The WLS Surgical Associates Team
The team here at WLS Surgical Associates is comprised of a number of highly trained clinical and administrative staff that work together to ensure each patient receives the care that they expect and deserve. Our multidisciplinary group works hand-in-hand to ensure that preop and postop patient needs are handled quickly and efficiently. We invite you to learn more about the roles of each of our team members.
Surgeon – our surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Henke will be with you throughout the surgical process. From the initial consultation through to surgery, Dr. Henke will ensure that any questions and concerns you may have, are answered. Even after surgery, Dr. Henke will personally be involved with your recovery and long-term-care. He still follows many patients that are over 15 years out from surgery. Learn more about Dr. Jeff Henke
Physician Assistant and Registered Nurse First Assistants– licensed healthcare professionals with the ability to diagnose illnesses and implement various treatment protocols. These professionals can assist in procedures and help in the hospital setting to work with Dr. Henke to care for patients.
Medical Assistant– our medical assistants support Dr. Henke and the Physician Assistants during consultation with patients as well as follow-up appointments. Medical Assistants will be responsible for taking vitals/measurements and answering many administrative questions including filling out FMLA. They are often a first contact for patients with questions after surgery.
Integrated Dietician– the goal of our dietitians is to work closely with patients both before and after surgery to ensure proper nutrition, including the appropriate vitamin and mineral intake. They are very experienced in the nutritional needs for bariatric patients. You can meet face to face or even at times over the phone.
Hospital-based Bariatric Nurse– our bariatric nurse will be the primary contact with patients in the hospital setting. While Dr. Henke visits each patient after surgery, bariatric nurses ensure that proper recovery protocols are being followed. They receive special training to work in a facility that is certified by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Their care may include administering pain medication for any discomfort, encouraging the patient to get up and walk and explaining immediate and long-term dietary requirements. Dr. Henke works closely with the bariatric nursing staff to determine appropriate discharge time. In addition, there is a bariatric nurse that will visit with each patient after surgery and be the hospital contact for questions.
Administrative Support (Insurance experts, Billing, Office Staff)– Our administrative support staff works hard behind-the-scenes to ensure that insurance and billing issues are handled quickly as well as scheduling the appropriate consultations and follow-up appointments with Dr. Henke and other medical staff.
Psychologist/Psychiatrist (Bariatric Specific)– Our psychologist plays an important role both the pre-and post-op progression of each of our patients. Pre-operatively, each of our patients will meet with a psychologist for a full evaluation. The purpose of this evaluation is to both satisfy a critical component of Insurance qualification criteria as well as giving the patient a better idea of the psychological and emotional effects of life after surgery.
Support Program– the support program, especially after bariatric surgery, is an exceptionally important part of long-term success. Our support program includes regular support group meetings after surgery, interaction with our staff to ensure positive long-term results and an online support groups administered weekly via Facebook. It is proven that patients who take advantage of a comprehensive support program like ours experience better results than those that go at it alone. Learn more about support groups
