A study published in Obesity Surgery examined how administrative and scheduling processes affect access to metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS). Researchers conducted a “secret shopper” study of 35 bariatric surgery centers in North and South Carolina, with trained callers posing as patients with either Medicaid or private insurance. Only 24 centers (68.6%) could be successfully reached.
Among reachable centers, the median wait for an initial appointment was 20 days, and patients needed an average of 1.7 calls to reach a scheduler. More than three-quarters of centers required pre-appointment steps such as an online application, seminar, PCP referral or screening questionnaire; nearly one-quarter required two or more steps.
The study found that administrative barriers—not differences in insurance acceptance—were the main obstacles identified. The authors point to inaccurate contact information, repeated call attempts, variable prerequisites and scheduling delays as potentially modifiable barriers that can prevent patients from reaching the first appointment.