{"id":2323,"date":"2008-06-30T18:20:00","date_gmt":"2008-06-30T22:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/for-patients\/weightlosssurgery\/taking-the-first-steps\/"},"modified":"2025-01-17T12:30:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T17:30:59","slug":"taking-the-first-steps","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/taking-the-first-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"Weight Loss Surgery Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>How to determine if Weight Loss Surgery is the right choice for you<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><a class=\"external-link\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/media.med.unc.edu\/gisurgery\/wlsis.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-inline\" title=\"btnsurgeryvideo.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/692\/2018\/05\/btnsurgeryvideo.jpg\" alt=\"Weight Loss Surgery Video\" \/><br \/>\nClick to watch video<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>First Steps:<\/h2>\n<h2>1. Attend one of our optional Weight Loss Support Groups<\/h2>\n<p>In the support groups, you&#8217;ll meet other people just like you, who have chosen to have Weight Loss Surgery. Together you can share tips and support. <em>These groups are optional.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The full schedule of support group meetings can be found <a class=\"internal-link\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/weight-loss-seminars-and-support-groups\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>2. Verify Insurance Information<\/h2>\n<p><i>You will need to call your insurance company to determine if Bariatric surgery is a covered benefit. Most insurance requires 4 &#8211; 6 months of supervised diet and exercise programs with your Primary Care Provider, as well as a <a class=\"internal-link\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/692\/2018\/05\/Bariatric-Letter-of-Support.pdf\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Letter of Support.<\/a> The codes for the operative procedures are: <\/i><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"internal-link\">Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass<\/span>: CPT 43644<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"internal-link\">Sleeve Gastrectomy<\/span>: CPT 43775<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><i><i>Patients with no insurance or UNC Charity Care will not qualify for the Bariatric Surgery Program.<\/i> <\/i><\/div>\n<h2>Next Steps:<\/h2>\n<h2>3. Call us to answer pre-qualifying questions and scheduling at 984-974-6519<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li>You must answer pre-qualifying medical questions prior to scheduling<\/li>\n<li>Based on your responses, you may be offered an appointment with our surgical or non-surgical team<\/li>\n<li>You may be asked to have a referral sent before scheduling based on your insurance requirements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>4. Proceed through a multidisciplinary medical evaluation<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li>Initial medical assessment with a medical weight loss provider to determine if medical or surgical treatment is best for you\n<ul>\n<li>Lab work is typically done at this first visit, fasting is not required<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>If surgical treatment is the best option, based on insurance requirements, you may continue to work with the medical weight loss team for a period of time<\/li>\n<li>Intake clinic appointment with a dietitian and bariatric nurse practitioner at our Hillsborough location to discuss the surgical program requirements\n<ul>\n<li>In English: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/692\/2025\/01\/HDF6801-English-Bariatric-Surgery-Information-Packet-2025_v2.pdf\">Bariatric Info Packet 2025<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 en Espanol:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/692\/2023\/01\/Spanish-Bariatric-Surgery-Information-Packet-2023.pdf\"> CIRUG\u00cdA BARI\u00c1TRICA EN UNC 2023<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Group Nutrition appointment, with dietitian follow-up 4 weeks after group appointment<\/li>\n<li>Psychologist appointment, to help determine if you are emotionally prepared to make lifelong lifestyle changes<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Additional follow up with the dietitian and\/or nurse practitioner as needed; working to ensure that you have or will have the necessary support system around you as you proceed through treatments<\/li>\n<li>Additional program visits will be scheduled as needed<\/li>\n<li>If you are a surgical candidate, once all program and insurance requirements have been met, we will submit everything to your insurance company for final approval<\/li>\n<li>Upon approval, an appointment with a Bariatric Surgeon will be scheduled for consultation and surgery date<\/li>\n<li>Following surgery you will have a post-op visit within two-weeks, as well as follow-up appointments with the dietitian and medical provider at 3 months, 6 months, 18 months, and annually for 5 years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Additional Information:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"internal-link\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/contraindications-to-weight-loss-surgery\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"internal-link\">Contraindications to Weight Loss Surgery<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table class=\"plain\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/benefits\/\">Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery<\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/candidates\/\">Candidates for Weight Loss Surgery<\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/procedures\/\">Procedures Offered at UNC<\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/taking-the-first-steps\/\">Taking The First Steps<\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/expectations\/\">What To Expect<\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/weight-loss-seminars-and-support-groups\/\">Seminars &amp; Support Groups<\/a><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to determine if Weight Loss Surgery is the right choice for you Click to watch video First Steps: 1. Attend one of our optional Weight Loss Support Groups In the support groups, you&#8217;ll meet other people just like you, who have chosen to have Weight Loss Surgery. Together you can share tips and support. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/taking-the-first-steps\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Weight Loss Surgery Steps\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1121,"featured_media":0,"parent":2236,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"class_list":["post-2323","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Weight Loss Surgery Steps - Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/surgery\/gisurgery\/forpatients\/diseases-conditions\/weightlosssurgery\/taking-the-first-steps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weight Loss Surgery Steps - Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How to determine if Weight Loss Surgery is the right choice for you Click to watch video First Steps: 1. 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