Many insurance carriers require patients to complete a pre-operative psychological evaluation as part of the approval process for bariatric surgery claims. Our Financial Coordinator will obtain your specific bariatric benefits and pre-determination requirements prior to your first consultation, so we can assist you in meeting the guidelines established by your carrier.

The Bariatric Pre-Operative Psych Evaluation is an objective psychological evaluation performed by a mental health professional (psychiatrist or psychologist) experienced in the evaluation and management of bariatric surgery candidates. Psychiatric evaluations are insurance-specific and are a pre-determination requirement of almost ALL insurance carriers. This evaluation must be completed and sent to our office before we can submit for bariatric surgery coverage approval from your insurance carrier.

For your convenience, we can provide you with a list of experienced practitioners we have used in the past. However, please verify their appropriateness and in-network coverage on your own. Please be sure whichever provider you see is comfortable with performing this type of evaluation.

Also, please note that if you have a history of severe mental illness (bipolar disorder, depression with psychotic episodes, history of suicide attempt or psychiatric hospitalization in the past 2 years, schizophrenia schizoaffective disorder, or personality disorder) you MUST have a clearance from a psychiatrist (MD) only. Furthermore, depending upon your insurance carrier (such as Medicare), the above conditions are almost always an exclusion to your bariatric surgery being covered.

After you have completed the Psych Evaluation, please fax this documentation to KC Stone, Financial Coordinator at (940) 323-3451, so she can ensure the documentation is thorough and correct.

Failure to have the proper documentation by an appropriate provider may result in you having to complete the Psych Evaluation again (if you want your insurance carrier to cover the cost of bariatric surgery).