Costs associated with lap band surgery

Cost of Lap banding surgery

On an average, the cost of Lap Band surgery comes from $17,000 to $30,000 that includes treatment and travel.

Reimbursement from insurance companies

Although there was no provision from the insurance companies to reimburse the cost of Lap Band surgery (mainly because it was mistaken as cosmetic surgery), slowly the life risk aspect of the surgery is being realized which is why they are paying for most part of it certified by the doctor according to the NIH standards.

Expense overheads borne by the hospitals

The arrangements are such that the patients are received from the airport to the hotel where a stay of 4-5 days is arranged. The hospital stay is just for one night.

The out-of-town patients get scheduled within three weeks. Most patients can go back to work within 5 days and can start their exercise regime within 10 days. All required Pre-Operative Exams are done on the day prior to surgery.

Some successful doctors

Case 1

Dr. Rumbaut and his team at San José, the most prestigious Private University Affiliated Facility in Northern Mexico, have performed about 1800 Lap-Band procedure without a single case of death.

The mean excess weight loss after 18 months in this case is approximately 67%, other complications with the slippage and erosion of lap band are less then 1%. Infection, bleeding, pneumonia, etc. all less than 2% and all patients were discharged before one week.

Case 2

Dr. Franco Favretti, and Dr. Gianni Segato, two of the most experienced Lap-Band Surgeons in Europe at Saint-Pierre Hospital in Brussels have performed well over 1,700 Lap-Band cases. They have the distinction of performing this surgery along with two other team members namely Dr. Cadiere and Dr. Himpens, in October 1992.

The treatment requires 5 to 6 days stay in Italy which starts meeting the patients at Venice International Airport on Thursday. The patients get admitted to the hospital on Friday Morning for pre-op tests, undergo surgery on Saturday and get discharged from the hospital on Monday.

After surgery, the patients are requested to stay a few more days to make sure about their recovery. After that they are taken for sightseeing to nearby Venice.

By Friday the patients can go back home and can resume work.

Case 3

According to the records of Dr. Cadière and Dr. Himpens, who have done 3000 cases already, not many patients received reimbursement from their insurance.

One patient mortality that in their case was due to over-eating, and esophageal perforation when death occurred some 4 weeks after surgery. The erosion rate is 1%, Pouch dilatation rate is 6 % and band-removal rate 3% after 3.6 years.

Case 4

Dr. Andreas Osterwalder is one of the most experienced Lap-Band Surgeons in Europe at the Ars Medica Clinic near Lugano.

The patients are required to bring the reports of the basic tests like lab/chest x-ray and ECG which prove the fitness to stand general anesthesia for at least 2 hrs, a sonography of the upper abdomen (to exclude gallstones). They are also required to bring reports of a gastroscopy as proof against any gastric disease.

The patient can fly to Zürich, and then to Lugano Airport in Agno to be picked up from there. One should go prepared for a stay of 2-3 days in a hotel room.