---
title: "Save My Fat And Your Physician: A Patient Guide"
description: "How Save My Fat, your physician, and a U.S.-based tissue bank each fit into adipose banking, who does what at each step, and how to find a provider."
url: "https://savemyfat.com/how-save-my-fat-works-with-your-physician-your-guide/"
---

# How Save My Fat Works With Your Physician: A Patient Guide

Table of Contents

- [Oscar Tellez](https://savemyfat.com/oscar-tellez/)
- July 28, 2026
- 10:00 am
- [Adipose](https://savemyfat.com/category/adipose/), [Adipose Banking](https://savemyfat.com/category/adipose-banking/), [Medical Tourism](https://savemyfat.com/category/medical-tourism/), [Providers](https://savemyfat.com/category/providers/), [Stem Cells](https://savemyfat.com/category/stem-cells/)

![Two people talking across a desk with a golden vial, stethoscope and tablet, one in a white coat writing notes](https://savemyfat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/July-28-1024x1024.png)How save my fat works with your physician: a patient guide 2

Patients are sometimes unsure whether Save My Fat is a medical provider, a lab, or something else, and where their own physician fits in. The answer involves three distinct roles working together: Save My Fat makes the connections, a physician performs the harvest and maintains the medical relationship, and a U.S.-based tissue bank processes and stores the tissue. This guide explains each role and what a patient does at every step.

**TLDR**: Banking adipose tissue involves three roles. Save My Fat is the connector that links patients with providers and the tissue bank; it is not a medical provider and does not perform procedures or provide treatment. A physician performs the harvest and maintains the medical relationship with the patient. A U.S.-based tissue bank is the laboratory partner that processes and stores the tissue under 21 CFR Part 1271. Understanding these roles resolves the common confusion about who does what. Banking adipose tissue preserves a person’s own tissue for potential future use; it is not a treatment, and it does not guarantee eligibility, access, or clinical benefit.

**Important Disclaimer:** Save My Fat does not provide FDA-approved treatments or cures for any disease or condition. Banking adipose tissue today does not guarantee eligibility, access, or clinical benefit from any future therapy, clinical trial, or medical program. All content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Patients must consult their own licensed healthcare professionals regarding all medical decisions.

---

The three-role structure is straightforward once it is laid out. The sections below explain each role and what a patient interacts with at each step.

## Save My Fat’s Role: Connector, Not Medical Provider

Save My Fat is a connector and referral service, not a medical provider. It connects patients with partner providers who perform the harvest and with a U.S.-based tissue bank that processes and cryopreserves the tissue for potential future use. It does not perform medical procedures, diagnose conditions, or provide treatment of any kind.

This distinction is the source of most confusion, so it is worth stating plainly. Save My Fat does not treat patients, and banking is preservation rather than therapy. The overview of what [Save My Fat](/what-is-save-my-fat-the-complete-guide/) is provides the full picture, and the role here is connecting patients with providers and a tissue bank, nothing more and nothing less.

## Your Physician’s Role: Harvest and Patient Relationship

A physician performs the harvest and holds the medical relationship with the patient. The harvest is the procedure that collects the adipose tissue, and it is performed by a qualified provider, not by Save My Fat. The physician is also the person who can address a patient’s medical questions, because the physician, not the banking service, provides medical care.

This is why a patient’s conversation about whether banking is appropriate belongs with a physician. The overview of [how banking works](/how-stem-cell-banking-works/) describes the process, including the harvest. The physician’s role is medical: performing the collection and maintaining the care relationship, which keeps medical responsibility where it belongs.

## the tissue bank’s Role: Processing and Storage

The tissue bank is the laboratory partner that processes and stores the tissue after the harvest. Once tissue is collected, it is transferred to a U.S.-based tissue bank, which handles the processing and long-term storage under [21 CFR Part 1271](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-L/part-1271), the federal framework governing the handling and storage of human cells and tissues. A U.S.-based tissue bank is the laboratory side of the operation, not the patient’s medical provider.

This division keeps each function with the party suited to it. The overview of [the tissue bank’s process](/how-patient-cells-are-processed-and-stored/) describes how tissue is handled after transfer. The laboratory partner’s role is technical: processing and preserving the tissue under federal tissue regulations, with documentation and storage safeguards.

## The Three Roles at a Glance

The table summarizes who does what.

Role What they do What they are not

Save My Fat Connects patients with partner providers and a U.S.-based tissue bank Not a medical provider; performs no procedures and provides no treatment

Your Physician Performs the harvest and maintains the medical relationship Not the banking or storage operator

A U.S.-based tissue bank Processes and stores the tissue under 21 CFR Part 1271 Not the patient’s medical provider

Each role is distinct, and together they make up the banking process.

## What You Do at Each Step

A patient’s involvement is straightforward. First, a patient learns about banking and decides, ideally in conversation with their own physician, whether it fits their situation. Second, a patient meets with a partner provider who performs the harvest, after which the tissue is transferred to a U.S.-based tissue bank for processing and storage. Third, a patient receives documentation of their banking and, if applicable, manages ongoing storage.

At no step does a patient receive a treatment, because banking is preservation. The honest framing throughout is that a patient is making a preservation decision, not pursuing a therapy, and that banking guarantees no future access or benefit. Keeping this clear helps a patient understand exactly what they are participating in.

## How to Find a Save My Fat Partner Provider

A patient who wants to proceed can connect with a partner provider who performs the harvest. The [providers](/providers/) page is the starting point for finding a partner provider and beginning the conversation. A patient can also bring their own physician into the discussion, since the decision about whether banking is appropriate is a medical one.

The realistic next step is a conversation, not a commitment. A patient can ask questions, understand the process and costs, and decide whether banking fits their situation, with no pressure and full understanding that banking is preservation rather than treatment.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is Save My Fat my doctor?

No. Save My Fat is a connector and referral service, not a medical provider. It connects patients with partner providers and a U.S.-based tissue bank, but it does not perform procedures, diagnose, or provide treatment. Your physician provides your medical care.

### Who actually performs the harvest?

A qualified partner provider performs the harvest, not Save My Fat. The physician also maintains the medical relationship with the patient and can address medical questions.

### What does a U.S.-based tissue bank do?

A U.S.-based tissue bank is the laboratory partner that processes and stores the tissue after the harvest, under 21 CFR Part 1271. It is not the patient’s medical provider; it handles the processing and storage side of the operation.

### Does any of this mean I am getting a treatment?

No. Banking is preservation of a patient’s own tissue for potential future use. No step in the process is a treatment, and banking guarantees no future access or benefit.

### How is adipose tissue banking regulated?

Banked adipose tissue is handled under 21 CFR Part 1271, the federal framework governing screening, processing, and storage of human cells and tissues.

## Key Takeaways

For patients confused about who does what, the structure is simple once the three roles are clear. Save My Fat is a connector and referral service that links patients with providers and is not a medical provider, a physician performs the harvest and holds the medical relationship, and a U.S.-based tissue bank processes and stores the tissue under 21 CFR Part 1271. A patient learns about banking, meets with a partner provider for the harvest, and receives documentation, without receiving any treatment at any step. Understanding these roles resolves the common confusion about whether Save My Fat is a doctor, a lab, or a treatment provider. Above all, banking adipose tissue preserves a person’s own tissue for potential future use; it is not a treatment, and it does not guarantee eligibility, access, or clinical benefit.

Save My Fat connects patients and providers with a U.S.-based tissue bank. It is not a tissue bank, a laboratory, a medical practice, or a treatment provider. Stem cell and regenerative medicine regulations vary by state, including specific informed-consent and disclosure requirements in Florida, Utah, California, Georgia, and Tennessee governing tissue and stem cell services. Banking adipose tissue does not connect patients to any treatment pathway, and any future use depends on FDA regulatory status, physician guidance, and the availability of approved or investigational pathways at that time.

Patients ready to learn more can visit the providers page and [contact the team](/contact-us/) with questions.

---

*Save My Fat partners with a U.S.-based tissue bank for laboratory processing and storage.*

*This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Please consult your physician before making any decisions about treatment or research participation.*

**About the author:** Oscar Tellez is the founder and CEO of Save My Fat. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from Florida Atlantic University. He has spent a decade in the regenerative medicine industry across product distribution, laboratory and vendor relationships, and provider training. He is not a licensed clinician, and this article is educational, not medical advice.

**Related guide:** [the physician resource center](https://savemyfat.com/physician-resource-center/).

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### [Is Stem Cell Banking Legal in the United States? What FDA Allows and What It Does Not](https://savemyfat.com/stem-cell-banking-legal-status-united-states/)

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Regulation

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