them really quick and agreed to sign them without any protest.
WHEW!
I now have copies of these signed and addended notes that I will be taking with me next Friday for my appointment with Nutrition! (Or maybe I will fax them, so they are already scanned and in their system by the time I come for my appointment). I'm really excited, and I hope these notes will now be up to spec for insurance submittal. If that is the case I should be getting my surgery by the end of the summer!
Perserverance and hard work have paid off...now on to Hurdle #2!
I took the adivce of both Dr. Cetin and my Psychologist (Dr. Windover) and prepared some S.O.A.P notes based on the information on my poorly recorded medical records. I had to type them up for Oct 09 - Jan 10.
I've never typed a S.O.A.P note in my life, and I am in no way familiar with medical terminology or acronyms. So, I had to do A LOT of research to make sense of my medical records and type it into a more detailed note. I also had to research the S.O.A.P note format. It went pretty quick once I figured all of that stuff out.
So, I took my typed up notes to an appointment I made with my PCP. Dr Windover (my psychologist) advised me to approach my PCP the right way so as to not offend her. For example, I really shouldn't tell her that she never listened to anything I told her about the details required in the medical notes she took, and that I painstakingly did all the work for her, so now she should just sign it. So, instead I started my approach by putting the blame on the Bariatric Program at Cleveland Clinic. I told her per their request/suggestion I prepare these notes and have her sign them as addended notes. I guess that was the right approach, because she reviewed them really quick and agreed to sign them without any protest.
WHEW!
I now have copies of these signed and addended notes that I will be taking with me next Friday for my appointment with Nutrition! (Or maybe I will fax them, so they are already scanned and in their system by the time I come for my appointment). I'm really excited, and I hope these notes will now be up to spec for insurance submittal. If that is the case I should be getting my surgery by the end of the summer!
Perserverance and hard work have paid off...now on to Hurdle #2!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Not So Good News: Hitting the "Required" Diet Brick Wall
I wanted to separate the good news from the bad. My last post talked about my 2lb loss and finally weighing below 300 lbs. This is all great, right? However, I got some bad news during this last visit as well.
Dr. Cetin reviewd my PCP notes from September 09 - January 09. I was meeting with my PCP to complete the required doctor supervised diet mandated by health insurance. She knew of and supported my decision to have Roux-en-Y. She also knew that she had to take thorough notes in order to be acceptable by insurance standards. However, after Dr Cetin reviewed them he said that none of the months had the necessary documentation required for insurance submittal.
That is NOT what I wanted to hear.
In fact, I couldn't hold back the tears. Practically 6 months down the drain! I was so upset, and Dr. Cetin was very understanding and talked me through my frustration. He was very kind and upfront about things, and offered a suggestion. He recommended that I ask my PCP to ammend her notes to include the necessary information for insurance submittal. He gave me a template/example of formatted notes and even encouraged me to prepare them myself for my PCP to review and sign off on. So, that is what I'm working on now. Luckily I kept some notes of my own in my food diary...and hopefully my PCP will not take offense and sign off on them. If she does then we will be ready to submit to insurance!
I hope this works. It's been a long road. I won't say it hasn't been worthwhile. I've learned a lot and I feel very prepared to succeed with this weight loss surgery. However, I don't want to spend another 6 months doing this. I want to move on to the rest of my life.
Dr. Cetin reviewd my PCP notes from September 09 - January 09. I was meeting with my PCP to complete the required doctor supervised diet mandated by health insurance. She knew of and supported my decision to have Roux-en-Y. She also knew that she had to take thorough notes in order to be acceptable by insurance standards. However, after Dr Cetin reviewed them he said that none of the months had the necessary documentation required for insurance submittal.
That is NOT what I wanted to hear.
In fact, I couldn't hold back the tears. Practically 6 months down the drain! I was so upset, and Dr. Cetin was very understanding and talked me through my frustration. He was very kind and upfront about things, and offered a suggestion. He recommended that I ask my PCP to ammend her notes to include the necessary information for insurance submittal. He gave me a template/example of formatted notes and even encouraged me to prepare them myself for my PCP to review and sign off on. So, that is what I'm working on now. Luckily I kept some notes of my own in my food diary...and hopefully my PCP will not take offense and sign off on them. If she does then we will be ready to submit to insurance!
I hope this works. It's been a long road. I won't say it hasn't been worthwhile. I've learned a lot and I feel very prepared to succeed with this weight loss surgery. However, I don't want to spend another 6 months doing this. I want to move on to the rest of my life.
Goal #1: DONE!
Last week I met with Dr Cetin...he is the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric Program Doctor. Of course my visit started with a weigh-in. I was nervous. I wasn't sure if I would have a loss because of my horrible eating the 2 weeks prior. But I managed to lose two pounds! Yea for me! I was glad it wasn't a gain, however I thought about how much more weight I could have lost if I would have tried even harder. I won't beat myself up over it, but it was a good reminder.
So, with this two pound loss I met my first goal...breaking the 300 pound barrier that I've battled with for many months now. It's not by much (My weight was measured as 299lbs), but it doesn't matter, because I've done it and I'm going to continue to lose.
I will NEVER be 300 lbs again.
So, with this two pound loss I met my first goal...breaking the 300 pound barrier that I've battled with for many months now. It's not by much (My weight was measured as 299lbs), but it doesn't matter, because I've done it and I'm going to continue to lose.
I will NEVER be 300 lbs again.
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