What are the Medicare guidelines for Gastric Bypass Surgery?
A. Gastric bypass surgery, which is a variation of the gastrojejunostomy, is performed for patients with extreme obesity. Gastric bypass surgery for extreme obesity is covered under the program if: (1) it is medically necessary for the individual to have such surgery, AND (2) the surgery is to correct an illness which caused the obesity or was aggravated by the obesity. Refer to CMS Pub. 100-3, 100.1.
