For most insurances, you must
provide written
documentation of 6 months enrollment in a diet and exercise program that
has been supervised by a professional. It would be helpful if you can
provide medical records from your primary care physician which
lists your weight, height, any medications prescribed for weight loss,
reduced calorie diets or exercise programs enrolled in, and
co-morbidities you are being treated for, along with all medications
prescribed for such. This is considered a letter of medical necessity
and only your primary care physician or licensed professional from their
office may write this.
If you were or are a member of Weight
Watchers, L.A. Weight Loss, or other comparable weight loss programs,
you should also provide copies of these records to verify your
enrollment.
Enrollment into a multidiciplinary program such as ours will assist you
with your weight management and is acceptable by your insurance company
as enrollment in a weight loss program. By attending our free support
groups, you will meet the multidiciplinary program guideline. You
must have your copies with you for your final pre-operative visit so
that we may obtain a photocopy of any report that is not in your patient
chart.
Our office requires that
you collect copies of all of the pre-operative testing and have them
with you for your final pre-operative visit with Dr. Patel or Dr.
Adeyeri (read about Dr. Adeyeri
here. The
insurance process will take from 1-2 weeks and you will be contacted
when it is time to schedule your surgery.
Our bariatric coordinator will be
glad to assist you with the paperwork process. If you need to know
which of your test results have already been mailed or faxed to our
office, she will be glad to review your chart with you. It is not
necessary to call our bariatric coordinator after every test, you
may contact her before your final visit to ensure that we have your
reports.
It is your responsibility to
check your specific benefit plan for the terms, conditions, limitations
and exclusions of your coverage. If your insurance does not cover the
surgery for weight loss, you should consider scheduling a consultation with our
office to discuss other available options for weight loss
management.
Most insurances will pay for
surgery for weight loss, however they have very strict guidelines that
must be met prior to being considered for this procedure.
Our bariatric coordinator
will be glad to assist you with with your insurance questions.
