Adding Bariatrics to your medical practice.

Obesity is an epidemic across America. The CDC projects by the year 2007, 75% of Americans will be overweight or obese. Yet treatment results short of surgery have overall not produced satisfactory results. The costs are staggering: over 117 billion in 2000 and now over 400,000 deaths annually. Bariatrics is the medical treatment of obesity. There are several obstacles to successfully adding Bariatrics to a medical practice. In this presentation, one practice's results will be presented. In 4 years, 3,328 patients' average beginning weight was 216 pounds; 96.7% lost weight, 27,968 pounds at their first visit; 80% that made at least three visits lost enough weight to reduce their risk of diabetes over 50% After presenting the statistics steps necessary to add Bariatrics to your medical practice will be discussed in detail. This includes discussion of education for overweight patients, motivation, and medical treatment focusing especially on the treatment of insulin resistance. This presentation is being made at the American Society of Bariatrics Regional Seminar May 2004 in Scottsdale, AZ, at the New Bariatrics Practitioner Seminar

W. Allen Rader, MD. American Board of Bariatric Medicine, Boise, ID.