Bariatric Program Referral and Intake Process

The Bariatric Program’s referral and intake process elicits engagement from clients and their referring physician from their first point of contact with the bariatric surgical program. The process provides both parties with clear, concise, and timely information, which enables them to make an informed decision about whether the patient should pursue bariatric surgery. During the intake phase, a risk stratification system is used to triage patients as potentially low, medium, or high-risk for bariatric surgery. A comprehensive patient, family, and physician questionnaire provides a mechanism for data collection. We have seen improved patient satisfaction with the bariatric surgery program services, and improved staff satisfaction as a result of clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each team member, which avoids redundancy and information duplication.