Our Signature Care for Bariatrics program is designed with your life goals in mind. Knowing your goals are to be happier and healthier, our team of experts are committed to helping you reach your goals by providing comprehensive care every step of the way. With this approach, we can assist you with your new lifestyle, and the subsequent life changes weight loss can bring. 

We are also proud to be a designated Blue Distinction Center+ for Bariatric Surgery. Blue Distinction Specialty Care recognizes providers for delivering high-quality, effective, cost-efficient specialty care. Providers that meet quality standards earn designation as Blue Distinction Centers. Those that meet both quality standards and cost-efficiency standards are called Blue Distinction Centers+. Learn more about this program by clicking here.

Obesity contributes to several significant health risks, including death. Over 400,000 people die from obesity every year in the United States. It is associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, lung/respiratory disease, select cancers (kidney, breast, colorectal, endometrial), fertility issues, acid reflux (GERD), urinary incontinence, and depression.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) defines obesity. This is a person’s weight in relation to their height and does not vary per gender. Someone with a BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or more is obese and has a higher risk of severe health problems.

Morbid obesity is defined as at least 100 pounds over ideal body weight, a BMI greater than 35 with an obesity related disease (ex. high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, diabetes, etc.), or a BMI greater than 40. To calculate BMI, click here for our calculator.

Bariatric surgery is for patients who have been obese or morbidly obese for at least five years and who have not had lasting success with non-surgical weight loss methods.

To determine if you are a candidate for weight loss surgery, calculate your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. Click here for BMI Calculator. 

Potential candidates include:

• People with a BMI of 40 or greater
• Men who are 100 pounds over their ideal body weight and women who are 80 pounds over their ideal body weight
• People with a BMI between 35 and 40 who have at least two or more obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, non-alcoholic fatty liver, osteoarthritis, high cholesterol, or heart disease

Who is not a candidate for weight loss surgery?

• Anyone with an unresolved major psychiatric disorder, substance abuse history or eating disorder
• Unresolved endocrine or metabolic disorder
• Female of childbearing age who cannot avoid getting pregnant for two years (weight loss surgery can temporarily deplete vitamins essential for fetal growth)
• Anyone who is a high risk for surgery or too ill

We understand your struggles and how hard you have tried. We know that weight loss and weight management is a lifelong struggle. We are here to help!

With an expert, multidisciplinary team approach that includes physicians, surgeons, psychologist, nutritionist, exercise physiologists, physician assistants, and nurses, we address your issues professionally, holistically, and compassionately. Like you, our goal is permanent success.

To this end, we empower our patients by providing comprehensive education to help you prepare for your life before and after surgery. We understand that change takes time, and small changes are essential to achieving maximum health in the long run. Your plan of care will include nutritional and exercise counseling, behavior modification, stress reduction techniques, weight gain prevention, close monitoring of your physical and psychological health, and even support for your family and loved ones.

What does accreditation mean for you? Most importantly, a recent study showed patients at accredited programs on average are three times less likely to have complications. That means you are more likely to continue your journey to the life you want faster and easier.

Want the details about accreditation? MBSAQIP stands for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Project. This program accredits bariatric surgery centers in both the United States and Canada. In order to become an Accredited Center, a bariatric program must meet rigorous standards and commit to continuously supporting quality improvement.  An independent evaluator routinely visits a MBSAQIP Accredited Center to ensure the program has defined and implemented standards of care, documented outcomes, and participated in regular reviews. In addition, they ensure continuous education regarding advancements in bariatric surgery has occurred. 

Steps to get started on your journey to weight loss

• Attend an informational session
• Check insurance coverage
• Complete application package
• Initial visit with your surgeon/provider
• Weight management program
• Evaluated and cleared for surgery by multiple specialists
• Support group
• Bariatric counseling/consultation
• Preoperative class
• Preoperative visit with your surgeon/provider (2nd visit)
• Day of surgery

Welcome to our signature care for bariatrics, a center for metabolic and weight loss surgery in Marietta, Ohio. We are an accredited bariatric surgery center that addresses the entire spectrum of care and needs of individuals with severe obesity, from the pre-hospital phase through the post-operative care, and treatment process.

We understand what it means to struggle with your weight constantly, and we want to help you find a long-term solution. We know that your weight-loss journey doesn’t end after surgery. Our commitment to providing the highest quality of care involves more than surgery. We teach our patients about the lifestyle changes necessary to achieve a lifetime of success after surgery. Our team, comprising of physicians, physician assistants, certified medical assistants, dietitians, nurses, and exercise specialists, have a steadfast commitment to long-term personalized care. Therefore, as you settle into your new lifestyle you will have our full support.

Weighing the Benefits of Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery can lead to significant weight loss and improvement or resolution in many obesity-related health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and abnormal cholesterol levels. Additionally, more than 75 percent of patients have an increase in energy and self-confidence. It also leads to normalization of the menstrual cycle, increased libido, and improvement of osteoarthritis. Weight loss surgery is a step toward a new you.

Weight Loss Procedures

Weight loss surgery refers to a group of surgical procedures performed to address obesity by altering the stomach and other parts of the digestive tract, so fewer nutrients are consumed and absorbed by the body. Weight loss surgery is an effective and often enduring option for obese and morbidly obese patients who have not been able to achieve or maintain weight loss through non-surgical means.

We offer minimally invasive techniques for bariatric surgery versus traditional open incision. Typically, we perform Laparoscopic or robotic weight loss surgery, which leads to fewer complications, reduced pain, and shorter recovery time. By utilizing robotic surgery, or robot-assisted surgery (using the latest Xi DaVinci robot), we can perform complex procedures with more precision, flexibility, and control.

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy and Roux en Y Gastric Bypass are the most commonly performed-and most effective-types of weight loss. Both methods have benefits and negatives, based in part on a patient's overall health and should be discussed in detail with your physician before deciding whether and how to proceed.

Why Minimally Invasive Surgery?

The benefits to our patients of laparoscopic or robotic surgery include:

• Less post-operative pain
• Less scarring
• Faster recovery
• Shorter hospital stay
• Fewer wound-related complications
• Quicker mobility

Our Signature Care for Bariatric program offers three minimally invasive surgical options for those who want to follow the surgical path for weight loss. These include laparoscopic or robotic gastrectomy, gastric banding, and gastric bypass. 

Sleeve Gastrectomy

During this procedure, about 75 percent of your stomach is removed, leaving a narrow gastric "tube" or "sleeve;" greatly reducing the size of your stomach and limiting the amount of food that you can eat at one time.

Gastric Banding

This procedure uses an adjustable band to reduce your stomach's capacity and restricts the amount of food you can consume. It is reversible and helps make you feel fuller, faster, and longer.

Gastric Bypass

This procedure forms a small pouch, approximately the size of an egg, to limit food intake. The small pouch is created by dividing the top of the stomach from the rest of the stomach. Next, the first portion of the small intestine is divided, and the bottom end of the divided small intestine is brought up and connected to the newly created small stomach pouch.

The cost of bariatric surgery and whether it is covered by your insurance varies. Our bariatric patient insurance advocate will contact each patient’s insurance company to learn if the cost of bariatric surgery is covered under the patient’s benefits, and if there are any pre-surgery requirements.

If your insurance does not cover bariatric surgery, we do have a self-pay option.

We accept most insurance plans, including:

• MedBen
• Aetna^®
• Anthem
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• Cigna
• Medicaid
• Medicare
• UnitedHealthcare^®
• Caresource
• Molina
• Tri-Care
• Other insurances as determined by individual plans

Congratulations on your journey to better health. Following weight loss surgery, your body will undergo significant adjustment. Once you are ready, you will be given programs to follow for your nutrition and physical activity. Follow these programs as directed, as the success of the surgery depends on the choices you make. Remember, it is a lifelong journey and therefore requires lifelong changes in your eating and exercise habits to maintain your weight loss.

Statistically, long-term success is dependent on your support system after surgery. To assist with this, we offer continued involvement in your life-long journey through our support group in addition to our routine follow up.Our Bariatric Support Group meets the 4th Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the Strecker Cancer Center Conference Room, level B, Marietta Memorial Hospital. The meeting lasts approximately one hour. For more information about our support group, call (740) 568-2178.

We also offer virtual support groups over Zoom for those who wish to safely quarantine at home while still having access to a supportive environment.