Billing Information

Insurance Approval Process:

Common insurances and what they require:
Click here and select your insurance company at the top of the page.

Aetna
Blue Cross of California
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Blue Shield of California
CCN/First Health
Cigna
Great West
Health Net
Medicare
Prospect (Medical Group)
Tricare
United Healthcare


To assist us, patients should provide our office with a copy of insurance card(s) (front and back) by faxing to :
310-833-1146

Once our office receives your Health Questionnaire (available on www.coastalobesity.com- New Patient Forms), the clinical staff will review the information and forward to the insurance coordinators. We request authorization in a letter of medical necessity, describing your condition(s) and the surgical procedure(s) to be performed.

The insurance company will then view the request. Some companies require additional studies i.e. psychological evaluation, nutrition consult, lab testing etc. Our Coordinating Department may also require additional information and assistance from you. Please be prepared to provide the following information if necessary:

1. Diet history including documentation of attempts at weight loss, both medically supervised and non supervised.
2. List of current medications
3. List of primary care physicians or specialists treating your medical conditions
4. Supporting documentation of physicians who support your pursuit of surgery
5. Past surgical history with copies of operative reports
6. Days missed from work related to weight condition
7. Psychiatric history
8. Family history

What can I do to help Insurance Approval?

- Download the document.

If approved, the insurance company typically certifies you for a certain number of days in the hospital.
If denied, you may have an opportunity to appeal the decision. We are happy to assist you in the appeal process, at your request. Depending on the reasons for denial, we may refer you to an attorney who specializes in appeals for bariatric surgery coverage. If denied, patients may want to pay for their procedure through other means. The following link may be useful to those of your considering using a credit union.

Need Assistance with Insurance? Financing?

Financing Assistance available for U.S. Residents

For useful information on how to get financing for your weight loss surgery please visit our finance section

Legal Assistance for Obesity Issues:

www.obesitylaw.com - The Obesity Law & Advocacy Center is a full-service private law firm devoted to  representing morbidly obese persons in a variety of legal matters.  The firm handles all types of civil litigation with an emphasis in:

Program Fee

There may be a non-refundable program fee depending upon surgery location. It is to be paid at the time of your first visit with the surgeon. The fee covers items including educational materials, patient manuals, interactive seminars ,on-line exercise, nutrition and support group guest speakers. The fee includes 24 hour direct access to Coastal staff including Physicians. (This fee is not covered by insurance)

To download the Coastal Center for Obesity Program Fee Form:

Microsoft Word - download now
Adobe PDF - download now