The Role of Telemedicine in Managing Bariatric and Ozempic Patients

You know you’re ready to lose the weight and keep it off, whether that’s through bariatric surgery or through a second-generation weight loss medication such as Ozempic (or both in conjunction). But you’re not sure about the logistics. Maybe you’re out of state, or maybe you live in Colorado but far from Denver. Maybe you’re a little bit daunted by the pre-op and post-op appointments required for bariatric surgery, and you’re wondering how to make those easier.

If this is you, then bariatric telemedicine or Ozempic telemedicine may be a good fit. At the Bariatric and Metabolic Center of Colorado, we offer telemedicine appointments as a partial replacement for some of the traditional in-person appointments for surgery and weight loss programs. These appointments can help you to lose weight and keep it off while also saving time and money.

What Is A Telemedicine Visit?

A telemedicine visit is a real-time virtual visit with your doctor or another member of your weight loss team, from the comfort of your own home. All you need is a computer, tablet or smartphone. Many of our appointments can be done this way, which can save you time and money both before and after surgery; especially if you don’t live close to our office.

Which Visits Can Be Done Via Telemedicine?

Bariatric Surgery

If you decide to pursue bariatric surgery (which we recommend you consider if you suffer from obesity, whether or not you also use weight loss medications such as Ozempic), our friendly weight loss team can handle most of your appointments virtually both before and after the operation. Here’s a list of the appointments that we offer virtually:

• Initial consultation
• Educational classes to acquire all weight loss tools needed for bariatric surgery
• Appointments with our registered bariatric dietitian to help you develop and follow through with pre-op and post-op dieting
• Appointments with our psychological evaluation

Certain tests cannot be offered virtually because they require specialized equipment and/or in-person examination. These include:

• Blood tests (including a Complete Blood Count (CBC))
• Pulmonary function tests
• GI evaluation
• Cardiac tests and ECG

Your surgery will also of course need to be performed in-person.

Weight Loss Medications

If you decide to pursue a prescription for weight loss medications, then we can handle the screening appointment as well as the actual prescription virtually as long as documentation of recent vital signs within the past 30 days from another doctor’s office or from a home blood pressure cuff is available. Our telemedicine weight loss program is entirely virtual; With Ozempic telemedicine, there is no need to leave the comfort of your home.

What Are the Key Benefits of Using Telemedicine?

There are three key benefits to bariatric or Ozempic telemedicine. 

First, it can improve access. How does telemedicine improve access? If you struggle with transportation, or if you live far from our office, than bariatric telemedicine can save you substantial time and money by preventing you from having to come into our bariatric center as frequently. You can do many appointments from the comfort of your home.

Second, some patients report that they feel less judged or insecure during a telemedicine visit than they would if they were to go into the office. Our staff are friendly and caring, but we also understand that some patients simply feel more comfortable in their own home. Your comfort is important to us. 

Finally, bariatric telemedicine can actually improve patient outcomes. Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool, but it is not a magical cure. It can level the playing field in your battle with obesity, but in order to lose the weight and keep it off you will have to pair surgery with a lifelong dietary and exercise plan. Your pre-op and post-op appointments are therefore essential to your long-term weight loss, because it is during these appointments that we help you develop and stick to a dietary and exercise plan. It is very important that you complete these appointments; and if you know that you may have difficulty doing so if they are in person, then virtual visits may be a powerful aid on your weight loss journey.

In fact, there’s evidence that virtual appointments can improve patient outcomes for exactly this reason. One study found that access to bariatric telemedicine reduced no-show rates for appointments by 38 percent. 

Taking the Next Step On Your Weight Loss Journey

Obesity is one of the hardest diseases to live with. But the good news is that you don’t have to. Bariatric surgery (either alongside a prescription for weight loss medication or as a stand-alone) has a proven track record of helping patients just like you to lose weight, keep it off, and get their life back. Thanks to telemedicine, this is easier than ever.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our friendly office staff or browse our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Many of our patients say that the decision to undergo weight loss surgery was one of the best decisions of their lives.

“I feel like I have won the lottery and have been given a second chance in life! March 25, 2014 was the first day of the rest of my new life and I can’t even start to express in words how grateful I am.”–Rochelle Goforth, gastric bypass patient.

If you’re suffering, don’t wait. Contact our Denver office today.