Pre-surgery | Post Surgery
PRE-SURGERY
4. Why do I have to stay in San Diego for one week?
Bariatric surgery is a major surgery and should be treated as such. The average
length of stay after discharge is three days to one week. However the length
of your stay in San Diego will be at your surgeon's discretion. Your safety
is our utmost concern. If a problem should occur, it would most likely happen
within the first few weeks. If you were away from San Diego and an emergency
occurred, you could be treated inappropriately due to the fact that the treating
physician would have a limited knowledge about the surgery. We have negotiated
special room rates for our patients in order to ease the financial burden for
our patients who live outside San Diego.
5. I have my own internist, psychiatrist, etc. Why do I have to see your doctors?
The panel of physicians with whom we schedule your appointments have privileges
at Scripps Mercy Hospital and are familiar with our program. While you are a
patient in the hospital, this allows our gastric bypass and LAP-BAND® surgeons to
access someone at a moment's notice that has some prior knowledge of your medical
condition. This is an advantage for you as a patient. If we needed your own
internist or psychiatrist in an emergency situation, we may not be able to contact
them or grant hospital privileges in a timely manner. Our program is designed
to provide the best possible care for each of our patients under any circumstance
during the bariatric process.
6. How much does this surgery cost if I am a cash patient?
Since costs are subject to change from time to time, we like to discuss that
with you on an individual basis at the time you are interested in proceeding.
7. What insurance do you take?
We take many insurance plans and have years of experience working with all types.
Please call your insurance company and verify with them whether or not they
cover the bariatric procedure. You may call our office with questions following
your inquiry to your insurance company and before you begin your paperwork.
8. How long does the surgery take?
Our gastric bypass and LAP-BAND® surgeons usually
finish the procedure in approximately 1 to 2 hours for the average patient.
Sometimes it takes longer with larger patients. It takes an additional 30 minutes
if you are having your gallbladder removed, or having the surgery laparoscopically.
(To read more Pre-surgery Frequently asked questions click HERE)
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