Question:
Has anyone changed surgeons after having been approved because they are having

problems getting any answers from their surgeon. I have mild kidney damage, (due to infections) and was told that I could still have surgery as long as it was something that I have had for years. My insurance approved, then I was told that I was anemic. Now my surgeon won't do the surgery till my iron is normal. Well, my PCP says that I would need a transfusion to get my iron up to normal (because of the kidney problems). Now I am unable to get any answers from my surgeon on whether she will do this or not. It has been almost two weeks since I wrote to here with this information. Has anyone else had this or a similar problem and then changed to another surgeon that would at least give you an answer? Anything that anyone could tell me would be greatly appreciated. I feel in the dark on this and have begun to loose patients and I am normally a very patient person...:) Thanks in advance.    — Cindy P. (posted on July 20, 2003)

July 21, 2003
Though my circumstances were different from yours, I did change surgeons after I was initially approved. The first surgeon was a referral through my HMO plan. However, I found him very difficult to communicate with. It seems that he doesn't have any office staff (!), and I could never catch him in his office. After many games of phone tag, and long delays answering e-mails, I decided that this surgeon was not the right one for me. I was very uncomfortable with the idea of not being able to communicate with him, especially if I ended up having any problems post-op (fortunately, I didn't). So, I changed insurance plans to a PPO at my company's next open-enrollment, and went to a surgeon who I thought was a better choice for me. No regrets. However, I did not have any medical issues as a factor in my change, so I don't know if changing doctors is the right answer for you. I was just developing a bad feeling in my gut about the first surgeon, and thought it was better for me to start over, even at the risk of being denied by the new insurance company.
   — Vespa R.