Accessible and Approachable Care for the Modern Woman and Her Family
Accessible and Approachable Care for the Modern Woman and Her Family
Bariatric Surgery Psychological Evaluation
What Can I Expect?
One of the requirements of undergoing weight loss surgery is to have pre-surgical psychological clearance. Dr. Patterson will conduct a comprehensive evaluation and provide your surgical staff with a copy.
What Does the Evaluation Involve?
The evaluation consists of three parts:
- The first part is an interview with Dr. Patterson that usually lasts 45 minutes minutes. Dr. Patterson will ask you a range of questions about your medical history, mental health history, substance use history, and dieting and weight management history. In instances of highly complex cases, a second interview may need to be scheduled.
- The second part of the evaluation entails the completion of paper/pencil and computerized psychological tests. This typically takes 2 hours for most people to finish. These tests are designed to learn as much about a patient as possible (attitudes, behaviors, emotions) in a relatively brief time. The information from the interview is then combined with the information from the tests and a report is written.
- The third part of the assessment process is a follow-up meeting with Dr. Patterson. This typically occurs one week after the completion of your evaluation. During the follow-up meeting, Dr. Patterson will provide you with the results of the evaluation, including any clinical recommendations. This feedback session usually lasts 25 minutes. After the follow up meeting, the report is sent to your physician within 7-10 business days.
Can I Fail the Psychological Evaluation?
The assessment will help to identify your particular strengths, identify the areas you will need to address to best prepare you for surgery, and identify those areas that will optimize your success for long-term weight loss.What to Expect if Using Insurance Coverage?
While each insurance company is different, most insurance companies typically pay for most of the cost and your out of pocket expense will be the amount of the testing materials fee, as well as your co-pay, deductible, or co-coinsurance, if applicable. Please note that this is not a guarantee of what your insurance carrier will pay. Even within insurance companies the payment rates may be different for different policies.Please note that some insurance plans require an authorization from your primary care office in order for the psychological evaluation services to be covered by your health insurance. If this is the case, you will be responsible for contacting your PCP’s office to receive an authorization/referral number before the first visit of your psychological evaluation. Regardless of your insurance, the patient is responsible for the cost testing materials, report writing and delivery to your surgeon.What to Expect if You Are Paying Out of Pocket?
The cost for the evaluation is reasonable and includes the cost of the clinical interview, test administration materials / scoring / interpretation, report writing, and any ancillary fees associated with the evaluation. A credit card on file and a deposit of 50% of the total fee will be required to secure your appointment and ensure payment.
