Eye on Health - A Special Section of the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

More patients choosing bariatric surgery to assist in weight loss

Bariatrics is one of the many areas of specialty at Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital

The demand for bariatric surgery has increased every year as people have become more knowledgeable about the health and lifestyle benefits of these procedures, particularly when the patient has a documented case history of illnesses such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease and osteoarthritis.

Bariatrics is one of the areas of specialty at Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital, 10720 Nall Ave. in Overland Park. Practicing at Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital is Stan Hoehn, MD, FACS, a recognized Bariatric Center of Excellence Surgeon by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Hoehn received specialized training in 2002 in San Diego, Calif., from Drs. Wittgrove and Clark, founders of the laparoscopic technique for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. He also trained with the InaMed Corporation, developer of the LapBand® system, in 2004.

Since that time, Hoehn has performed about 1,000 of each of these procedures.

In 2008, Hoehn began offering the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for patients wishing an alternative to laparoscopic banding and laparoscopic gastric bypass. The gastric sleeve procedure is a restrictive procedure with no malabsorption and no implantable hardware.

Hoehn's goal is to provide surgical excellence within a compassionate atmosphere along with lifelong quality patient support.

"It's their best chance to live a healthy, long, normal life," Hoehn said, of what he would tell patients considering bariatric surgery. "I can't think of a patient who wishes we hadn't done it."

Patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery lose an average of 70 percent of their excess body weight, he said. Excess body weight loss following the LapBand® and gastric sleeve procedures is an average of 45 and 50-55 percent, respectively. More than 90 percent of patients maintain the weight loss long-term, and the resolution rate of other health problems is 80 to 90 percent, according to Hoehn.

The procedures are recommended for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of over 40, or a BMI over 35 with related health problems, Hoehn said.

When considering a surgeon, patients should look for one who has performed a high volume of these procedures and, preferably, one who is a Bariatric Center of Excellence Surgeon, he said.

"They should look for a facility that is up-to-date, modern and well-versed in these procedures," Hoehn said.

Hoehn performed the gastric sleeve procedure on Stacy Madmon-Reister on Aug. 28, 2008, at Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital. Since her surgery, she has lost 78 pounds.

"I have worked in medicine for 25 years including at UCLA in California and it's true what other patients say about Heartland; this place is amazing," she said. "every experience wasn't just satisfactory it was excellent — from pre-surgical testing, laboratory, scans, MRIs and even the person who drew my blood. The staff made me feel like a person, not just a surgical case. Even the nurses who were going to be in the operating room came in before surgery and introduced themselves. Everyone lets you know what to expect and are very explanatory every step of the way.

"I feel that Dr. Hoehn genuinely care about my entire life, not just my surgery. He is there with you and is truly invested in your future. It's hard to call something flawless, but my total whole care at Heartland for surgery was very nearly flawless."

Hoehn and Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital accept and participate with many insurance plans, including Medicare. Individual plans may vary, so it is important that patients contact their insurance providers for bariatric surgery coverage. Information seminars are available to discuss the benefits and risks of weight loss surgery along with an insurance/financial session in the information session after the seminar.

Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital was founded by leading physicians from multiple practices and specialties located throughout the Kansas City area. Opening in September 2003 with approximately 20 physicians on the medical staff, Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital has expanded the scope of practice to include new specialties and grown the medical staff to more than 80 physicians representing nine specialties.

For more information about Hoehn and bariatric surgery visit www.KCbariatric.com. For more information about Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital, visit www.hssh.org or call the patient referral line at 1-800-DOC-HSSH.