Pre-operative Process
Einstein Bariatrics - Resources
This appointment generally lasts about two hours. Your surgeon will discuss details about your surgery, the benefits and the complications. Before you can be scheduled for this appointment, you must have a completed registration packet.
Pre-operative tests will be ordered at this time that may include:
A. Lab work: All patients are required to have specific laboratory testing.
B. EKG: All patients must have an EKG performed.
C. Sleep Study: Many patients will be required to obtain a sleep study. Sleep apnea is a very common disorder in overweight people. Patients with sleep apnea can have blood oxygen levels drop very low. Complications such as heart arrhythmias and heart attacks are common in this group of people. Although inconvenient, this test is very important to your post-operative outcome. Patients with sleep apnea may be at higher risk of certain complications. Diagnosing and treating this disorder before surgery may significantly improve your post-operative course.
D. Stress Test: Patients at risk for heart disease will need a stress test to decrease the risk of any heart problems at the time of surgery. Often, before this test is performed, you must have stopped certain blood pressure medications. Call the lab several days before you have this test to make sure you are not taking a medication that would interfere with the study.
At Einstein Bariatrics, we believe that successful patient outcomes are not solely based on the quality of the surgery. Providing pre-operative education as well as long-term multi-specialty support to our patients is equally important.
Our registered dietitians, exercise specialists and psychologist offer educational tools that will help you.
Without exception, all patients associated with Einstein Bariatrics must use our team of registered dietitians, exercise trainers and psychologist. There is a fee for these services.
The services include:
Support Group:
Our support group meets monthly.
Registered Dietician
The nutritionist is your resource to learn about healthy eating after weight loss surgery. Our nutritionists provide pre-operative educational consultations and give post-operative lectures that are very helpful to our patients. They are also available for one-on-one post-operative consultations and will pariticpate in support group meetings on ocassion.
Psychologist
Einstein Bariatrics has a committed psychologist to assist our patients in their transition to a healthier self. The role of the pre-operative evaluation is to learn more about you so that we are able to individualize your care and plan for your post-operative needs. Our psychologist specializes in the field of bariatric psychology. He runs our support groups and closely follows our patients in the post-operative period.
Exercise Physiologist
A personalized session with the exercise specialists from MossRehab is included. Structured programs are designed for the specialized needs of our bariatric patients. Also included are their post-operative services during support groups and other educational seminars.
Printed Educational Materials
- Handbook for surgery
- Nutritional education
- Consents, examination and other handouts for psychological testing
Insurance approval, if applicable, must be obtained before the pre-operative assessment is scheduled. Einstein Bariatrics can assist you with the approval process required by an insurance carrier. Some common reasons why the surgery is not approved include:
- Lack of documentation of the failure of a medically supervised diet.
- Patient does not meet weight criteria.
- Patient does not have significant weight-related medical problems; as defined by their insurance company.
- Patient has specific exclusion to any bariatric surgery.
- Insurance does not allow out-of-network facilities or doctors.
- Lack of documentation of psychological, nutritional or medical clearance.
Any member of the bariatric team reserves the right to postpone or cancel surgery for medical or psychological reasons. You also have the ability to forego insurance. This section is intended for education and informational purposes only. Einstein Bariatrics cannot predict whether surgery will be approved.
Two weeks before surgery, a pre-operative consultation is required. The surgeon will review the consent form, pre-operative diet, and pre-operative testing.
This page last updated on 2007-11-27 09:34:09