What Does the Surgery Cost?

We request an all inclusive fee for each of the laparoscopic surgery procedures we offer. This “turn-key” fee includes:

  1. Office consult with Dr. Christou
  2. Pre-operative assessment (medical, laboratory, radiology, cardiogram)
  3. A 2-week pre-surgery high protein low carbohydrate diet (OPTIFAST)
  4. Operating room rental
  5. Operating room supplies
  6. All medical/surgical/anaesthesia/nursing/support staff fees
  7. Hospital days required depending on surgery type
  8. Three months post-operative care by Dr. Christou and our team.

The “turn-key” price associated with each procedure is as follows. Each varies depending on the disposable supplies used during surgery (band, stapling instruments), the length of the surgery (reflected in OR time used) and the hospital stay.

Procedure Cost
Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band (surgery and all adjustments in first year) $18,000
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy $18,000
Laparoscopic RY Gastric Bypass $19,500

Weight Loss Surgery (the billing agent) will provide a detailed receipt. You must consult with your tax advisor as to the proper use of this receipt.

Can I afford this Surgery?

This analysis will show you that the 17-20$K investment in your surgery is very “cost-effective” when it comes to your health.

In order to get the health benefits of weight loss, this must last for a lifetime. This means that you must follow a diet regimen and exercise program for the rest of your life.

In the analysis presented here we calculate the cost of some diet programs followed consecutively for 20 years, assuming you could follow this diet without failure. We do not consider health club membership fees, personal trainer fees and other costs related to the exercise component of your behavioral modification program.

Diet 3 months 20 Years
Weight Watchers $167 $26,700
Jenny Craig $1,249 $199,840
OPTIFAST $1,900 $304,000
Medifast $840 $134,400
Nutrisystem $900 $144,000

Even the most scientifically proven diet plan, Weight Watchers, costs more than the surgery.

When you consider that the surgery will save your life in addition to improving your quality of life, the answer to the question “Can I afford the surgery?” becomes obvious.

What about financing?

Many of our patient ask about financing and those that chose this option have found MEDICARD a medical finance company very acomodating. Visit them at www.medicard.com.