ObesityWeek 2019 and a New Featured Interview Series
by John M. Morton, MD, MPH, MHA, FACS, FASMBS, ABOM
Clinical Editor of Bariatric Times; Vice-Chair of Quality and Division Chief of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Dear Friends and Readers,
Another ObesityWeek is already upon us! I am looking forward to another successful meeting and to see everyone again in Las Vegas.
I can’t believe it’s already been a year since we introduced our journal redesign for last year’s ObesityWeek. For our annual ObesityWeek issue of Bariatric Times, we have another issue packed with content. We start off the issue with a new interview series. This one will focus on important members of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), one of the biggest organizations involved in the bariatric community worldwide. We are planning on splitting the interviews up into three main parts—current and past IFSO presidents, current IFSO chapter presidents, and integrated health members. In this issue, we will start off with interviews with Dr. Luigi Angrisani, who is a past IFSO president, and Dr. Lilian Kow, who is the society’s current president. They both provide interesting perspectives on their experiences with the society, as well as give insight into their favorite experiences with IFSO. In the case of Dr. Kow, she provides her goals as current president and what she hopes to accomplish.
Next, we present a review by Dr. Christine Ren Fielding on long-term complications involved with gastric banding and gastric balloon. These two options are less invasive than other bariatric surgical options that are often more popular. Ren Fielding outlines what surgeons should look out for if a patient does choose the band or balloon, including a series of figures to illustrate her points.
After that, Drs. David Greenbaum and Gaurav Sharma provide a case report titled “Percutaneous Decompressive Jejunostomy for Treatment of Biliary Limb Obstruction After Duodenal Switch.” These two authors highlight a less invasive way for surgeons to address this situation to prevent duodenal stump blowout, which can ultimately become a major complication from duodenal switch.
Following that, our monthly Raising the Standard column focuses on promoting a culture of patient and staff safety in bariatric surgery. Dr. Dominick Gadaleta, with the help of guest author Charmaine V. Gentles, provide patient safety strategies, the role of leadership in patient and staff safety, and the role of clinical providers in safe practices.
We bring back our Risk Management column for this issue, as Donna Vanderpool writes about Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliance and steps for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to take in order to avoid potential fines and violations. She details five key steps for HCPs to take, including when HIPAA applies in the first place. Finally, she provides a detailed checklist that physicians can use to remain compliant.
We also showcase the winners of the 2019 LEAD Awards from the ASMBS Foundation, as well as provide you with the usual calendar of events and Cartoon Corner from Dr. Walter Pories.
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!
Sincerely,
John M. Morton, MD, MPH, FACS, FASMBS
Category: Editorial Message, Past Articles
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