Our Program

About The Program

The Northeast Bariatric Center at Hazleton General Hospital is committed to providing you with various surgical options, as well as continuous and compassionate support during your weight-loss journey. Your steps to a new life begin with a phone consultation with our Bariatric Nurse Coordinator who will discuss our program, calculate your body mass index (BMI), and review your individual insurance information. Following this initial consultation, an information session will be scheduled for all new patients and their families. Patients will be educated about the preoperative steps to surgery, various surgical options, as well as the commitment required to make weight-loss surgery a successful and life-changing journey to a new, healthier life post-surgery.

After the information session, you’ll be scheduled to meet with our board certified bariatric surgeon, Dr. Michael Bono, FACS, FASMBS, and his bariatric team. With more than 10 years of experience in bariatric surgery, Dr. Bono utilizes his bariatric surgical skills on a level that enables his patients to play a key role in their personal, comprehensive continuum of care. This introduction will give you the opportunity to explain your personal situation and discuss your weight-loss expectations. Together, you and Dr. Bono will determine if bariatric surgery is an appropriate weight-loss solution for you.

As a candidate for bariatric surgery, you can expect to undergo a series of consultations and evaluations. A detailed comprehensive program has been developed to ensure your long-term health and safety before and after surgery. You can expect the following from the program:

• Receive extensive patient education from our Bariatric Nurse Coordinator who is a Certified Bariatric Nurse, CBN.
• Meet with our registered dietitian to discuss healthy lifestyle changes before and after surgery.
• Undergo a physical therapy fitness evaluation that measures your resting metabolic rates, body composition, and creates an appropriate exercise protocol based on target heart rates and individual needs.
• Participate in studies to determine your psychological, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular health.
• Participate in support groups to help prepare you for not only the physical changes of bariatric surgery, but also the emotional and mental obstacles.
• Become a patient for life as we offer life-long follow-ups post-surgery.

Insurance Information

Morbid obesity is a medical condition, not a cosmetic condition. Therefore, all requests for surgery approval are based on a medical diagnosis made by your surgeon. Most insurance policies will cover bariatric surgery or at least a portion of it. The first step is to meet with your bariatric surgeon to determine if you’re a candidate for the surgery. Once you’ve been accepted into the program, call your insurance company and verify that the bariatric procedure you’ll be undergoing is covered and also inquire if your plan has any deductibles or co-pays for the surgery. They may ask you for procedure codes that apply to your particular case (see below). The Northeast Bariatric Center does accept self-pay patients.

• Adjustable Band - code 43770
• Gastric Bypass - code 43644
• Diagnosis code - code 278.01
• Laparascopic Sleeve Gastrectomy - code 42755

(11-2011)