[johnr441]

My brother in law was just notified by his surgeon's office that they can't perform his surgery, scheduled for Monday, June 4th, because Insurance Companies for the New York State hospitals have mandated that they can't operate on a patient who is in excess of 400 lbs, if they do not have a cat-scan or mri in the facility that they can fit in.

My brother in law is approx 460.

Has anyone heard of this at all.

[DocSanae]

Hmmm. Does make some sense. Just that having such machines large enough means it makes getting data easier on the drs, and to check things out, should complications arise.
However, if the insurance cos use this as a ploy for getting out of having to pay for the surgery, that is

[fr1endly2]

i have heard of surgeons only takeing people up to certain weights but not that one. I guess anything doesnt suprise me for them to try to get out of paying for the surgery.

[Kenyar]

You would think they would want to pay for it. It will save on money over the course of the patients lifetime; treating all the conditions that come along with being obese....this stinks

[beckamarie]

I have never heard of that but was watching a show on Discovery about the 629 pound woman and they couldnt do a CT scan on her because she was too large for the machine

[johnr441]

Well it is not the insurance Companies per se. It is the Hospitals Malpractice. It is NYS Mandate that the hospital would lose their Malpractice insurance if they did not have machines large enough on Premise's. It is very dishertening.

[myavt]

On the other hand, it's more about the HOSPITAL not having up to par EQUIPMENT. We do know that people come in, in massive physical crisis, at ALL different weights. It's scary really to think that the hospital probably couldn't do OTHER types of surgeries that are in emergency situation--due to not being able to get an MRI of the spine, heart, etc.

Pretty scarey!!!

Mya