Medical Weight
Management
Guiding Minds, Healing Hearts: Beacon Psychiatry - Where Holistic Care Meets Compassionate Expertise for All Ages.
Want to find out more about our Medical Weight Management? How we can help you?
The answers to these and more can be found below.
The initial evaluation takes on average 45 minutes. During this evaluation, your full medical history, diet history, and how you have approached weight loss in the past will be discussed in detail. Blood work will be ordered if you have not had any labs done in the past 6 months. Additional blood work that is not routinely done by primary care physicians may also be ordered to explore other potential causes of weight gain.
If it is determined that you would benefit from a medication to lose weight, medication options will be discussed, recommended and prescribed as appropriate. Occasionally, a once weekly or monthly injection may also be recommended. In some circumstances, medications that contribute to weight gain may be decreased or discontinued if this can be done safely.
During the initial consultation, a diet plan will be developed to fit your goals, dietary needs, and lifestyle. This diet plan is developed based on a number of personal factors. Thus, there is no one-size-fits-all plan that will be recommended. Of note, most diets are moderately restrictive for 3 to 6 months then gradually, foods are added back to create a sustainable and satisfying dietary change.
The third factor in weight loss that will be reviewed and discussed is your mobility or exercise plan. Initially, many people will not be asked to begin exercising as this perpetuates hunger and stress for those who are not accustomed to it. As your body adjusts to the medication and diet changes, personalized recommendations will be made to incrementally and safely add activities into your lifestyle to pave the path for your lifelong transformation. Studies show that when activity is incorporated into weight loss, the weight loss is more sustainable. Once you reach this point, you are well on your way toward transitioning to your maintenance plan.
After the initial consultation, you will have two types of visits moving forward each month: a 10-minute check in to see how the medication changes, diet, and mobility plan are working for you and a 25-minute check in where we evaluate progress, make additional medication changes, and develop additional strategies to overcome any obstacles you are facing with the current plan. The shorter visit can usually be done by telemedicine while the longer visit may need to be done in the office. This will last for 6 months to 1 year for most people, with a goal of losing 10-15% of your body weight in that time. When you are ready, visits will then transition to monthly then every 3 to 6 months. You may discontinue the plan at any time, however, please inform Dr. Glover so a safe transition can be implemented for you.
The cost is $300 for initial consultation and $150 for monthly follow-ups. This is for the Physician and facility services only and is exclusive of costs for labs, medications, injections, and the cost of food.
Most patients lose about 1% of their excess body weight each month. Once a healthy body mass index (BMI) is achieved, the transition from weight loss to weight maintenance strategies will be initiated.
Of course. There is a multitude of options that can be utilized as a metric of progress, such as fitting into a clothing item, achieving a certain waist size, walking a certain distance, and/or improving/resolving medical conditions which can also lead to decreasing or discontinuing certain medications. All options are viable, and your personal suggestion(s) and preference(s) for documenting progress will certainly be taken into consideration and implemented as appropriate. For most insurance plans, current weight may need to be documented. However, the focus of visits can be something else other than weight.
No. However, we are happy to refer patients for bariatric surgery as needed.
Yes! Post-bariatric patients are often lost to follow up. One of our goals is to provide a welcoming space for patients who have already undergone surgical care to ensure you continue to have access to the vitamins, supplements, and specialized testing needed to maintain your best health.
Once you are cleared by your surgeon, we are happy to help you continue on your journey.
Yes. The cost for family visits is $400 for 2 individuals or $500 monthly for all family members. There is certainly success in numbers, so we welcome you to come to your visits together or separately. We do ask that if anyone under the age of 18 is included, an adult be present with them during their visit. For families, sometimes a home visit is also recommended to develop additional strategies for managing your various needs. The cost of this is based on distance and will be discussed in clinic beforehand.
Absolutely. Our office is unique in that our patients also have direct access to Physicians, providers and therapists for their mental health needs. A common misconception is that people with eating disorders have a low BMI. However, this is rarely the truth. Many patients who seek our care have disordered eating patterns that they have not recognized and can benefit greatly from seeing one of the amazing mental health providers in our practice. This is particularly true of anyone who has struggled with their relationship with food in the past as embarking on a new weight loss journey can be a trigger for unhealthy behaviors, even those experienced as a teen or young adult.
In some cases, young patients who have already undergone puberty but are still under the age of 18 are appropriate for Physician supervised weight loss. This will need to be determined at the time of consultation or based on referral from a Pediatrician. A parent or legal guardian must be present at the time of the visit for anyone under the age of 18.