MyWeightLossHealth – Surgical Weight Loss for Employers

While weight loss surgery is a viable option for a portion of patients with high-risk obesity, many employers have opted not to cover these procedures because in the past they have been associated with high complication rates, readmissions and costs. However, weight loss surgery has improved in recent years with a level of safety similar to other minimally invasive abdominal procedures. Today, employers are seeing outcomes that reduce their health care spend as patients improve their overall health with the assistance of weight loss surgery.

The MyWeightLossHealth – Surgical Weight Loss Bundle builds on these innovations and includes coordinated, proactive care from the initial patient consultation through weight loss procedure and post-op follow up.

• Concierge service from a dedicated patient navigator for the patient and a support person they select to help them through their weight loss journey
• Bariatric office visits pre- and post-surgery
• If necessary, a pre-surgery clearance visit from specialists in cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, pulmonary, endocrinology and hematology 
• Dietitian and psychiatric visits 
• Pre-surgery preparation and education
• Necessary diagnostic imaging such as an EGD (endoscopy of upper GI tract)
• All activities related to the chosen procedure (whether gastric sleeve or gastric bypass) and hospital stay
• Post-surgery emergency visits, observation stays, and related hospital admissions or procedures for 90 days
• Labs included for one year post-surgery
• Sleep consultation
• Access to a support group

• Interested candidates speak with our patient navigator, who confirms health plan eligibility, explains the process and collects required information. 
• Once health plan eligibility has been confirmed, the patient will be scheduled for a surgical consultation to determine medical eligibility. 
• If eligible, the patient will officially begin their journey to weight loss surgery. If not, they will be offered participation in our Medical Weight Loss Bundle, or other weight loss treatment options outside of MyWeightLossHealth. 
• Patients select a support person (friend of family member) to help them through their weight loss journey.
• Pre-surgery education on topics ranging from nutrition to emotional well-being are available to help the patient prepare for the procedure. Patients are connected to a support group made up of other current and past participants.
• Typical hospital stay is 1-2 days for either surgical procedure. Often patients can return to work in less than two weeks for jobs that are low impact or do not involve heavy lifting.
• Our care team will arrange post-operative check-ins to ensure the patient is on the road to recovery. We will stay by the patient’s side for a full year to ensure long-term success.

Are you ready for change?

If you're a patient, please visit our MyHealth Bundles patient page and schedule time with one of our patient navigators.

If you're an employer, email us at employersolutions@vumc.org or call our sales team at (615) 421–0112 to learn more about how bundles work, our approach and the benefits of a direct partnership with Vanderbilt Health. 

If you're a provider and need more information about a bundles patient, please contact our patient navigators at bundles@vumc.org or call (615) 936–BNDL (2635).