The following will guide you through the process of getting surgery approved and scheduled. The 6 steps to surgery are as follows:

1. Call or submit an inquiry form
2. Attend a weight loss surgery informational seminar
3. Submit a health questionnaire and your insurance card
4. Obtain insurance authorization for surgery
5. Preoperative evaluation
6. Office day

Call or Submit an Inquiry Form
The first step is to call our office 1-800-997-1820 or send us an inquiry form so we can contact you. We will inform you of the insurance approval process for your specific health insurance policy and schedule you for a weight loss surgery seminar or a free consultation.

Weight Loss Surgery Informational Seminar
The informational seminar is a free, no-obligation presentation on obesity and obesity surgery given by Dr. Oliak. The purpose of the seminar is to give you an overview of weight loss surgery, including benefits, risks, and alternatives, so you can better decide whether weight loss surgery is right for you. Seminars are regularly held in Orange, California, and periodically in other locations.

See our seminar schedule.

Health Questionaire and Insurance Card
The next step is to complete the health questionnaire and send us copies of your insurance card. You can download the health questionnaire here. The information on the questionnaire enables us to write a letter to your insurance company requesting an authorization for surgery. It also aids the physicians during your office day.

Obtain Insurance Authorization for Surgery
Once we have your completed health questionnaire and a copy of your insurance card, we can request an authorization for surgery from your insurance company. We do this by submitting a letter of medical necessity which describes your condition and the surgical procedure to be performed. Insurance companies usually require additional supporting documentation such as a nutritional evaluation, a psychological evaluation, or evidence of the completion of a medically supervised weight loss program. We will inform you what your insurance company requires and will assist you in obtaining what is needed.

After the letter of medical necessity and all supporting documentation are sent, your insurance company then will approve or deny surgery. This can take from two weeks to many months.

Cash patients - For patients not using health insurance to pay for surgery, we offer competitive prices and attractive financing options through Capital One Healthcare Finance. Call the office 1-800-997-1820 for details.

Preoperative Evaluation
Once the method of payment is arranged the preoperative evaluation can begin. You will be scheduled to see the doctor for a history and physical so the appropriate preoperative tests can be ordered. Required preoperative tests generally include blood and urine tests. Often patients will need to be evaluated by specialty physicians (cardiologists, pulmonologists, etc) and undergo additional testing such as stress tests, pulmonary function tests, and x-rays. Before the next step (office day) can be scheduled we need to receive all the results of your preoperative evaluation.

Patients are generally given a surgery date during their preoperative evaluation day.

Office Day
Once the preoperative evaluation is completed you will be scheduled for an office day. This is a busy day. You will attend a preoperative education class and a nutrition class, undergo a psychological assessment and evaluation (if you haven't already), undergo an evaluation by an anesthesiologist, and meet with the surgeon for a history and physical. You will also be required to attend a support group before surgery. You can either attend one on your office day or at another convenient time.

Surgery!!