Benefits of an Accredited Surgical Weight Loss Program
Surgical weight loss may be the best option for those who have medical necessity to lose weight but diet and lifestyle changes don't make enough impact. Dr. Anthony Wright, Medical Director of Bariatric Program at Capital Regional Medical Center, discusses surgical weight loss.
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Learn more about Anthony Wright, MD
Anthony Wright, MD
Dr. Anthony Wright has been serving patients specializing in general surgery which he is Board Certified for. He also provides services including: appendectomies & cholecystectomies (gallbladder removal), and minimally invasive procedures. Dr. Wright earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Galveston, Texas and completed his residency at University of South Alabama Hospital. Dr. Wright is currently accepting patients at Capital Regional Surgical Associates.Learn more about Anthony Wright, MD
Transcription:
Prakash Chandran (Host): Most of us diet at some point in our lives to lose weight but for some people, surgical weightloss may be a better solution and today we’ll learn about all the benefits of an accredited surgical weightloss program. Let’s talk about it with Dr. Anthony Wright, a Bariatric Surgeon at Capital Regional Medical Center.
This is Helmet of Health, the Podcast from Capital Regional Medical Center. I’m Prakash Chandran. So, Dr. Wright, let’s start at a very high level. What exactly is surgical weightloss?
Anthony Wright, MD (Guest): So, surgical weightloss, there’s a couple of different options that we can provide patients these days that can overcome some of the obstacles of medical weightloss. Historically, medical weightloss has proven to be effective, meaning patients can lose weight. The biggest problem is that it has not been found to be durable meaning that patients do not keep this weight off. They usually gain the weight that they lost back and usually find a little extra in the meantime.
So, surgical weightloss allows the weightloss to be both effective and durable. And it gets rid of all of the medical problems associated with being morbidly obese.
Host: I got it and just so I understand, what exactly is medical weightloss?
Dr. Wright: So, diet, exercise, medications. There are multiple medications available out on the market. Unfortunately, most of which come with side effects. But that’s what medical weightloss is considered.
Host: Okay, I see and so you talked about some of the benefits of the surgical weightloss. I just want to get into maybe the terms of what they are. I’ve heard of gastric bypass before. Some of my friends have had that. Is that considered a surgical weightloss solution?
Dr. Wright: Yeah, so that’s one of the options that are widely available these days in the United States. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, it is an option. The most common bariatric procedure being performed in the United States these days is a sleeve gastrectomy and there are still some institutions that have an adjustable gastric band program. Those are the most common. There are a few other options that are done at specialized centers, but a majority of the patients have those three options available to them.
Host: Okay and how do you evaluate who the ideal candidates are for a surgical weightloss procedure?
Dr. Wright: Well so kind of that’s a two part answer really. So, there are restrictions from an insurance company standpoint where the patients have to meet a certain criteria. So, either having a body mass index greater than 40 or having a body mass index greater than 35 and at least one comorbid medical condition, meaning they have got something like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea, or a multitude of medical problems that could be directly related to being morbidly obese.
When I am seeing patients, what you really want to see is someone who has attempted weightloss multiple times, is motivated to do such but just needs the extra tools that we can offer surgically to help them be successful with it.
Host: That makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much for that clarification. Let’s say someone does meet the criteria that you are mentioning, is motivated to lose that weight; why exactly is it important to look for an accredited center when considering weightloss options?
Dr. Wright: Well by far the biggest advantage of being an accredited center is we follow kind of a stringent set of guidelines in the treatment of every patient that we see. So, every patient is taken care of in the same way. We report all of statistics to a governing body that overlooks and makes sure that we are indeed taking care of patients appropriately. So, it’s kind of a second check that our institution is abiding by all the rules and treating patients according to today’s standards.
Host: And I’m sure people listening to this, once they go in and let’s say they perform one of the procedures that you are mentioning; I’m sure they are wondering or asking themselves how quickly do they lose weight? Is it very hard to keep off? Is the recovery time long or the recovery period long? Maybe talk a little bit about that.
Dr. Wright: Sure. Well, this is not a fast process from the beginning. There’s a lot of hoops that the insurance companies make patients go through before surgery even starts. But the education starts then too. Patients are meeting with dieticians. They are being educated on what is proper nutrition in the human body. And then how are they going to attain that proper nutrition after surgery. So, the workup is very important, and it is a little variable depending on the insurance company’s requirements for preauthorization for surgery.
So, to get to surgery, can take anywhere from two months to eight months on average depending on the insurance company. And then when it comes to surgery, the patients stay in the hospital typically two days after surgery or stay two nights after surgery before they go home. They are feeling much better after surgery, after the first week. And most patients are returning back to work within two weeks. The weightloss question is a little bit difficult because it’s variable for every person.
So, what the surgery really is, is giving the patients the tools they need to attain their goals. But the surgery itself is not a magical cure. The surgery itself is not going to make the weight just fall off. It’s a tool that’s going to be used to help them get to their goal. So, if you take the combination of the surgical procedure and it doesn’t really matter as much which procedure; but you take the procedure plus eating right, plus increasing activity and if the patients follow those three kind of guidelines; everyone will be successful.
Host: All right Dr. Wright. I really appreciate your insight today. That’s Dr. Anthony Wright, a Bariatric Surgeon at Capital Regional Medical Center. Thanks for checking out this episode of Helmet of Health. Head to www.capitalregionalmedicalcenter.com to get connected with a provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks and we’ll see you next time.
Prakash Chandran (Host): Most of us diet at some point in our lives to lose weight but for some people, surgical weightloss may be a better solution and today we’ll learn about all the benefits of an accredited surgical weightloss program. Let’s talk about it with Dr. Anthony Wright, a Bariatric Surgeon at Capital Regional Medical Center.
This is Helmet of Health, the Podcast from Capital Regional Medical Center. I’m Prakash Chandran. So, Dr. Wright, let’s start at a very high level. What exactly is surgical weightloss?
Anthony Wright, MD (Guest): So, surgical weightloss, there’s a couple of different options that we can provide patients these days that can overcome some of the obstacles of medical weightloss. Historically, medical weightloss has proven to be effective, meaning patients can lose weight. The biggest problem is that it has not been found to be durable meaning that patients do not keep this weight off. They usually gain the weight that they lost back and usually find a little extra in the meantime.
So, surgical weightloss allows the weightloss to be both effective and durable. And it gets rid of all of the medical problems associated with being morbidly obese.
Host: I got it and just so I understand, what exactly is medical weightloss?
Dr. Wright: So, diet, exercise, medications. There are multiple medications available out on the market. Unfortunately, most of which come with side effects. But that’s what medical weightloss is considered.
Host: Okay, I see and so you talked about some of the benefits of the surgical weightloss. I just want to get into maybe the terms of what they are. I’ve heard of gastric bypass before. Some of my friends have had that. Is that considered a surgical weightloss solution?
Dr. Wright: Yeah, so that’s one of the options that are widely available these days in the United States. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, it is an option. The most common bariatric procedure being performed in the United States these days is a sleeve gastrectomy and there are still some institutions that have an adjustable gastric band program. Those are the most common. There are a few other options that are done at specialized centers, but a majority of the patients have those three options available to them.
Host: Okay and how do you evaluate who the ideal candidates are for a surgical weightloss procedure?
Dr. Wright: Well so kind of that’s a two part answer really. So, there are restrictions from an insurance company standpoint where the patients have to meet a certain criteria. So, either having a body mass index greater than 40 or having a body mass index greater than 35 and at least one comorbid medical condition, meaning they have got something like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea, or a multitude of medical problems that could be directly related to being morbidly obese.
When I am seeing patients, what you really want to see is someone who has attempted weightloss multiple times, is motivated to do such but just needs the extra tools that we can offer surgically to help them be successful with it.
Host: That makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much for that clarification. Let’s say someone does meet the criteria that you are mentioning, is motivated to lose that weight; why exactly is it important to look for an accredited center when considering weightloss options?
Dr. Wright: Well by far the biggest advantage of being an accredited center is we follow kind of a stringent set of guidelines in the treatment of every patient that we see. So, every patient is taken care of in the same way. We report all of statistics to a governing body that overlooks and makes sure that we are indeed taking care of patients appropriately. So, it’s kind of a second check that our institution is abiding by all the rules and treating patients according to today’s standards.
Host: And I’m sure people listening to this, once they go in and let’s say they perform one of the procedures that you are mentioning; I’m sure they are wondering or asking themselves how quickly do they lose weight? Is it very hard to keep off? Is the recovery time long or the recovery period long? Maybe talk a little bit about that.
Dr. Wright: Sure. Well, this is not a fast process from the beginning. There’s a lot of hoops that the insurance companies make patients go through before surgery even starts. But the education starts then too. Patients are meeting with dieticians. They are being educated on what is proper nutrition in the human body. And then how are they going to attain that proper nutrition after surgery. So, the workup is very important, and it is a little variable depending on the insurance company’s requirements for preauthorization for surgery.
So, to get to surgery, can take anywhere from two months to eight months on average depending on the insurance company. And then when it comes to surgery, the patients stay in the hospital typically two days after surgery or stay two nights after surgery before they go home. They are feeling much better after surgery, after the first week. And most patients are returning back to work within two weeks. The weightloss question is a little bit difficult because it’s variable for every person.
So, what the surgery really is, is giving the patients the tools they need to attain their goals. But the surgery itself is not a magical cure. The surgery itself is not going to make the weight just fall off. It’s a tool that’s going to be used to help them get to their goal. So, if you take the combination of the surgical procedure and it doesn’t really matter as much which procedure; but you take the procedure plus eating right, plus increasing activity and if the patients follow those three kind of guidelines; everyone will be successful.
Host: All right Dr. Wright. I really appreciate your insight today. That’s Dr. Anthony Wright, a Bariatric Surgeon at Capital Regional Medical Center. Thanks for checking out this episode of Helmet of Health. Head to www.capitalregionalmedicalcenter.com to get connected with a provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks and we’ll see you next time.