The ASMBS is calling on members and state chapters to join the fight for greater patient access to metabolic and bariatric surgery, and is providing downloadable tools to help them do that.

“No one can afford to sit this one out,” said Ninh T. Nguyen, MD, president of the ASMBS “Bariatric and metabolic surgery is significantly underutilized and everyone, from individuals to organizations, has a responsibility to help tear down the barriers to treatment.”

On…

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The mission of the Integrated Health Professional Education Committee is to promote and support development of accredited post-professional education programs with the goal of improving the multidisciplinary care and treatment of people with obesity and related diseases. As an advocate for education advancement, the committee works to identify needs, professional gaps and barriers IH professionals face, and develop programs that enhance the skills, clinical practices, knowledge and research endeavors of metabolic and bariatric surgery professionals….

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The mission of the IH Clinical Issues and Guidelines Committee is to create evidence-based guidelines and position statements with focus on clinical issues related to the integrated multidisciplinary team, as well as issues related to the individual Integrated Health disciplines. Its goal is to enhance the safety, quality and outcomes of bariatric and metabolic surgical patient care.

connect recently explored the work of the committee with Committee Chair and IHEC Liaison, Pamela Davis, RN, CBN,…

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ASMBS is more than 4,000 members strong, a reflection of the growing importance of the organization and the value it continually strives to bring to its diverse membership. connect asked ASMBS Membership Committee Chair, John Kelly, MD, chief of General Surgery at UMass Memorial Medical Center, about the work of the committee and what it does to serve current members and attract new ones.

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The mission of the ASMBS Integrated Health Support Group committee is to promote the development of support groups in the care of bariatric surgical patients. Through the development and distribution of resources, including a support group leader manual, the seven-member committee is helping nurses, bariatric coordinators and support group leaders meet the needs of their patients.

connect recently interviewed Committee Chair, Stephen Ritz, PhD, Licensed Psychologist at Decatur Psychotherapy Group and its Co-Chair, Kellie Armstrong,…

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David Provost, MD, FACS, chair of the ASMBS Public Education Committee believes while progress has been made in educating the public and obesity and bariatric surgery, much work remains. The ASMBS Public Education Committee is charged with doing some of that work, which includes providing content for the new ASMBS website, creating patient education materials and increasing awareness of the safety and effectiveness of metabolic and bariatric surgery.

connect recently interviewed Dr. Provost, medical director…

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Recent headlines about children as young as two-years-old getting bariatric surgery have grabbed attention, but have not changed the position of the ASMBS and its Pediatric Surgery Committee. It issued Best Practice Guidelines in 2012 and nothing since then has changed the consensus on the risks and benefits of bariatric surgery in adolescents and the criteria for patient selection.

connect recently interviewed Kirk Reichard, MD, FACS, FAAP, ASMBS Pediatric Surgery Committee Chair, about the controversial…

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The ASMBS Research Committee was formed to advance the science and understanding of metabolic and bariatric surgery through research. It is accomplishing its goal by evaluating the increasing number of grant requests from ASMBS members and awarding ASMBS Foundation research dollars to the most promising studies and investigators.

connect recently interviewed ASMBS Research Committee Chair Dr. Ranjan Sudan, Vice Chair of Education, Department of Surgery at Duke University, to learn more about the changing nature…

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CPT 43280 Laparoscopic Fundoplasty is no longer reimbursable with Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band placement (CPT 43770) and or Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve (CPT 43775) per second quarter NCCI Edit.  This does not mean that the procedures cannot be performed together, rather that the procedures cannot be billed together.  This represents a major change for bariatric coding.  This change mirrors what has already been in place for Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass (CPT 43644).

Previously, ASMBS has suggested using…

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