Category: Editorial Message
Surgery and Incentive Programs May Help in Preventing Obesity Rates from Rising Worldwide, but Lifestyle Changes will Always Play a Role
Dear friends, colleagues, and readers of Bariatric Times: I hope you had a great start in 2013. This year promises to be an exciting one for the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). First, 2013 brings the implementation of the ASMBS and American College of Surgeons (ACS) Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and […]
Looking Forward to a New Year and Hoping that Healthcare Reform Includes More Access to Care for Individuals with Obesity
Dear Friends and Colleagues, First, I would like to commend Dr. Michel Gagner on the success of the Fourth Annual International Consensus Summit for Sleeve Gastrectomy (ICSSG-4), which took place in New York, an outstanding venue for the event. Highlights of the summit included live surgery sessions that featured surgeons from all over the world […]
November Marks Awareness of Diabetes and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Two Well-known Comorbidties in the Bariatric Patient Population
Dear Friends and Colleagues, Let me start this editorial message by congratulating Georgeann Mallory and The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) on another outstanding Fall Educational Event in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year, attendance to the event was the highest it has ever been in its three-year run. Attendees enjoyed excellent, state-of-the-art […]
Defining Success and Failure after Bariatric Surgery and Exploring Patterns that Predispose Patients to Obesity
Dear Friends and Colleagues, I just returned from Chicago, Illinois, where I attended the 100th Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. This gathering was a milestone for the ACS and I feel privileged to have been a part of it. The highlight of the meeting was the announcement of Dr. Carlos Pellegrini […]
Introducing “Checklists in Bariatric Surgery”— A Column Aimed at Helping Bariatric Surgeons Quickly Review the Reasons for Potential Problems When Caring for Bariatric Patients
Dear Friends, By the time you read this editorial, we might be at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in Chicago, Illinois. If you have not done so yet, I suggest that you plan to attend the sleeve gastrectomy course on Saturday, September 29th, at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Chicago. I am sure […]
Laparoscopic Adjustable Banding Was, Is, and Should Stay a Valid Treatment Modality for Those Who Suffer from Obesity
Dear Readers, In this issue, we are pleased to present the 8th Annual Bariatric Times Buyers Guide. We thank each of the industry partners for their support and committement to help us fight the obesity pandemic and take care of those whose lives are affected by it. Richard Kirkner summarizes for us the 2012 Minimmally […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Endorse Sleeve Gastrectomy as a Valid Treatment Modality for Patients with Morbid Obesity; United States FDA Approves Prescription Weight Loss Drug Lorcaserin
Dear Readers, What a great start of July 2012—the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they endorse sleeve gastrectomy (SG) as a valid treatment modality for patients with morbid obesity. Now, we can make decisions based on what surgeons consider to be the best treatment modality without limitations.
Congratulations to Dr. Robin Blackstone, Outgoing President, and All Members of the ASMBS on Another Great Year of Progress in the Field of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery!
Dear Readers of Bariatric Times: By the time you read this issue, we may be together in San Diego, California, enjoying the beautiful landscape and weather while attending the Annual Clinical Congress of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). This will be the last stand-alone ASMBS Congress as beginning October 2013 the […]
Sleeve Gastrectomy is Technically Simple, Requires Minimal Follow Up, and Results in Negligible Long-term Complications— What More Can We Ask For?
Dear Readers of Bariatric Times: This month we share with you reviews and comments from Drs. Ed Mason and Walter Pories on the recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).[1,2] These prospective, randomized, controlled studies demonstrated that bariatric surgery in combination with medical therapy is far superior to medical therapy alone […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Declines to Provide Coverage for Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: Disappointing News for Patients, Surgeons, and Advocates
Dear Readers of Bariatric Times: I would like to start this editorial by relaying the disappointing news that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has declined to provide coverage for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) as valid bariatric treatment modality. It is unfortunate that the ones affected by this decision are the ones that, […]
