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For Physicians FAQ

• How do I refer my patients for bariatric consults?
  We understand that primary care physicians want to help their patients achieve a healthy weight without surgery, sometimes, however, that just isn’t possible. If you have patients who are severely overweight, have failed at multiple diet attempts, who have or are headed for serious co-morbidities, give us a call at 859-263-2022. We will contact your patient by phone and introduce our program to them personally. We will arrange for your patient to attend a seminar, meet one of our surgeons, and ask as many questions as they like.

• How do I refer a patient who is already in the hospital for a bariatric consult?
  We have a patient consult packet available through OPTIO, just ask the patient’s nurse to print the packet. The packet includes a letter of instructions and a detailed health and diet history questionnaire. Because bariatric surgery is not emergent, and is performed only when the patient is at his/her best possible physical condition, we will not be coming to see your patient in the hospital. When the patient gets home and is feeling stronger, our letter instructs them to call us to set up an informational seminar, and to mail the completed packet to us.

• What is needed from the primary care physician?
  Your patient’s insurance provider is likely to require 6 months of medically supervised diet documentation. Everytime your patient comes to your office and is weighed, his or her weight and diet discussed, you are medically supervising that patient’s diet. We will need those records. A copy of the complete medical record and a letter of medical necessity will also be required.

• What involvement may be requested of the primary care physician?
  Once you’ve made the phone call to Central Baptist Weight Loss Surgery Center, your patient will begin a journey that averages from 3-6 months leading up to surgery. During that journey, we may need you to consider ordering additional consults or studies like pulmonary function studies or echocardiagrams. If you are uncomfortable with that, we will order them after the insurance company has approved the patient for surgery. Of course, you will receive a copy of all studies, results, reports, etc. Following surgery, you may need to change your patient’s prescriptions, you will continue primary responsibility for your patient’s medications and treatment of health issues, diseases and/or co-morbidities. However, these surgeries can significantly alter the medications your patient needs. If your patient has gastric bypass, he/she can no longer metabolize controlled release medications, and will need those prescriptions changed. Due to the risk for pouch ulceration, we require all bypass patients to stop NSAIDS 7 days prior to surgery, and never resume them. Our bypass patients should never be perscribed NSAIDS or steroids if at all possible. Be prepared to decrease the dosage of or discontinue diabetic medications prescribed to bypass patients, sometimes immediately after surgery. Hypertension medications may also need to be significantly reduced or removed shortly after discharge from the hospital. We are instructing all bypass patients to schedule a post-op appointment with their primary care physicians the first post-op week, so that you may re-evaluate their medications. All female patients, regardless of the surgery they chose, should stop taking hormones 30 days prior to surgery, and all patients are required to stop taking herbal supplements 7 days prior. If you refer a patient who smokes, they will need to stop 30 days prior to surgery and cannot resume until 30 days after surgery. Gastric bypass patients are required to cease smoking for a longer period of time pre-operatively, and can never resume, due to the risk of pouch ulceration.

• How will I receive follow-up about my patients?
  We will send copies of all test, consults, and studies to you. Bypass patients will be seen in the surgeon’s office one week post-op, one month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. Band patients will recieve their first “fill” at their follow-up appointment one month after surgery. Sleeve patients are often scheduled for the same follow up appointments as bypass patients.

• Are all the surgeries done laparoscopically?
  Yes. Dr. Weiss and Dr. Oldham, Jr. have performed over 3000 bariatric surgeries, and have never converted to an open procedure, never.

• What about nutrition?
  Your patient will have at least one pre-operative nutrtion consult, and as many post-op consults as necessary. Our registered dietitian is also certified in diabetes education and has a Masters’ degree. WE will be monitoring vitamin levels on all patients, and the surgeons’ offer a line of nutrtional supplements and vitamin products that make compliance with our nutrtional regimen as simple as possible for our patients.