Steps Before Surgery

As a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence we have developed a complete program to help you through your weight loss journey.

 

  1. Attend our free Informational Meeting.  Our staff will give you information about our surgeons, the types of Bariatric surgery we do and our program process. 
  2. You must have a referral letter from your family doctor.   This referral is to be in letter format on your family doctor's letterhead
  3. You will need to have a Bod Pod reading.  A Bod Pod measures your body composition (a measure of your body fat and your lean muscle mass)  This will help us determine whether you qualify for weight loss surgery. 
  4. Visit surgeon to discuss surgery options. 
  5. On your first visit with your surgeon, the Bariatric Patient Advocate will talk with you about your insurance and help you get approval for your surgery.  Please call your insurance company to see if they have any special requirements you need to do before they will approve you for surgery.
  6. Attend First Steps class.   Our staff will be there to talk with you about exercise, nutrition and medications and how important it is for you before and after surgery. 
  7. Attend our support groups.  You must come to a support group one time per month until you have surgery.   We have support groups in many areas of the state. 
  8. You must be seen by a psychologist from our OSF Behavioral Medicine Group before surgery.    Surgery is a big step and we want to make sure you are prepared for the life style change surgery will bring.
  9. Attend Nutrition Class.
  10. You will be given an appointment to visit with your surgeon one last time before surgery.  He will answer any questions you might have before your surgery. 

    This is a brief explanation of our program steps. 

    For a free packet of information about our program please call our OSF Call Center toll free at 1-888-627-5673 and select option #5.

We want you to be a success!  Our staff is here to help you in every step along the way before and after surgery.