Bariatric surgery has become a safe and effective treatment option for patients with obesity and medically related comorbidities. Unfortunately, many patients do not have insurance benefits for these procedures, and therefore elect to pay for the procedure themselves. Despite the safety of bariatric procedures, complications can happen even in the best of hands. In this unfortunate scenario, costs related to treatment of the complication are often denied by an insurance company who does not offer bariatric benefits. As a result, the patient can end up being responsible for the bill.
To help patients avoid this difficult situation, all of our doctors at JourneyLite Physicians have become BLISCare surgeons.
Leavitt Risk Partners, providers of BLISCare, is a privately held company whose purpose is to provide insurance coverage to surgeons to protect self-pay bariatric patients from complication related medical expenses, and to provide peace of mind. In the event that a patient has a covered complication, Leavitt Risk Partners protects against all costs of treatment for that specific complication. These costs include hospital charges, professional fees and ancillary services.
Below are the protection options available for purchase:
Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Patients:
- Leak, bleed, infection and perforation for 90 days
- Stenosis/stricture and Obstruction for 24 months
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Patients:
- Leak, bleed, infection and perforation for 90 days
- Stenosis and stricture for 24 months
Loop Duodenal Switch/SIPS Patients:
- Leak, bleed, infection and perforation for 90 days
- Stenosis and stricture for 24 months
Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) Patients:
- Intraoperative – Complications related to initial procedure – cardiopulmonary events, thromboembolic events, sedation related events.
- Perioperative – Complications due to procedure – bleeding, infection, leak, abdominal pain
- All Other – Complications not listed above – nausea, vomiting, other complications as diagnosed by physician
Please note that this is just a suggestion, it is up to the individual patient to evaluate if this is something they would like to move forward with, considering appropriate financial situations.
There are numerous coverage options based on procedure, type of complication and length of the claim period. The best option is to call them at (877) 280-2547 or visit their web site here.