Houston Bariatric Surgeons Help Patients With Financing Their Surgery

HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwired - Apr 11, 2013) - Houston bariatric surgeons Dr. Sherman Yu and Dr. Terry Scarborough strive to make sure that each patient has options when financing their weight loss procedure. Regardless of insurance coverage, CareCredit provides the patients of Texas Laparoscopic Consultants an additional method to help cover the cost of surgery.

Drs. Yu and Scarborough -- who also offer additional insurance for post-operative care through the BLISCare Complication Protection Program -- work with CareCredit to provide patients a way to finance their bariatric surgery. CareCredit plans operate in a similar manner to a normal credit card: patients complete an online credit application and receive a response with a quote for the line of credit that can be made available. According to the office of Texas Laparoscopic Consultants, the entire process only takes a few minutes. Patients of Drs. Yu and Scarborough can access the CareCredit application through Texas Laparoscopic Consultants' website under the "payment" tab.

Around 20% of Drs. Yu and Scarborough's patients take advantage of the CareCredit program. The program gives Houston bariatric surgery patients who are paying out-of-pocket a way to comfortably finance the procedure. Patients who have partial or full coverage for the procedure through their independent insurance companies utilize CareCredit to cover the upfront cost of the deductible.

Texas Laparoscopic Consultants recommend that patients request $15,000 when applying for a credit line. Patients typically receive a credit line of $10,000-$15,000. CareCredit then delivers the patients a card that they can present to the practice for payment. If a patient charges $13,000 on a CareCredit line, payments typically range from $240-$250 dollars a month.

Drs. Yu and Scarborough have noticed that the use of CareCredit is becoming much more common. Texas Laparoscopic Consultants is happy to offer their patients as many options for financing as possible to alleviate the stress of a large up-front cost.

About Sherman C. Yu, MD, FACS

Dr. Sherman Yu is board-certified and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and has been named one of America's Top Surgeons by Consumers Research Council of America in addition to being recognized as a Centers of Excellence® Surgeon by the Surgical Review Corporation. Dr. Yu was the first surgeon in the Houston area to perform the SILS adjustable gastric band procedure. He is available for interview upon request.

About Terry Scarborough, MD, FACS

Dr. Terry Scarborough is board-certified and graduated from the University of New Mexico. He earned his medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Dr. Scarborough has been recognized by H-Texas and Newsweek as a Top Physician and has been recognized as a Center of Excellence® Surgeon by the Surgical Review Corporation. He is extensively trained in a variety of bariatric procedures, including gastric sleeve surgery. Dr. Scarborough is available for interview upon request.