Why do you make patients go through your weight loss program before they can have surgery?

First, all surgical patients of the SWMC are required to participate in a 4-week pre-surgical education and weight loss program. This includes weekly classes taught by dietitians, behaviorists, and registered nurses. The weight loss program involves use of the Optifast^® liquid meal replacement products. Research has demonstrated that surgical outcomes improve with multidisciplinary education and with weight loss. This also prepares patients for the liquid diet they will follow immediately after surgery.

Second, insurance companies may require documentation of 12 weeks to one year of medically supervised weight loss program as part of their criteria for covers of surgery. This can be done through the primary care physician, or a formal program such as ours. This is a separate insurance requirement not related to our 4-week pre-surgical program.

Third, patients with a weight of greater than 450 pounds, which is the upper limit for Sparrow’s CAT scan, will need to lose weight prior to surgery.