Our Process

Coordination of Care

Our goal is to make your weight loss surgery as safe, comfortable, and convenient as possible – pre and post-surgery. This includes:

• Meetings with your surgeon pre-op and every three months for up to two years after your surgery
• Multiple educational sessions with our dedicated clinical dietitian
• A series of routine health tests to properly assess your health
• Healthy lifestyle education
• Customized nutrition plans
• Psychiatric evaluations
• A sleep study with our sleep specialists when needed
• Access to our support groups
• Consultation with our Columbia University affiliated cardiologist when necessary for surgical clearance

Qualifications

To qualify for bariatric surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, you need to meet one of the following two criteria:

• Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 40
• Have a BMI greater than 35, with a significant medical condition

To see if you qualify, you may calculate your own BMI by using this calculator: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

Or you may reference this chart:

Your Journey

Your journey begins with a phone call to our Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery Program at 305-674-2202. Our trained schedulers will ask brief health screening questions, after which they will advise about your appointment. Before your appointment, you will receive a phone call from the surgical coordinator, who will navigate you through the insurance referral and verification process.

During your initial office visit, you will meet your surgeon, physician assistant, nutritionist, and surgical coordinator. This dedicated team is here to ensure your success, guiding you throughout your weight loss journey.

• The surgeon and physician assistant will medically assess you for surgery and share required qualifications.
• The nutritionist will advise you on diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, and compliance to your prescribed regimen.
• The surgical coordinator will navigate the appointment scheduling and insurance authorization process.

Once your initial visit is complete, you will be given a list of appointments that are required prior to surgery, including a follow-up visit with your surgeon and nutritionist, bariatric lab work, a psychiatric evaluation, a sleep study, and an endoscopy. You will also be given a tentative surgery date. The surgical coordinator will work with you to ensure all of your pre-operative requirements are completed.

All patients are required to have nutritional and psychological evaluations prior to surgery. Like all surgery, this procedure does require significant involvement on the patient’s part. Patients must agree to comply with all therapy, required lifestyle modifications, and recommendations made by their physicians and health care providers in order to achieve and maintain the best results possible.

Two weeks prior to surgery, you will have a visit in the office with your surgeon, physician assistant, nutritionist, and surgical coordinator. You will be given orders for pre-op lab work, chest X-ray, and EKG, along with instructions for the day of your surgery.

Bariatric surgery typically takes 2-4 hours, and you can expect to be in the hospital for 1-2 days. During your hospital stay, our bariatric-trained nursing team will care for you, along with the surgeon and nutritionist, who will provide feedback on your progress and give you discharge instructions.

About 1-2 weeks after surgery, you will have a follow-up visit in the office with your surgeon, physician assistant, nutritionist, and the surgical coordinator, who will give you follow-up appointments and future lab work orders.

The dedicated Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery team is committed to your success and will ensure subsequent office visits are scheduled every three months, for up to two years following your procedure.

What Our Patients Are Saying

I have struggled with obesity since I was five years old. As a result, I have developed health-related problems including diabetes and hypertension after giving birth to my third child.  Because of my obesity, I felt as though I was unable to manage this on my own and the impact of having diabetes made the disease and struggle worse, making my daily life dysfunctional. So I chose to have bariatric surgery.

When I first met Dr. Ben-David, it was a remarkable experience.  He was so insightful and made me feel very comfortable. My experience with the Mount Sinai Medical Center Bariatric team was a wonderful one. They were persistent, stood by my side and consistently communicated with me. The information that was provided before and after surgery was very helpful and I still refer to it today. The pre and post-surgery diet that I was given was easy to follow.

The success of my surgery made me feel more radiant and energetic. I feel like a new and better person.  Since the surgery, I went from a size 18 to a size 10 in three and a half months.  I sleep better and am better rested.  Because of my healthy food choices, not only am I keeping my new stomach healthy, I now have an abundance of energy and strength. Shopping is no longer a bad experience and I enjoy it because I can purchase the clothes I like. My children are happy because their mom looks healthy and because I have the energy and motivation to do things with them.  I have new and positive energy that is projected toward my family and friends. I am honored and grateful for Dr. Ben-David and the entire Mount Sinai bariatric team. Thank you! 

-Maritza H.