Terms and Conditions

By using this appointment system, I understand and acknowledge that I am able to make appointments with various providers and for different services. I recognize that it is my responsibility to determine if those providers contract with my health insurer and what my financial responsibility will be for these visits. By clicking on the link below and making an appointment, I signify that I have read these terms and conditions in their entirety.

  I Accept these terms and conditions and wish to make an appointment.

SCHEDULING SEQUENCE FOR GENERAL & PLASTIC SURGERY:

There are no special requirements or rules or sequence for general surgery appointments.

Simply make an appointment with the surgeon of your choice for a desired amount of time.

SCHEDULING SEQUENCE FOR BARIARIC (Weight Loss) SURGERY:

Appointments must be made for the following in the following Order. If you make your appointments out of order, you will not be able to move to the next step. If you do not attend a scheduled appointment, you will not be able to move to the next step.

SCHEDULING SEQUENCE FOR BARIARIC (Weight Loss) FOLLOW-UP:

SCHEDULING SEQUENCE FOR OUTSIDE BARIARIC (Weight Loss) FOLLOW-UP:

Patients who have undergone surgery elsewhere and would like to have follow-up with our program, must call for details. Typically we require the patient to attend as a new patient all required sessions and then follow-up per the routine above. For Lap-Band patients, we do provide adjustment services.

BARIATRIC SURGERY SCHEDULING:

Due to the large number of options available, and the nature of the lifestyle, psychological, and eating changes that occur with bariatric surgery, surgeons who perform bariatric surgery usually require the services of a structured bariatric program in order to ensure success. The surgeons at ALAGSA rely on Advanced Bariatric Services, LLC (ABS), also known as USWLS for program services.  A description of those services is below:

            USWLS provides a comprehensive educational program to prepare the patient pre-operatively and assist the patient postoperatively during the patient’s weight-loss. USWLS does not participate with any insurance. USWLS coordinates support groups monthly, and provide nutritional consultations before and after surgery. USWLS provides a preoperative educational seminar that describes the WLS journey and the surgical options for WLS and Plastic surgery after major weight loss. The program is designed to allow the patient to learn the patient’s new relationship with food and to provide the patient with a solid foundation for a new and healthy eating pattern and lifestyle. The nurse will coordinate with the patient’s PCP to be certain all the patient’s required general health exams and screening tests are brought up to date. Unfortunately most of the time, patients have so frequently seen their doctors for specific complaints that their routine screening testing has been postponed for years. Diagnoses like sleep apnea, venous stasis disease, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, and many others are sought after with the help of the patient’s PCP and all information is collected and organized by our nurse and staff for presentation to the patient’s insurance company and to the patient’s surgeon. Certainly any new diagnoses or problems identified are forwarded to and managed by the patient’s PCP or through referral to an appropriate specialist. If the patient does not have a PCP, USWLS can assist the patient in finding one, and our qualified staff and affiliates can also help in the patient’s health improvement journey. After the patient’s surgery, follow-up sessions are available at one month, three months, six months and yearly for nutritional and activity guidance. Additional individual consultations with our nutritionist or nurse or physician assistant may require additional fees. Insurance coverage is a complex issue for many patients. USWLS Program staff are qualified to help the patient determine coverage issues such as what surgeons are available who participate with the patient’s plan or those who do not participate, and what the fees would be with different surgeons or at different hospitals.  Obviously USWLS do not guarantee any fee quotes, but provides good faith estimates based on policy information provided by the patient or responsible party and the planned procedures.

The patient is required to pay a non-refundable program fee of $2000.00. This is a one-time fee, and is due at the patient’s first appointment. If the patient has a financial situation that would prevent the patient from having surgery due to this fee, USWLS will do everything USWLS can to work with the patient to arrange a workable low interest payment plan.  If paid in full at the patient’s first visit, the fee includes the patient’s initial can of Vita4Life vitamins, and a calorie counting book.

USWLS encourages local surgeons to use the USWLS bariatric services program because USWLS believes that this program improves the overall quality of experience that a patient has before and after WLS. When a new surgeon joins our team, USWLS sometimes offers a limited time discount on the program fee for that new surgeon’s patients as a courtesy to the new surgeon. This discount has nothing to do with the surgeon’s experience and is only related to the timing of the surgeon’s practice relocation or start up. The program is also designed to encourage the patient to return for follow-up. To that end, all surgeons who perform the Lap-Band agree to do the first two post-operative adjustments at no charge for patients who have enrolled in our program and who’s insurance does not cover the adjustments.

Checks for the program fee should be made payable to ABS. Major credit cards are also accepted (Visa, MasterCard).

Significant planning and effort has occurred to provision the resources that USWLS offer in an effort to reach excellence in service and support during the patient’s weight-loss journey. At times an outside consultation, or consultation and additional visits with members of the program may be needed for special situations, and to assure success and safety as much as possible. Under those circumstances, additional charges may be necessary. The resources, materials and programs offered by USWLS and its affiliates do not guarantee continued success. And, depending on solvency, demand and participation, components, materials, programs, offerings  may be added, adjusted or altogether discontinued without notice.

I Accept these terms and conditions and wish to make an appointment.