Most patients are scheduled within 2–14 days. Expedited appointments are available when needed—please call to coordinate urgent cases.

Standard turnaround is approximately 21 days. Expedited evaluations are available with reports typically completed within 10 days.

You will receive a clear, structured report that includes:

• Clinical summary
• Relevant psychosocial factors
• Readiness determination (Ready / Ready with recommendations / Deferred)
• Actionable recommendations to support patient success

Readiness is based on clinical assessment of the patient’s stability, understanding of the procedure, coping capacity, and ability to follow post-operative care. When appropriate, recommendations are provided to help patients become ready.

Juana Soto Rodriguez, LMFT – Juana has extensive experience in eating disorder evaluation and treatment across PHP, IOP, and outpatient settings, and brings a strong understanding of eating patterns, body image, and behavioral health factors that can impact readiness for change and follow-through with care. Juana is a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology and provides evaluations in English and Spanish.

Stephanie McPherrin, LPCC – Stephanie brings over 16 years of clinical experience, including extensive work conducting pre-surgical mental health evaluations in medical settings. She focuses on assessing behavioral, emotional, and psychosocial factors relevant to surgical readiness, delivering structured evaluations that support clinical decision-making.

If a patient is not ready, we provide specific, actionable recommendations and, when appropriate, referrals or a plan to help them move toward readiness.

Yes. We specialize in working with Medi-Cal HMO patients (IEHP, Molina, LA Care) and understand the access and follow-through challenges that can impact surgical timelines.

Do you accept commercial insurance? We do not bill or accept commercial insurance for surgical readiness evaluations. Patients may choose to self-pay and pursue reimbursement independently when applicable.

Yes. We offer cash-pay options, including expedited evaluations when needed.

Yes. We will provide a “Referral received” fax and a “status update’ fax that will notify you as to whether the patient is scheduled, declined, unreachable, or we redirected them to another provider.

We provide referrals and a warm handoff to appropriate providers to ensure continuity of care.

Yes. Evaluations are available in English and Spanish.

Both. Evaluations can be completed in-person (multiple locations) or via telehealth, depending on patient needs.

Yes. We are able to complete surgeon or program-specific evaluation forms in addition to our standard report. Please provide the form in advance so we can incorporate it into the evaluation process.

Yes. If a patient would benefit from additional support prior to or after surgery, Redwood can provide ongoing mental health care to help address identified concerns and support readiness and follow through. When appropriate, we can also coordinate care or provide referrals.

Complex cases are handled with a focus on clarity, safety, and forward movement. We identify specific barriers, provide actionable recommendations, and outline a path toward readiness when possible—so your team can make informed decisions without unnecessary delays.