What It Means to Be “DFW Bariatric Institute Certified”(DFWBI Certified)
The weight loss surgeons at the DFW Bariatric Insititute have devoted their surgical career to the fight against obesity. It is a very complex disease that can encompass many factors: genetics, medical disorders, life stresses, and injuries just to name a few. It is this complexity that makes the treatment of obesity so difficult. The DFW Bariatric Institute has learned many of the most effective methods to treat this convoluted disease; such modalities will include surgery, emotional support, nutritional education, and sometimes medications.
This also means that the complexity of this disease will require a “team” concept to successfully treat obesity. For example, if a patient requires a gallbladder removal, a patient can do well regardless of what the patient chooses to eat or whether he or she decides to exercise. After selecting the proper bariatric operation and consulting with one of our doctors, the patients’ decisions and actions will have a direct hand in how well they do for years to come.
Surgical education is provided not only by a registered nurse, but also by a bariatric certified nurse. Our nursing staff has been evaluated individually to ensure accurate, knowledgeable, and consistent care to assist a patient to recover fully after surgery. The DFW Medical Director educates our nursing staff as they become patient advocates, sensitive to obesity-related issues. Our doctor, along with bariatric nurses and medical assistants, discuss each patient and what course of treatment will be best for that patient to be successful. Each patient receives an individualized treatment plan specific to his or her medical conditions. All plans are overseen by the DFW Medical Director and his educated staff of surgeons and bariatric certified nurses.
Physician Assistants (P.A.) are an integral part of the DFW Bariatric Institute. To become DFWBI certified, each P.A. must understand the disease process of obesity and help our team of surgeons carry out individualized treatment plans. For example, LAP-BAND® System patients must be seen once a month for the first year after surgery. Each office visit will require the surgeon or P.A. to assess the progress of the patient, interpret the barium swallow, provide a saline fill, and give helpful instructions to continue progress. Each P.A. has been individually trained in the science of successful weight loss. In addition, every P.A. has been thoroughly educated on proper bariatric nutrition. This knowledge is vital to assist a patient through their weight loss journey. Each P.A. has also been trained to help in the evaluation of post-operative patients. They can help our surgeons to spot out any potential problems and assist in rounds. They are encouraged each year to attend continuing medical education classes to expand their knowledge base as it pertains to obesity. They have been trained to be sensitive to the emotional needs of a bariatric patient. A DFWBI certified physician’s assistant is a resource of helpful medical knowledge and sensitive to the needs of the weight loss patient.
DFWBI certified nutritionists and dietitians are an important cornerstone to our Institute. Traditionally, most of our patients have tried numerous diets that ultimately fail. They come to us seeking help. That help will usually come in the form of bariatric surgery. Studies have shown that diets alone will fail 98% of the time. The most effective form of treatment for the morbidly obese patient is bariatric surgery and proper nutrition. Our patients may have developed years of unsuccessful habits and they need proper education about what they should eat after LAP-BAND® System Surgery, Gastric Sleeve, Gastric Bypass, or other treatments. Our chief dietitian employs many of the most modern techniques to help patients eat in the most optimum and healthful ways. Our chief dietitian even takes the patients’ on a field trip through the grocery store to reinforce their newfound education! DFWBI certified P.A.’s and dietitians go the extra mile to help each patient through his or her journey. The ordinary dietitians may be helpful to an overweight patient if they have had weight loss surgery, but a DFWBI certified dietitian will provide specific nutrition counseling based upon the type of surgery he or she has selected. Our DFWBI certified dietitians use the most up-to-date equipment to educate patients. They can measure the precise amount of calories their metabolism needs. Armed with bariatric surgery, the patient can finally succeed in making proper choices and see results. Our chief dietitian even takes the patients’ on a field trip every quarter through the grocery store to reinforce their newfound education! DFWBI certified P.A.’s and dietitians go the extra mile to help each patient through his or her journey.
At the DFW Bariatric Institute, all of our surgeons consider access to healthcare important. Without access, a patient may not receive the surgery he or she needs. This surgery could be lifesaving and improve the quality of one’s life. This is where DFWBI-certified insurance coordinators come in. They are vital to the insurance process. Patients get to surgery either through insurance or through their own personal finances. Our Insurance Coordinators help both set of patients through the difficult insurance approval process or by helping a patient seek a loan through lending institutions. A patient may have “bariatric benefits” but this does not equate to providing the necessary services a patient needs. They must go through an insurance approval process that is, at times, difficult for a patient to navigate on his or her own. DFWBI certified Insurance Coordinators have all had bariatric surgery themselves so they know how important this is to you! Our coordinators will guide each patient through the insurance approval process because the rules are different for each insurance carrier and each plan even under the same carrier! This may require necessary insurance classes and ordering pre-operative studies. The DFW Bariatric Institute writes personalized letters to the insurance company to help with the approval process. DFWBI certified Insurance Coordinators are up to date with the latest insurance policy changes. Overall, a DFWBI Insurance Coordinator is one of the best patient advocates in the business. They have an excellent comprehensive knowledge base and personal connection to the process that will help a patient get surgery in a timely manner.
DFW Bariatric Institute Insurance Coordinators recognize not all patients have insurance benefits that cover weight loss surgery. We have arranged affordable prices for all operations with local area hospitals that cover not just the surgeon’s fees, but also anesthesia and hospital costs.
Our Coordinators can help you look at possible loans from lending institutions to finance your operation. Surgeries are not inexpensive, but affordable to most with financing. We want to provide true value in your journey to empower you in the battle over weight control. The costs of living with obestiy and its associated diseases is a tremendous burden. We will provide a means to start you on your new life!
A DFWBI certified staff member is a patient advocate. Rarely under one roof has so many patient care advocates been assembled, but DFWBI has become just that place. Here is an example of one of our patient advocates:
- Cindy, our medical assistant, weighs patients and takes comprehensive histories about each patient. She, herself, is a revision bariatric surgery patient. She had LAP-BAND® System and Gastric Sleeve surgery. She understands the struggles a patient may experience prior to surgery, and can give valuable information to help patients after surgery to lose more weight. She has “been there” as a patient herself so she will draw upon her experiences to help you answer any questions. She has made the necessary lifestyle changes to succeed. She also speaks Spanish fluently and is DFWBI’s Spanish Interpreter. DFWBI certified medical assistants know your concerns and have been obesity sensitive trained.
DFWBI certified P.A.s, nutritionists, and dietitians are devoted specialists who partner with our patients during their journey to success and embody the level of care that our doctors and the DFWBI staff have instilled into the Colleyville and Frisco locations. They will use the most modern methods to teach and aid patients through the surgical process. This rigorous commitment to become DFWBI certified is achieved at both the Colleyville and Frisco offices is important because a DFWBI certified team member is a passionate and devoted patient advocate. This means a patient will receive excellent care, and that is the underlying goal for all of us at DFWBI.
Please contact the DFW Bariatric Institute for more information, or to schedule a consultation with one of our surgeons.