Your Next Steps

How the bariatric surgery process works

If you’re wondering whether weight loss surgery is right for you, one of the first questions you likely want answered is how the bariatric surgery process works. How do you prepare for surgery? When can you have surgery? How long does it take to recover? What can you eat afterwards? What are the risks? Will the weight stay off? There may be so many gray areas that you’re unsure where to begin looking for answers -- and, as a result, continue to put off a procedure that could transform your life.

What is the bariatric surgery process at Barix Clinics?

Once you take the first step and contact us, we can begin taking the steps that will allow you to seamlessly move through the bariatric surgery process. One of our caring patient service representatives will reach out to you and answer your questions. They can get you scheduled for an informative consultation with an experienced bariatric surgeon. Together, you and the surgeon will discuss the clinical side of bariatric surgery and decide which procedure is right for you. After your consultation, when you decide which procedure you want, we’ll reach out to your insurance provider on your behalf to receive pre-approval for your weight loss surgery.

Sometimes, a bariatric surgeon will order additional testing to ensure your safety during surgery. He or she will discuss these tests with you at your consultation. They can include a cardiac clearance, a simple sleep study, or even testing for conditions you may not know you have like high blood pressure. The team at Barix Clinics will help you understand and follow through with those clearances. In addition, some insurance companies also require special clearances as part of the bariatric surgery process. These can include diet documentation or a psychological examination. The experienced team of nurses and MAs can help you with these requirements.

About a week or two before surgery, you’ll attend a pre-admission testing session. You’ll go over important details for your big day, meet with a nutritionist to ensure you know how to be prepared, and ask any last-minute questions. Then it will be time for your weight loss surgery day! Following your surgery, you’ll recover in a private room designed just for bariatric patients. Your attentive nursing team will keep you comfortable and get you up walking soon. We will also offer you nutritional counseling, real-world and online support groups, ongoing check-ups and counseling to make sure that the weight stays off and you adjust comfortably to the new you.

What is a patient service representative (PSR)?

We believe that genuine customer care should start with the decision-making process and continue throughout the bariatric surgery process. That’s why Barix provides offers you a specially-trained patient service representative (PSR).

"I saw a commercial on TV for Barix Clinics and made the call,” writes Haith J., a Barix Clinics patient. “My patient service representative made the difference for me. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to make it to the first consultation."

Like a caring friend, your PSR will help you through every step of the bariatric surgery process. Your PSR will anticipate your needs and concerns and make sure all your questions are answered. If you decide to move forward with the surgery, your PSR will be available to you at a toll-free number whenever you need to talk -- and all conversations will be held in the strictest confidence.

This service is provided for free to anyone who begins their weight loss journey at Barix Clinics -- even before you officially enter our program. It’s one of the many unique, personalized services that Barix Clinics offer our patients.

“The staff was exceptional. It helped that many of them were former patients themselves and had been through the process. I noticed a picture of a staff member on his desk which was him, obviously MUCH heavier. I asked him, 'How much have you lost?' His response was, 'Let me tell you what I have gained.' That comment has helped me to shape my journey and is something that I think about daily. He was right; the focus is initially on the weight that you lose. In the long term it is on what you gain back in your life as a result of the weight loss. What a great perspective." -- Natisha R.

Have questions? You can reach out to patient service representative right now by calling 1-800-311-8545. Contact us and start your new life today.