How to find a reputable bariatric surgery center

As with any major purchase, it pays be an informed consumer when shopping for weight-loss surgery. But unlike, say, a new car, picking a bariatric surgeon can have lifelong ramifications for your health and your pocketbook.

While many bariatric surgery patients now have insurance that covers the procedure, those who do not are especially conscious of price. But there’s more to consider than the initial cost, says James Sebesta, MD, medical director of bariatric surgery at the MultiCare Center for Weight Loss and Wellness.

The most important things to consider are accreditation, location and reputation, Dr. Sebesta says.

Anyone looking for bariatric surgery should seek a “MBSAQIP® Accredited Center” — that is, accredited by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons, he says. To maintain accreditation, bariatric surgery centers must do extensive follow-up care and track complications. Centers that don’t meet the standards cannot maintain the accreditation.

That’s important because, Dr. Sebesta says, complications can be devastating not just physically, but financially. And if your insurance does not cover the surgery, it generally won’t cover complications that can land patients in the hospital for weeks and require multiple procedures.

“[Complications] can financially bankrupt people,” says Jennene Wheeler, RN, certified bariatric nurse and bariatric program coordinator at the Center for Weight Loss and Wellness.

Accredited bariatric surgery centers are required to do follow-up care, Dr. Sebesta says, in part to ensure that any complications are reported and tracked. But more than just a way to monitor bariatric surgery centers, follow-up care is a critical component of successful weight-loss surgery and can help prevent the kinds of complications that patients can experience.

“There is pretty good evidence the more times you’re seen in the following year after the surgery the longer you’ll maintain your weight loss and the better the weight loss you’ll have initially,” Dr. Sebesta says.

That means checking in with counselors, nurses and dietitians throughout the months after surgery.

Because follow-up care is so vital, even if there are no complications to the surgery, you will be glad to have used a center close to home, he says. And if there are complications, that easy access is even more important. Many bariatric surgery centers will not treat patients who had procedures elsewhere, especially from centers that aren’t accredited. When those patients suffer complications, they most often end up being sent to general surgeons who aren’t as familiar with bariatric surgery complications as specialists are.

Dr. Sebesta says the Center for Weight Loss and Wellness is one of the few that will see patients suffering from complications of surgeries performed elsewhere, usually from “tourism medicine” clinics.

“In just the past year we’ve taken care of a dozen patients suffering complications from bariatric or cosmetic surgery overseas,” he says. “We’re here to take care of patients.”

He notes that many of the surgeons doing those procedures are well-trained, skilled physicians. But they are simply too far away to be of help if complications arise.

Finally, Dr. Sebesta and Wheeler say you should take a look at a clinic’s reputation. In addition to researching clinic outcomes and accreditations, find out how long the surgeons have been performing bariatric surgery and look at what kind of follow up care is offered.

Then look at reviews. Go to support group websites and see what other patients have to say, Wheeler says. See what other patients have to say about not just the surgeon but the staff and their availability to patients. Once you’ve ensured a clinic is accredited and the surgeon is qualified, “word of mouth is probably your best way of picking someone,” Wheeler says.

The MultiCare Center for Weight Loss & Wellness supports you before, during and after the weight loss journey.

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