Bariatric Surgery

20 weeks of pre-op protocol. One missed step and the case is delayed.

Bariatric surgery has the most demanding pre-op timeline in elective surgery. A patient who's been in supervised diet for 12 weeks can still lose their slot if they miss the psych eval, skip cardiac clearance, or forget NPO compliance. CaseFlow tracks the entire sequence so you don't have to.

The average bariatric case is worth $18,000–$28,000. By the time a patient reaches Week 8 of supervised diet, they've already invested $1,500–$2,000 in pre-op visits. Protocol drop at Week 12 or 16 doesn't just delay surgery — it wastes that investment and drives patient attrition.
Capabilities

What CaseFlow handles for bariatric surgery practices

CaseFlow runs the full 20-week pre-op sequence automatically — from Week 8 diet check-ins through Day-3 post-op triage. You manage exceptions, not reminders.

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Supervised diet check-ins — Week 8, 10, 12

CMS requires 3–6 months of physician-supervised weight loss before bariatric surgery. CaseFlow sends weekly check-in SMS aligned to your program milestones, confirms appointment attendance, and flags patients who miss supervised diet visits before those gaps affect surgical clearance.

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Psych eval reminder — Week 12

Psychological evaluation is a hard gate for CMS and most payers. CaseFlow reminds patients at Week 12, confirms scheduling, and follows up if the eval isn't completed before the surgical hold window closes. Late psych eval completions are the #2 cause of surgical delays in bariatric programs.

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Cardiac clearance — Week 16

Cardiac clearance for bariatric surgery requires cardiology coordination and often a formal stress test. CaseFlow tracks the referral, sends reminders at Week 14 and 16, and escalates to your office if clearance hasn't been documented before the surgical date is confirmed.

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Clearance document management

CaseFlow's clearance tracker keeps all pre-op clearance items (nutrition, psych, cardiac, pulmonary, anesthesia) in one place per patient. When a clearance is pending or overdue, your office gets a flagged alert — not a last-minute surprise on the morning of surgery.

NPO and day-of prep — Day-1 and Day-3h

CaseFlow sends NPO compliance SMS the evening before surgery and a 3-hour pre-op confirmation. For bariatric patients especially, NPO compliance is non-negotiable. A missed NPO instruction means case delay or cancellation — CaseFlow ensures it doesn't happen.

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Day-3 post-op triage

Post-bariatric surgery complications (DVT, leak, dehydration, GI intolerance) often surface within the first 72 hours after discharge. CaseFlow runs a structured Day-3 check-in, flags concerning responses to your triage team in real-time, and ensures patients who need to be seen today know it.

Auto Google Reviews Engine

Bariatric patients who score 9–10 on Day-30 NPS automatically receive a "life change" framed one-tap Google review link. Weight loss surgery outcomes are deeply emotional — CaseFlow captures that moment with the right words, then tracks clicks and confirmation. Your program's best outcomes compound into local SEO that brings in the next patient looking for bariatric surgery near them. See how it works →

Protocol Timeline

The 20-week bariatric pre-op sequence — and where CaseFlow runs it

Bariatric surgery requires documented protocol compliance across multiple specialties. CaseFlow keeps patients on track and your team out of the chase.

Pre-Op Milestone Automated by CaseFlow
Week 8
Supervised diet check-in Confirm program participation, track visit attendance, flag missed nutrition visits
SMS active
Week 10
Diet compliance follow-up Verify continued progress, confirm next nutrition appointment, alert office if disengaged
SMS active
Week 12
Psychological evaluation reminder Hard gate: psych eval must be completed before surgical scheduling window opens. Flag if not scheduled.
SMS active
Week 14
Cardiac clearance referral chase Confirm cardiology referral placed, check referral status, escalate if no appointment scheduled
SMS active
Week 16
Cardiac clearance confirmation Verify cardiac clearance received and documented; alert office if pending as surgery date approaches
SMS active
Day -1
NPO compliance and final prep SMS Evening NPO instruction confirmation, medication hold reminders, surgery time check-in
SMS active
Day 0
Day-of confirmation 3-hour pre-op reminder, arrival instructions, checklist completion confirmation
SMS active
Day +3
Post-op triage check-in Structured symptom check — flags concerning responses (DVT signal, dehydration, GI issues) to triage team in real-time
SMS active
Revenue Recovery Snapshot
A 3-surgeon bariatric program doing 45 cases/month
~$18K
Avg. surgical revenue per case
15–20%
Protocol drop rate (psych eval / clearance)
$2,000+
Patient pre-op investment already at risk per drop
~$9,700
Recoverable revenue per month (targeting 50% drop reduction)

CaseFlow's protocol-adherence SMS timeline targets the clearance and psych eval gaps that cause the most surgical delays in bariatric programs. One recovered case per surgeon per month covers the monthly cost of the platform.

FAQ

Common questions from bariatric surgery programs

CaseFlow tracks supervised diet participation via weekly check-in SMS that confirm appointment attendance and flag disengagement. The structured check-ins create a documented communication trail per patient. Your program maintains the clinical documentation requirements — CaseFlow ensures patients stay current on their visits so the documentation can be completed.
CaseFlow sends a Week 12 psych eval reminder with scheduling confirmation. If the eval isn't completed by Week 14, it escalates to your office as a flagged alert. Late psych eval completions are one of the top two causes of bariatric surgical delays — CaseFlow turns this from a manual chase into an automated workflow with exception escalation.
CaseFlow sends escalating reminders for each clearance item — nutrition, psych, cardiac, pulmonary, anesthesia. If a clearance remains incomplete as the surgical date approaches, your office receives a flagged alert so you can intervene before the case has to be rescheduled. The patient gets a push — your team handles the exception.
CaseFlow sends a structured Day-3 check-in aligned to bariatric recovery protocols. Patients answer a short symptom questionnaire via SMS. Responses are classified automatically: routine → no action, concerning → triage alert to your office, urgent → immediate flag with instructions to call. The goal is catching complications (DVT signal, dehydration, staple-line issues) within the 72-hour window when intervention matters most.
CaseFlow integrates with ModMed (Kinnetah ASC, eDental) and other EHR systems used by bariatric practices. The clearance tracker provides a standalone workflow for pre-op protocol tracking even without EHR integration — your staff can see clearance status per patient without logging into a separate system. Reach out to discuss your specific EHR setup.
Most bariatric programs are fully configured within 1–2 weeks. CaseFlow is configured per practice with your specific protocol timeline, clearance requirements, and surgeon preferences. We'll work with your program director to build the correct 20-week sequence, and you can preview the full patient experience in the sandbox before going live.
🎓 Patient Education Engine

Bariatric patients who understand their journey cancel 1.8% less often

Auto-send a 5-minute bariatric surgery walkthrough at T-14d — including pre-op liquid diet, vitamin protocol, and realistic recovery expectations. Available in English & Spanish. Completion feeds the cancellation risk score automatically.

📱 Auto-SMS at T-14d 🌐 English & Spanish 📊 Feeds cancellation risk score +1.8% fewer 72h cancellations
💳 Surgery Deposit Engine

Bariatric no-shows are different — and a deposit changes the math

A sleeve gastrectomy costs $18,000–$28,000 per case. Bariatric patients have high pre-op investment — but diet fatigue at week 12–16 drives cold-feet cancellations. CaseFlow sends a T-21d SMS with a Stripe payment link (Apple Pay / Google Pay supported). A $500–$1,000 deposit that converts to a 12-month credit on late cancel preserves the rebook relationship without burning the patient.

💳 Stripe + Apple / Google Pay 📉 30–50% no-show reduction Auto-refund within T-7d window 12-mo credit on late cancel
💳 Try the deposit demo →
NEW · Day-of-Surgery

Bariatric families wait 2-3 hours. Automated updates keep them calm — and your phones quiet.

Five bilingual texts fire automatically at each surgery milestone — check-in, surgery start, complete, recovery, pickup. No staff calls, no pacing family in the lobby. Families who get updates leave 5-star reviews. Bariatric practices are the fastest to earn them.

👨‍👩‍👧 See the Family Update demo →
🧩 OR Supply Tracking

Never delay a bariatric procedure for a missing staple cartridge or device

CaseFlow tracks par levels for surgical supplies and device SKUs — linear staplers, trocars, energy devices, balloon dissectors. When stock drops to par, an automatic reorder PO fires to your vendor rep via SMS and email. One-click rep confirmation. Stockout with a sleeve or bypass scheduled in 72h? You get an urgent alert before the patient arrives.

📦 Auto-fires PO when stock hits par ✅ One-click rep confirmation 🚨 72h stockout alert for scheduled cases Per-case pull log + on-hand value KPIs
🧠 New: Complication Triage AI

GI obstruction post-sleeve? On-call surgeon knows in <60s

Bariatric GI obstruction scores +18 in CaseFlow's Complication Triage AI — the highest specialty amplifier. Every post-op patient SMS is classified automatically. No bowel movement 3 days post-sleeve = urgent flag, surgeon alerted immediately.

See Complication Triage AI →
URGENT 80/100 GI Obstruction detected

"I haven't been able to have a bowel movement in 3 days and my stomach hurts a lot"

Gastric Sleeve · Day 4 post-op · Bariatric specialty bump +18
🚨 Dr. Williams alerted via SMS + voice call
🫁 Anesthesia Pre-Op Clearance

BMI 50+ and OSA — automate the workup loop before it cancels your sleeve

Bariatric patients are among the highest-ASA-class populations in any ASC: BMI 50+, obstructive sleep apnea, T2 diabetes, hypertension. CaseFlow auto-scores ASA class from the pre-op intake, flags OSA + GLP-1 use automatically, and routes to your anesthesiologist for sign-off. Required workups (sleep study, echo, endocrine consult) are tracked per case with patient SMS nudges at T-21d through T-3d. Cases not OR-ready at T-72h get a +30 risk boost in Cancellation Prediction — surfaced before the slot is gone.

💊 GLP-1 + OSA auto-flagged from intake 🔬 Sleep study, echo, endocrine consult tracking ✅ Anesthesiologist sign-off via mobile-friendly portal ⚠️ OR-not-ready escalates risk score at T-72h
See Anesthesia Clearance →

A single protocol drop costs you $18K. CaseFlow costs less than that per surgeon per month.

See the full 20-week pre-op sequence in action — try the sandbox with a pre-loaded bariatric program example.