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Important Covid-19 Announcement from WeightWise

UPDATE: JULY 28, 2020

There have been some questions about if an outside COVID-19 test (meaning a test that is performed anywhere other than Summit Medical Center) is acceptable for clearance before having surgery.  The answer is YES, but there are some stipulations.

A. The test MUST be a nasopharyngeal PCR or antigen test.  An antibody test or a blood test is unacceptable.
B. The patient must present their own test results to the hospital.  WeightWise cannot accept or handle these test results.
C. A test must be performed within the same timeframe as testing would be done here.  Up to 5 days in advance of the surgery.  You must also follow the same strict quarantining that you would if you had it done here.

We urge you to have pre-surgical COVID testing done at Summit Medical Center if at all possible.  If there are circumstances that prevent it, contact your patient advocate and they can make sure you have all the information you need to get it done somewhere else.  

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UPDATE: JULY 6, 2020

Due to the uptick of COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma and the extended insurance coverage of telehealth visits, we will continue seeing patients via our telehealth platform Doxy.me for the foreseeable future.  Surgery-wise, we are more or less back to normal, but we don’t want our patients to incur unnecessary risk by coming into the clinic when they don’t absolutely have to.  We ask patients to not physically come into the clinic unless specifcally told to do so.

Please continue to watch this page for further updates.

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UPDATE: JUNE 15, 2020

As of this week, Summit Medical Center will allow one visitor at at time per surgery patient.  It doesn’t have to be the same person the whole time, but it can’t be two people at any one time.  Visitors will need to follow the same temperature check procedure as patients and will be required to have a face covering at all times.

Visiting hours are currently 6a to 6p, but are subject to change if additional time is needs for sanitation procedures.

As of now, we are still seeing all patients via telehealth.  We will have updates on moving back to seeing patients in the office soon.

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UPDATE: MAY 26, 2020

We are very close to what we would consider a normal schedule.  At this point, all patients who’s surgery dates were delayed by the COVID-19 closure have either gone to surgery or have a date on the schedule.  We are currently filling up June’s calendar.  If you are in the process of finishing your supervised weight loss visits, you will get a date as soon as those are finished.

Many patients have asked about when we will return to the office.  We will most likely start seeing some patients in clinic in early June. There are still a number of insurance and hospital policy factors affecting this, so it is not yet set it stone.  We will send out a blast text to everyone who has an upcoming appointment as soon as we have something set for sure.

On the flip side, many patients (especially those travelling longer distances) prefer the telehealth visits.  Good news!  They are not going away.  We will continue to offer telehealth option on a permanent basis.  More info to come on this, stay tuned.

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UPDATE: MAY 11, 2020

We will continue to offer telehealth visits in some form or fashion on

A little more information as we move closer to a “normal” surgery schedule:

–COVID-19 tests do not have to be done at Summit Medical Center, due to the distances some patients travel and attempts to limit exposure, Summit Medical Center is accepting nasopharyngeal COVID-19 test results from outside entities.  Please talk to your PA about the details of this if you think this could be helpful to you.
–After COVID-19 is completed, the patient MUST quarantine until surgery.  That means no shopping, no church, no restaurants, etc.  The only people you can be around are those you live with.

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UPDATE: APRIL 30, 2020

Further updates regarding the surgery process and COVID-19 safety measures at Summit Medical Center and the WeightWise clinic.

–All patients who are coming into the clinic or hospital need to have a face covering.  This can be a paper or cloth mask, bandana, buff, t-shirt, etc.
–Each patient who is having a bariatric surgery will need to have a negative COVID-19 test seven (7) days or less before their surgical date.  Please note the time frame on this.  That is a change from previous notifications. The hospital will call patients to schedule the tests.  These will be done in the drive-through testing station setup outside of the ER door.
–We are currently working through the backlog of patients who were on the schedule had their surgery date postponed.  Due to the logistics involved, we will not be scheduling as fully as we have in the past – at least for the next several weeks.

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UPDATE: APRIL 26, 2020

Many patients have contacted us asking about the status of their surgery in light of Governor Stitt’s easing of orders that restricted elective surgeries.  We will start performing bariatric surgeries on May 4th here at Summit Medical Center.  Initially, we will perform a limited schedule on our regular surgery days of Monday and Wednesday.  We will work to re-schedule all surgeries in an efficient but safe manner.

Visits will continue to be conducted via Doxy.me at least through the end of May.  We very much ask that you do not physically come into the clinic unless it has been pre-arranged with one of the providers.  This will help to reduce yours and our potential exposure.  We have worked hard to create processes that will allow us to provide all of our services virtually.

We have been given the following notices from the hospital: 1.  All surgical patients will need to be tested and be negative for COVID-19 forty-eight (48) hours in advance of surgery and 2. For at least the next two weeks no visitors will be allowed to visit patients – this rule applies to all surgical procedures both in and out patient.

We have instructed our patient advocates to keep patients informed and to let them know as soon as a time for them has opened on the schedule.  Thank you for your patience as we work through these logistics and keep watching here, the WeightWise Facebook page and the e-mail newsletter for more information.

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MARCH 15th, 2020

Our top priority at WeightWise is and always has been the safety of our patients. To that end, we have made the decision to conduct the vast majority of patient visits outside of the office via phone or video conferencing starting this afternoon, March 16th. If you are a patient who is having wound problems or other urgent physical symptoms, we will still see you in the office. All staff will be accessible via phone or email to take care of any issues that arise.

During this time, we are going to do everything we can to keep patients engaged and progressing toward surgery as well as offering the best care we can for patients who are post-operation.

What does that mean for you as a patient?

If you are a patient moving through the surgical weight loss program – you will be contacted individually by your patient advocate in the next 24-48 hours with the next steps. As of today, no surgical dates have been changed or moved.

If you are a patient who is post-op – your scheduled appointments will not change but will shift from in-person to virtual or phone for the time being. Our staff will be available via email or phone to answer your questions or address concerns as often as possible.

This is a fluid situation and things will be changing quickly. We will be communicating frequently. Please make sure you are following our Facebook page as well as checking email and the website blog often. Those will be our primary methods of communication.

Thank you and stay safe!

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