Question:
I was wondering if any one knew how long it takes to get a date?

I have Kaiser still fighting for approval, but was wondering if anyone knows how long after approval to get a surgery date?    — kathy B. (posted on July 7, 2002)

July 7, 2002
It depends on how many insurance approvals come in at any particular point in time and how busy your surgeon's secretary is *G*. At the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, there are 500 people waiting for WLS. If they get a handful of those that get insurance approvals at a time, then the secretary has to call each in turn and set up surgery dates with them. And my surgeon shares his secretary with another surgeon. As far as when the date of surgery will be in relation to the date you were approved, that depends on how busy the surgeons are and how busy the hospital is. At HUP, WLS tends to be a lower-priority operation as far as booking OR time. When I had called my surgeon's secretary the week before approval, she had told me that the July slots were gone and that the August slots were all but filled. However, when she called me to tell me I was approved a week later, someone with a July 17 date had cancelled and it was offered to me. Thus I am 10 days away from surgery right now... Good luck in getting approval soon and getting a quick surgery date and good luck with your surgery.
   — John Rushton