Bariatric Surgery (Weight Loss Surgery) Evaluations
Congratulations! You are about to embark on a journey toward health, wellness, and vitality. We are excited to share in that journey by helping to ensure that you are as prepared as possible for the rigors of surgery, recovery, and the drastic permanent lifestyle and physical changes that follow. Your pre-surgery psychological evaluation is an important part of your surgery preparation.
Be sure to complete your new patient forms prior to your appointment. When you schedule your appointment, you may choose to have the forms emailed to you, mailed, or you may pick them up.
We cannot guarantee that your health insurance will pay for your evaluation, but we are happy to submit a claim for you. We do not complete our reports until claims have processed and all balances satisfied, so please schedule your evaluation early!
Why is a psychological evaluation required for bariatric surgery?
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (2004), a pre-operative behavioral health assessment can "identify psychosocial risk factors and make recommendations to both the client and surgical group that are aimed at facilitating the best possible outcome for the patient" (p.1). To ensure best outcome possible, you should be both medically and psychologically stable prior to surgery.
Your evaluation is likely to require just one appointment, which includes a meeting with a psychologist and some multiple choice psychological tests that you will complete afterwards. There are some circumstances under which you will need a follow-up appointment before the psychologist can approve you. Please ask your psychologist any questions about the process.
Post-Bariatric Surgery Counseling
We also offer post-bariatric surgery counseling. Many people find that the additional support of counseling helps them reach their goals and cope with unexpected changes associated with dramatic weight loss.
Could I be rejected for surgery based on the psychological evaluation?
If you have not been psychologically stable for at least six months or there are other factors that are likely to interfere with your success (e.g., no social support, serious personal stressors), we may recommend that your surgery be delayed. We generally do not "reject" people from surgery, but we may recommend that surgery be delayed if there are serious concerns that may interfere with your success.