Weight loss can be a daunting process. We will partner with you to give you the greatest chance to reach your health goals. One of the tools to help you be successful is our new Virtual Pathway to Surgery.

The Virtual Pathway to Surgery can make the weight-loss process easier by greatly reducing the number of office visits, both before and after your procedure. Instead, your weight loss team will meet with you using telemedicine, eliminating up to 15 office visits and saving you time and travel.

From verifying your insurance coverage to follow-up meetings, our Virtual Pathway to Surgery combines the ease of telemedicine with the patient-centered approach that is at the core of everything we do at Guthrie.

One of the benefits of the Virtual Pathway to Surgery is that it is centered on your needs. Whether you prefer to go completely virtual, completely face-to-face or a combination of both, your weight-loss team will work with you to make the process as comfortable and convenient as possible.

You could be an ideal candidate for the Virtual Pathway to Surgery if you:

  • Have access to smart technology such as a smart phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer with internet access
  • Have prior experience with virtual health visits
  • Own or are willing to purchase a scale

To learn whether our Virtual Pathway to Surgery is the right fit for you, contact our Weight Loss team at 570-887-3920 or request an appointment online.

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What does the virtual pathway look like?

Here is what your Virtual Pathway to Surgery could look like. Each person’s experience is unique. Your specific pathway will be designed by you and your weight-loss team. At any time, you or your weight-loss team could request in-person meetings.

  1. You will reach out to the Weight Loss Center or be referred by your primary care physician
  2. We will review your insurance to verify your eligibility and bariatric surgery coverage
  3. You will attend your first virtual consultation with a bariatric provider. You may have additional testing, including a sleep test, ordered. This testing can be done at the Guthrie facility closest to you.
  4. The results of your sleep test, blood work and other tests are reviewed with you electronically by a surgeon and nurse practitioner You will receive a letter confirming your enrollment in the virtual program and outlining your responsibilities and expectations
  5. You will be scheduled and attend a virtual intake class with a dietitian and program coordinator
  6. You will be asked to watch a surgeon seminar video
  7. You will attend a virtual support group. If covered by insurance, you will attend virtual monthly visits with a dietitian or bariatrician (this will happen throughout the process)
  8. You will have visits with a clinical psychologist and a fitness specialist. Typically, patients meet between once and three times with each throughout the process
  9. You will come to Big Flats or Robert Packer Hospital for an upper endoscopy [in-person visit]
  10. You will have a post-endoscopy virtual visit with a nurse practitioner
  11. You will attend your final pre-operative visit with the surgeon [in-person visit]
  12. You will come in for your surgery [in-person visit]
  13. You will have two and four-week follow up appointments [in-person visit]
  14. You will continue with long-term follow-up appointments