Our Team
Dr. Leslie C. McClellan, MD, FACS
 A list of honors and accolades make up the reputation of Dr. Leslie McClellan. One of the leading surgeons in her field, Dr. McClellan is a Board Certified General Surgeon specializing in bariatric surgery. Dr. McClellan was the first female bariatric surgeon in the state of Illinois, and is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
Learn more about Dr. McClellan.
Dieticians
Our dietician will meet with you during your pre-op appointment and post-op classes. Your gastric bypass surgery is the "tool" that you will use to help lose your weight. It will work best if you know how to use it. Most patients find that following surgery there are some foods that they can no longer eat. Our dietician will work with you on what works best, what to avoid, and how to read labels and avoid unpleasant side effects from eating the wrong foods.
Physical Therapy
Our physical therapy staff assist with fitness plans, and will re-introduce you to exercise, help you to set personal fitness goals, and to develop your life-long fitness plan.
Program Coordinator
Our program coordinator will perform the insurance authorization and approval process for you. When approval is obtained from your insurance company, we will advise you of all out-of-pocket costs before we schedule your surgery.
Patients who choose to pay for their bariatric surgery themselves must make arrangements with patient accounts prior to their surgery. Mercy Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery offers a special package for cash patients, which include all of the usual services, at a substantial discount.
The process of getting insurance approval for your bariatric surgery involves several steps, and varies with each insurance company and its types of policies.
A complete medical history must be obtained from each prospective patient. Any supporting documentation you can submit, including letters from your present physicians, will be beneficial in proving "medical necessity" for this surgery, including all of your past efforts to control your weight (diet programs that sell pre-packaged foods, drugs like Redux™ etc.).
Prior diagnostic testing results that show your co-morbidities
These results caused by your obesity will be important in proving medical necessity to your insurance company. The need for surgery, and coverage by your insurance, will depend on the determination that this surgery is medically necessary to improve your health, reduce your co-morbidities, and improve your ability to return you to a normal lifestyle. Bariatric surgery requires an average of 2-3 days in the hospital, and about 10-14 days of recovery before you can go back to work. This will vary, depending on the method of the operation, your condition, and the type of work you do before you can return to full activity.
Bariatric surgery is covered under some insurance policies, but the extent of coverage will depend upon the type of policy and its terms.
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