Call to find out if bariatric surgery is included in your benefits. While you may meet the requirements for the surgery, it still may not always be covered by your insurance. Our office staff will also call to verify your benefits prior to your office visit with us, but it is important for you to understand these benefits. Please see the form “Will My Insurance Pay for Bariatric Surgery?” for help with this step.
Contact your primary care physician
Get a starting weight. Check to see if your primary care physician has recently documented this. If not, it may be helpful to call and schedule an appointment. This will give us a baseline for weight, BMI, and possible co-morbidities, as well as an opportunity for you to ask your doctor for a letter of medical necessity. Many insurance companies require 3- 6 consecutive months of documented weight by your physician. Please check with our office if you need more information or a document to take to your primary care physician requesting this information.
Contact our office to schedule a consult
After you have attended our information seminar and have verified your benefits with your insurance company, call our office to schedule your initial consult.
Call your insurance company to find out if there is an in-network psychologist/psychiatrist you may go see. You may need a referral from your primary care physician, depending on your insurance.
If there is not a required psychologist or psychiatrist you are required to see according to your insurance company, please refer to our list of acceptable psychologists. You do not have to use someone from this list, but these are physicians that we have specifically selected in the area, as they are most familiar with our bariatric program.
Additional visits with the surgeon/nursing staff
Once we have received documentation of the above visits, you will be scheduled to return for follow up. The surgeon will order additional tests to ensure that you are safe to undergo anesthesia and your body can safely handle surgery.
You will also be required to keep track of a weekly food and pedometer log. These will be reviewed at follow up visits.
Depending on your insurance, you may be required to have 3-6 months of visits with the office.
Schedule surgery
Once the above requirements have been met, and the surgeon feels you are ready, you will schedule a surgery date.
At this point, the office will submit your progress to your insurance company to obtain prior-authorization for your surgery.
Once authorization is received, you will have a pre-op appointment to sign consents, make surgery payments, and ask any final questions.