Weight Loss Surgery Center
3116 N. Duke St., Suite 209
Durham, NC 27704
E-mail:
obesitysurgery@mc.duke.edu
Phone:
919.660.2229
Fax:
919.660.2256
Click here to send us a message!
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| Home > First
Steps |
FIRST: Before you consider weight loss surgery as an option in
management of your obesity, you should contact your insurance company to verify
that weight loss surgery is covered by your policy and that Durham Regional
Hospital and the physicians of the Private Diagnostic Clinic at Duke University
Medical Center are part of your coverage. Some policies exclude all types of
weight loss surgery. When you call your insurance company, they will want to
know the following:
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The code for the operative procedure: CPT 43644
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The diagnosis code for obesity: ICD-9 278.01
Note: To qualify for insurance coverage, you must have a body mass index of 40
or more (or a body mass index of 35 to 39 with at least one major medical problem
aggravated by obesity - hypertension, diabetes, respiratory problems, etc.). You can
calculate your ideal body weight and body mass index from our website by
clicking here.
There are many different health insurance policies and many have strict
guidelines for reimbursement for weight reduction surgery. Some have
co-payments that may be quite high. It is very important for you to review your
policy’s guidelines and referral requirements before being seen by the Weight
Loss Surgery Clinic. For patients covered by 'Managed Care Programs,', you must
be referred by your primary care physician. Failure to follow these suggestions
may mean that you have to pay more money for the clinic visit and surgery. If
you do not know if you need a referral, call your insurance company or
physician to be sure! Health care services provided by the Duke University
Health System and Durham Regional Hospital are billed to your insurance carrier
on your behalf.
SECOND
: To help in your decision about surgery, we hold a free introductory seminar
most every Friday afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00 in the First Floor Classroom of
Durham Regional Hospital. We encourage you to take advantage of this seminar to
meet our surgical and medical staff; learn of our approach to the surgical
management of obesity, as well as long-term results. You should bring your
spouse or other support person with you as much time is spent discussing not
only potential benefits of surgery, but also possible complications and risks
of surgery, and the possible help you may need postoperatively. The more your
support person knows about this operation, the more they can help.
Please sign-up to access the patient center, where you you can register for one of our free seminars. Once you are logged in, you can register by selecting the 'Event Registration' option.
Note: we feel it is very important that you know as
much as you can before considering a surgical approach to the management of
obesity. For that reason we have made attendance at one of these seminars mandatory
before we accept applications for surgical consideration. |
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