Obesity is related to your body mass index (BMI); a formula that calculates the relationships between your height and weight. Those who have a BMI more than 30.0 are considered as obese, which is about one-third of the population in this country.
People who are classified as obese have a higher risk for a number of health issues, including:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- high Cholesterol Levels
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Stroke
- Sleep Apnea
- Digestive Problems like GERD or Gallstones
- Some types of Cancer
- Arthritis
Weight loss surgery also known as bariatric surgery, is one way of treating obesity when diet and exercise alone are not enough. Weight loss surgery can help you regain and maintain a healthy weight so that you can reduce some of the health risks listed above and enjoy a higher, healthier quality of life overall.
Co-Pays
All co-pays are due at the time of your visit. Co-pays are set by your insurance company and are considered a contract between you, your insurance and employer. We encourage you to know your benefits and coverage prior to undergoing any surgical procedure.
Self Pay
Payment in full is due at the time of service if you do not have health insurance.
Medicare
We are a participating Medicare provider. Medicare as well as your secondary insurance (if any) will be billed for you. You are responsible for co-payment or deductible amounts as stated by Medicare and your secondary insurance company.
Secondary Insurance
Your medical claim will be forwarded to your secondary insurance (if any) after payment and/or explanation of benefits (EOB) is received from your primary insurance company.
Refferals/Authorizations
We are required to follow the guidelines of your managed care plan which mandates to us that when you visit a specialist, such as ours, you must have a referral from your primary care physician prior to seeking specialty care. Therefore, you are financially responsible for the services received, unless your referral is presented at the time of this visit. If you do not have a referral from your primary care physician at the HGH time of a visit, you will be financially responsible for all service performed, upon completion of the visit. You will also be given the option to reschedule your appointment.
Patient Billing
You will be sent up to three notices for your financial responsibility (co-insurance, deductible) after payment and/or explanation of benefits (EOB) is received from your insurance company/companies. After the third and last notice, your account may he forward to collections. Please let the billing office know if you have any difficulties resolving your bill. Payment arrangements can be made on a case to case basis.
Acceptable Forms of Payments
OUR office accepts cash, checks, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express.
Avoid Rescheduling
How to Avoid Having Your Surgery Rescheduled:
In addition to the responsibilities of your surgeon, anesthesiologist, and the nursing staff, surgery involves certain obligations on the part of the patient to ensure a safe and uncomplicated experience. The following is a list of three guidelines before surgery that must be followed prior to your operation. While all may not apply to each patient, the pertinent ones will be confirmed by the nursing staff when you check in for surgery. If these are not followed, surgery will need to be rescheduled for your medical safety.
1. Nothing to eat or drink eight (8) hours prior to surgery
This is the most important criteria before surgery. It is a potential life and death issue. Food or even liquids in the stomach can be potentially vomited while being put to sleep, entering the lungs and causing a severe pneumonia or even death. For this reason, surgery is never performed without one having an empty stomach even if it is only a conscious sedation. This means even a few sips of coffee!
2. You will need to be taken home by someone after surgery
Unless you are having a procedure done under local anesthetic injections, the use of IV medication for Pokies sedation or general anesthesia requires that you be taken home by a responsible adult after surgery. It is simply not safe for you to drive home after an anesthetic. There are no exceptions. Taking a taxi home is also not permitted.
3. If you are from out of town and staying in a hotel, someone will need to stay with you the night after surgery
It is not medically safe for you to be alone in a hotel room after any surgery that required you to have a general or conscious sedation anesthetic. If you do not have someone, we can help make arrangements to stay overnight in the surgery center or for a caretaker to stay with you in the hotel or at your house. These arrangements will need to be made in advance.
Medications After Surgery
For most patients, two medications will be prescribed for use after surgery : a pain medication and a laxative. Prescriptions will either be sent to you prior or just after your procedure/surgery.
When your pain prescription is filled by your pharmacy, please check carefully for the amount of acetaminophen (Tylenol) in each tablet. Tylenol is a standard part of most pain medications such as VICODIN and PERCOCET. Excessive amounts of Tylenol taken over a few days may cause liver damage / failure. The amount of Tylenol per tablet should be limited to 325mgs. At this dosage, it is safe to take up to 2 tablets every 4 hours for pain.
All narcotic medications have the potential to cause nausea and vomiting. To best prevent this problem, pain medicine should be taken with a small amount of food. Should any nausea persist despite your precaution, please call our office.
Another common side-effect of prolonged narcotic use following surgery is constipation. To avoid this problem, stay well-hydrated. Increasing your activity level with frequent walks can also be helpful. If you are prone to constipation, we recommend taking an over the counter laxative available at any drugstore or the prescription laxative we prescribe to you. If constipation persists, please call our office.
Be very careful not to combine alcohol and pain medication. One increases the effect of the other, making for a potentially dangerous situation. Alcohol may also make medications (e.g. antibiotics) you are taking ineffective or may potentiate their effect.
We work with a range of insurance providers, to make sure your insurance covers please call us and speak to one of your staff members.
Medicare
We are a participating Medicare provider. Medicare as well as your secondary insurance (if any) will be billed for you. You are responsible for co-payment or deductible amounts as stated by Medicare and your secondary insurance company.
Secondary Insurance
Your medical claim will be forwarded to your secondary insurance (if any) after payment and/or explanation of benefits (EOB) is received from your primary insurance company.
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