Weight Loss Surgery News and Research

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Novel DiaRem scoring system can predict diabetes remission after gastric bypass surgery

US Scientists have developed a simple scoring system (DiaRem), based on four readily available preoperative patient characteristics, that can predict which candidates for gastric bypass surgery are likely to achieve diabetes remission within 5 years.

13 Sep 2013

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care. This is according to a new research letter published online in the September 12 issue of JAMA which compares rates of bariatric (weight-loss) surgery for minority Medicare vs. non-Medicare patients before and after implementation of a Medicare coverage policy.

13 Sep 2013

Jersey Shore receives accreditation from BSCN for providing high quality care

Jersey Shore University Medical Center's bariatric surgery program has been accredited as a Level 2 facility under the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The accreditation demonstrates the hospital's commitment to providing the highest quality care for bariatric surgery patients.

21 Aug 2013

Bariatric procedures can lead to rapid, safe and permanent weight loss in obese patients

A recent article from CBS News reports on a U.S. government study that found the amount of time a person has been obese can play a significant role in how high their risk of heart disease may be.

1 Aug 2013

July 4th: An outstanding time to declare independence from severe obesity

If you're considering weight loss surgery, Beverly Hills Physicians has some very special thoughts for you as we approach Independence Day 2013. Serious obesity is never easy, but it can be especially difficult during the summer. Hikes, picnics, pool parties, even out of town vacations can be a lot more difficult if you're dealing with the discomfort and health problems that go with being extremely overweight. Still, sometimes the things that make us uncomfortable also spur us into action.

15 Jun 2013

Weight-loss surgery may improve metabolic risk factors in obese patients: Study

Among mild to moderately obese patients with type 2 diabetes, adding gastric bypass surgery to lifestyle and medical management was associated with a greater likelihood of improved levels of metabolic risk factors such as blood glucose, LDL-cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, according to a study in the June 5 issue of JAMA.

5 Jun 2013

Standard strategies to prevent lethal blood clots more effective than temporary placement of filters

The temporary placement of umbrella-like, metal mesh filters in abdominal veins to stop potentially lethal blood clots from traveling to the lungs during and after weight loss surgery may actually increase the risk of death in morbidly obese patients, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

30 May 2013

Businesses brace for health law's coverage requirements, potential costs

Some large companies are scaling back generous health plans they have traditionally offered employees, even though the so-called 'Cadillac tax' on high-end plans doesn't take effect until 2018, while small firms are exploring early coverage renewals and self-insurance.

29 May 2013

First Edition: May 28, 2013

Today's headlines include stories about the strategies of some businesses -- small and large -- to blunt the health law's impact.

28 May 2013

Highlights: Geography's role in elective surgeries in Calif.; Conn. Democrats eye shifting $400M in Medicaid money; HHS says Cedars-Sinai has $2.2M in billing errors

Geography plays a role in whether patients in California have elective operations such as joint replacement, weight loss surgery and gallbladder removal, according to a new study. The California HealthCare Foundation study showed wide variations in patient surgeries across the state (Gorman, 5/22).

24 May 2013

First Edition: May 23, 2013

Today's headlines include various status updates about state activity regarding the health law's online insurance marketplaces.

23 May 2013

Weekend reading: Overweight doctors; ADHD diagnosis wars; States cut treatment for mentally ill; The war on breast cancer

Recently, a survey of three decades of screening published in November in The New England Journal of Medicine found that mammography's impact is decidedly mixed: it does reduce, by a small percentage, the number of women who are told they have late-stage cancer, but it is far more likely to result in overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment, including surgery, weeks of radiation and potentially toxic drugs.

3 May 2013

LAP-BAND-weight loss procedure safe and effective for obese people

The LAP-BAND- weight loss procedure is safe and effective in an expanded group of patients, not just in people who are morbidly obese. This conclusion is reported in a new study published in the scientific journal Obesity. The findings indicate that the procedure may help to intervene before obesity becomes life threatening to patients.

2 May 2013

Viewpoints: Solving the doctor shortage; Can Gov. Scott convince Fla. lawmakers to accept Medicaid expansion?

With every new report about the recent slowdown in health-care spending there is speculation in the media that the problem of rising health costs has somehow been solved or cut down to size.

23 Apr 2013

Weight loss surgery causes changes in DNA modifications

Gastric bypass surgery can drastically reduce the body weight of obese individuals in a short timeframe. For reasons that are not entirely clear, the surgery also leads to early remission of type 2 diabetes in the vast majority of patients.

12 Apr 2013

Non-surgical weight loss devices: an interview with Richard Thompson, CEO ReShape Medical

Only a very few percent of patients that qualify for weight loss surgery actually choose to have it. It is a last resort and most patients do not see themselves as ready to give up. On the other hand, diet and exercise rarely work well and patients are looking for some extra help in their quest to lower their weight. A reversible, non-surgical approach has a lot of appeal to these patients.

15 Mar 2013

Jersey Shore’s Bariatric Surgery Program helps obese people to lose weight

For the obese community, the benefits of weight-loss surgery go beyond what the eye can see. Jersey Shore University Medical Center's Bariatric Surgery Program offers the education and tools necessary for people to make the life changing decision of losing weight.

8 Mar 2013

Counting the cost of bariatric surgery

Bariatric surgery for obese patients is not cost-saving relative to medical care, shows a 6-year follow-up study in JAMA Surgery.

28 Feb 2013

Restricting coverage to COEs not associated with improved outcomes for bariatric surgery

In an analysis of data on patients who underwent bariatric surgery 2004-2009, there was no significant difference in the rates of complications and reoperation for Medicare patients before vs. after a 2006 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policy that restricted coverage of bariatric surgery to centers of excellence, according to a study appearing in the February 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Feb 2013

Study finds bariatric surgery does not reduce long-term medical costs

Research disputes widely-held beliefs that the weight-loss operations cut the need for treatments and medicine after patients shed pounds.

22 Feb 2013