Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Currently, the wait for a new patient appointment is about two weeks. Established patients can usually be seen the same week.

Dr. Beasley does prescribe appetite suppressants to a select few appropriate patients, but she uses many other medications to help her patients follow their agreed upon eating plans. Approximately 50% of her patients choose not to use any medications at all. You will need to schedule an appointment to discuss what is appropriate to your situation.

Studies show that seeing your weight loss physician every two weeks gives the very best weight loss results. We will see you every two weeks for the first six visits, and we will decide together how often to see each other thereafter. If you are on medications as part of your weight loss plan, we will need to see you at least every month.

We ask that you give us 24 hours notice if you need to reschedule your appointment. If you do not show up to your appointment or if you cancel in less than 24 hours, we will charge you for your entire visit, which averages $150 - $250. Insurance will not cover this charge. We understand that emergencies may happen, and we may choose to wave this fee one time, at our discretion.

If you have medical conditions that can improve with weight loss, insurance will cover your visit. Weight related medical conditions include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, congestive heart failure, fatigue, sleep apnea, asthma, gout, joint pain, back pain, polycystic ovarian syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and many other conditions.

Dr. Beasley will usually give you refill prescriptions during your appointment. Dr. Beasley does not give 90-day prescriptions for most of the medications she prescribes. If you or your pharmacy call for refills, please give us 48 hours to provide a refill prescription for your medication.

Dr. Beasley specializes in obesity management and will not manage your unrelated medical conditions or refill your other medications. It is important that you have your own primary care physician to take care of your general health needs. If you do not have a primary care physician, we will be happy to refer you to one. Although many health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol will often improve with weight loss, it is important that you see your primary care provider as regularly as they recommend.

All patients will need to follow some type of eating plan to lose weight. We have many eating plans available, and it is important to find one that fits your personality, schedule, and health. Our goal is to identify a style of eating that you will find easy to follow for the rest of your life.

Dr. Beasley will see patients five years old and up. For patients under 16 years old, we ask that a parent or primary care giver attend each visit. Especially for our youngest patients (5-10 years old), it is essential that the entire family participate in the healthy lifestyle we are teaching. Nothing less than full family participation has been shown to be very effective.

Dr. Beasley only sees patients who have a BMI of 30 or greater and who have medical conditions that can improve with weight loss. We have no upper weight limit. Please calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) before you schedule your appointment to see if you qualify to be seen by Dr. Beasley.

Dr. Beasley is very supportive of her patients getting healthier, and she is supportive of anyone who is considering weight loss surgery. Although Dr. Beasley does not perform weight loss surgery, she is familiar with the various procedures and can help support patients both pre- and post-op. She is qualified to see patients for the medically supervised weight loss visits that many insurance companies require in order to cover patients for weight loss surgery. Medical clearance for surgery will need to be done by your primary care physician or bariatric surgeon.

Some insurance companies require you to have a referral from your primary care physician. Please contact our office. We will be happy to help you get this process started.

It is important that you have a new patient information packet completely filled out before your first visit. It will likely take you at least one hour to fill this out completely. If you do not have a new patient packet and you cannot access our online form, give us a call and we will be happy to mail, fax or e-mail you a copy. You may also choose to arrive at least one hour early for your appointment in order to fill out the forms. If these forms are not completed by your appointment time, we will need to reschedule you so that we do not run late for the rest of our patients. If you have a copy of your recent labs or EKG, please bring these to your first weight loss appointment.