In a recent issue of the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), a study was published that finds for the first time that bariatric surgery is cost effective and that insurers are able to recoup the procedure’s costs within two years—even after accounting for complications. The study finds that healthcare costs for morbidly obese patients who had the surgery were $900 lower per month than their counterparts who did not have surgery. Additionally, the study found that the complete cost of surgery, including complications, was fully recovered after 25 months. These findings are sure to offer hope to the two-thirds of overweight Americans and the more than 15 million morbidly obese Americans, and should bode well for improvement in the manner in which insurers and healthcare professionals approach bariatric surgery. If insurers fully recover the costs of laparoscopic bariatric surgery in about two years and in about four years for traditional, open bariatric surgery, and reductions in costs associated with prescription drugs, physician visits, and hospital services offset the average costs of both laparoscopic surgery and traditional, open bariatric surgery, what more do they need to know? Read on to see. Speaking with the lead economist and author of the report, Dr. Pierre Crémieux of Analysis Group, as well as the additional collaborators, Bariatric Times gets down to the basics of the study and what you need to know—What do these findings really mean? How might they affect the field of bariatric surgery? What is the potential future impact on your practice? Most importantly—How will all of this affect the patient?

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by Thomas Sonnanstine, MD

Dr. Sonnanstine is Medical Director, Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center, St. Luke West Hospital, Florence, Kentucky.

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by Yigal Leykin, MD, MSc; Tommaso Pellis, MD; Filipo Sanfilippo, MD; Luca Busetto, MD; Marco Anselmino, MD; Claudio di Salvo, MD; Francesca Fortran, MD; and Francesco Giunta, MD

Drs. Leykin, Pellis, and Sanfilippo are from the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Santa Maria degli Angeli Hospital, Pordenone, Italy; Dr. Busetto is from the Department of Medicine and Surgical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy; Drs. di Salvo and Foltran are from the Bariatric Surgery Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Pisana, Pisa, Italy; and Dr. Giunta is from the Division of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Department of Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy.

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by Liam J. Burns, MBA

Chief Operating Officer of the 1st World Congress and Partner at 3 Peaks Consulting, Mr. Burns has nearly 20 years experience in the healthcare industry. In addition to his work providing strategic consulting for emerging medical companies, Mr. Burns is also an executive coach helping organizations achieve breakthrough performance during periods of intense growth, change, and stress.

Introduction
The 1st World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes was held on September 15–16, 2008, in New York to discuss the role of surgery and novel interventional therapies in the understanding and treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM).  Called the “largest gathering of diabetologists, bariatric surgeons, and public health leaders in history,” the Congress was attended by nearly 1,000 medical professionals from 46 countries around the world. The distinguished faculty included over 80 world renowned experts in virtually every aspect of diabetes, obesity, surgery, nutrition, and health policy. The Congress created a unique forum where medical and surgical experts explored the critical issues surrounding this treatment option directly with health policy leaders. Demonstrating the global interest in this promising new field of medicine, the Congress was endorsed by 26 of the most prestigious diabetes, medical, and surgical societies, including the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), the Obesity Society (TOS), and many others. This article summarizes portions of the Congress for Bariatric Times readers.

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by Laura Frank, PhD, MPH, RD, CD
Part 3 of 3

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by Atul K. Madan, MD, FACS
and Jose M. Martinez, MD, FACS

Both from the Division of Laparoendoscopic and Bariatric Surgery, Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.

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