Bariatric Surgery FAQs

Candidates for bariatric surgery must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more or be at least 100 pounds overweight. You may also be considered for surgery if you have a BMI of 35 or more and have two or more of the following obesity-related health problems: hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or severe sleep apnea.

Depending on your insurance, you may need to complete supervised medical weight loss or other steps before they will approve your surgery. In addition, the surgeon may suggest additional steps be completed based upon your current health to ensure you are as healthy as possible for surgery. We have a multi-disciplinary team here to help you on your weight loss journey with our ultimate goal of helping you to achieve long-term weight loss success.

We will assist you in determining your insurance benefits and guide you through the approval process. In addition, we will provide financing information if you do not have insurance coverage for weight loss surgery.

Additional Payment Options & Tax Benefits: If you receive a diagnosis of obesity, high blood pressure, or diabetes, you may be able to use your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to cover a portion of the cost of weight loss surgery. You may also be eligible to take advantage of tax deductions to help defray the cost. To explore these options, talk with your tax advisor or the administrator of your HSA or FSA account.

Your first step closer to weight loss is to attend one of our free weight loss information seminars. Attendance is required prior to making an appointment. You may register online for the seminar or visit the Avera Weight Management page to view an online webinar. After attending the seminar or watching the webinar, you may call to schedule an appointment with the surgeon of your choice. If you have any questions, please contact us or call (605) 334-0393 or (800) 344-6389.

We look forward to meeting you and helping you along your weight loss journey!