Helping you make informed decisions every step of the way

Your weight-loss journey with Advanced Laparoscopic Associates begins with a free seminar hosted by all four of our board-certified physicians - Drs. Schmidt, Trivedi, Ewing and Eid - and our certified bariatric nurse - Kathleen Connor. These regular meetings include a detailed discussion of the various surgical options available to you and cover the many questions you may have about surgery.

Appointments:

At the end of the seminar, you will be able to make an appointment with the surgeon of your choice, who will then meet with you in the office for a private consultation. At that meeting, the doctor will review your specific health issues and concerns, answer any questions you may have and set a date for surgery. In addition, you will be assigned an individual presurgical coordinator who will guide you through the entire insurance approval process.

Patient forms:

Insurance:

We participate with several major insurance providers and also accept most insurance plans if you have out-of-network benefits. While obtaining insurance approval may be challenging, our expert staff will guide you through the entire process. Our program assigns each patient their own presurgical coordinator who will guide them through each step of the insurance approval process. The coordinator’s goal is to get your surgery preapproved in the most efficient manner. Often, you will be required to complete certain preoperative steps, including psychological and nutrition screening and a six-month medically supervised weight-loss program. These services are available through our office.

Currently we are participating providers of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Oxford Health Plans and Medicare. We do not accept Medicaid. If you have any other insurance plan, we can care for you if you have out-of-network benefits. “Out-of-network” does mean that, while the majority of the costs of the operation and hospital will be covered, there may be some out-of-pocket expenses for you. Generally these costs are minimal and the office is willing to work with you to make the surgery possible and affordable.

Affordable self-pay packages, with competitive financing, are available for those patients who wish to pay for the surgery themselves.

Financial resposibility:

If your insurance company denies your surgery or if you do not have weight-loss surgery benefits, you still may be able to afford surgery. With the financing options that we have available, the price of surgery is generally less per month than programs such as Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig. Please feel free to contact our office staff at any time should you have any questions regarding insurance or affordability issues. The affordability calculator on the home page (Getting Started), will show you just how much you can be expect to save per month, if you undergo surgery.

We firmly believe that insurance or economic status should not prevent anyone from obtaining this lifesaving surgery. Our staff is committed to providing you with the resources and support you need to embark on your weight-loss journey.

For more information on weight-loss surgery or to schedule an appointment, call Advanced Laparoscopic Associates at 201.646.1121 or use our online Request an Appointment form.