Information on obesity
Information on obesity surgery, particularly risks and outcome
Cost of surgery
Follow up requirements
Nutrient requirements
Significance of support group attendance
Alternate therapies and providers
This is the time to ask any questions you may have.
If after a patient has attended the free session and has decided to proceed with a formal consultation with a doctor, the consultation will be scheduled on the same day as the schedule permits or on another day. Patients coming for session that have decided to have a physician consultation should indicate so when making the appointment for the session so both should be scheduled to avoid inconvenience to the patient. This consultation with the physician is not free. The usual charge for this initial consultation is $450. The insurance company will be billed for this consultation, but the patients have to make the appropriate co-payments and should have met the appropriate deductibles.
For patients with insurance, a prior authorization request for surgical treatment of obesity will be forwarded to the insurance company only after the initial consultation with the physician. A tentative surgery date and hospital preference by the patient will be made at the end of this initial consultation.
For self-paying patients the initial consultation fee is $450. This amount will be credited to the total surgical cost if the patient has surgery. This amount has to be paid at the initial consultation visit. Further, for any work-up to commence, the self-paying patient has to pay an additional $5,000 deposit to coer work-up and ancillary consultation costs. The balance is payable at least two weeks before surgery or the patient will be taken off the surgery schedule and rescheduled. No flexibility here.
For all patients scheduled for surgery all preoperative evaluations must be completed at least two weeks before the surgery date. Incomplete work-ups will result in the patient’s name being removed from the surgery schedule and put on a later date after the preoperative evaluation is completed. The cost of preoperative evaluation is the responsibility of he patient. This evaluation includes seeing various consultants, blood work, x-rays, EKF, office visits and any other requirements as deemed appropriate by any of the consultants. For those with insurance we recommend that these evaluations be done only after authorization for the surgery has been obtained except in cases where the insurance company is requesting such evaluations as a prerequisite for authorization. There is no flexibility in this protocol.
Preoperative evaluation normally includes three visits to the CSTO in addition to any ancillary consultations necessary; initial consultation, follow up visit and final pre-op visit. The Physicians Assistant at CSTO can perform either the initial or follow up visit, but not both. The final pre-op visit must be done by a surgeon at CSTO.
Patients who have phone consultations will have the option to do all the work-up with their primary care physician or at the Center. In either case, all reports must be in the patient’s chart at CSTO at least two weeks before surgery or the surgery date will be postponed. Phone consultations are charged just as office consultations. The fee is $450.
Panniculectomies and other reconstructive procedures done at the time of weight control operation are cash only. Payments have to be made at least two weeks before surgery.
These guidelines are intended for the patient’s safety and to elicit the patients cooperation in dealing with the staff at CSTO who coordinate the schedule of the surgeons.
Mr. John Hogue, the administrator, is available to facilitate whatever problems may arise.
Dr. Fobi preferably does not deal with financial and scheduling problems and will normally refer you to Mr. Fiscer and Mr. Hogue.
