Some of the steps involved between seminar and surgery are as follows:

Application, Diet and Medical History Forms

You will need to complete a set of new patient, diet and medical history forms for the team to review. You will receive those at the free seminar. You must turn in this application via fax, mail, or in person in order for us to help you get started.

Insurance Coverage

Medical insurance coverage for weight-loss surgery varies by insurance provider and employer. You can check with your insurance provider to see if the procedure is covered, or our insurance coordinator can communicate with your insurance company to determine if you have benefits for weight loss surgery.

Unfortunately, some insurance companies do not cover weight loss surgery due to an exclusion in the plan. Here are some options to consider in the event you do not have benefits for weight loss surgery.

Your employer may offer more than one insurance plan at open enrollment time. If so, you can ask if another plan covers weight loss surgery.

You may have the opportunity to purchase benefits on a spouse’s plan. If your primary plan has an exclusion for weight loss surgery, your secondary plan may cover your surgery. You may pay for the surgery without insurance coverage. Call us for cash pay pricing information – 901-765-3040.

Psychological Evaluation

You will be required to have a routine evaluation performed by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist. This is required by insurance companies and by our program to determine that you are an appropriate candidate for weight loss surgery and to help identify any problems that may interfere with your success long-term. This evaluation needs to be one of the first steps you complete. You will receive instructions on how to set up this appointment up after you have sent in your application and we have determined that you are an appropriate candidate for our program.

Primary Physician

Your primary care physician plays an important role in helping you prepare for surgery. Most insurance companies require that you complete a “medically supervised weight loss attempt,” and they have specific criteria for the documentation of this. We try to make this as easy for your doctor as possible by providing “fill in the blank” progress notes for them to complete each month. We also provide a template for a referral letter to our surgeons, which is also a requirement of the insurance company.

Other Information

Your surgeon or insurance provider may request other information to review your case. We will review all of these requirements with you and help you obtain them. However, you will ultimately be responsible for providing this information.

We know that this process can be daunting and we are here to help you every step of the way. If at any time, you have a question, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Fast Track Process

For patients who plan on paying cash for their procedure, have already been approved for weight loss surgery by their insurance company, or have begun the process with another surgeon and have already completed some of the necessary steps, we can help expedite the surgical process.

Here are the steps:

• Sign up for our free online seminar
• A patient advocate and program coordinator will review all of your previous documentation along with your application in order to determine a course of action for you.
• Surgery scheduling still relies on the timing of your insurance approval and some pre-op testing, but we will get you the earliest surgery date possible based on your personal clearance.