What to Expect - Your First Meeting

Meeting with Dr. Ward or Dr. McLean - what to expect

· A history and physical will be done and your BMI measured

· Together we can decide what surgery will be best for you

· Routine testing will be ordered and when indicated, consultants will be requested

The date of your surgery is dependent on approval from your insurance company. Typically insurance companies want six months of medically-supervised weight loss before they give approval. If you are paying for the surgery yourself, we will schedule surgery once you complete the pre-operative testing.

Once you have been approved by the insurance company, you will be scheduled to see the surgeon prior to your surgery. In preparation read the consent form found on this website. Your surgeon will review with you the tests and the consultants’ recommendations and he will answer any remaining questions you may have.

Before seeing the surgeon - what you can do

· Find out as much as you can by going to a free information meeting, searching the internet, or talking with someone who has had the surgery.

· Fill out the medical history forms as accurately and completely as possible. These forms can be downloaded from this website or obtained at the information meetings. We use these forms for insurance approval, so take your time. No information is insignificant.

· Stabilize your weight and stop smoking. You will make your surgery safer.

· Make an appointment to see your medical doctor. We will need a recommendation from them before we can submit your papers to the insurance company.