Minimally Invasive Surgical Weightloss Center (Dr Glas****)_ in the news!

KWWL had a story tonight about Dr Glas****'s group. I though you might like to see it. It's nice to read positive stories once in awhile. "An Eastern Iowa weight loss center gets an A plus for exceptional patient care. The Minimally Invasive Surgical Weight Loss Center, located at Sartori Memorial Hospital in Cedar Falls, is one of only three facilities in Iowa to be identified by Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield as a bariatric surgery center of excellence. Life is a lot different for Diane Lyman. She lost 185 pounds after having gastric bypass surgery. Lyman says, "my girls will say, mom, I can put my arm all the way around you now and that's neat!" Lyman says having surgery wasn't an easy decision to make. Especially after hearing about the risks involved. Lyman says, "it's not right for everyone. You have to really investigate it and see if it's right for you and go to a credible facility and doctor." The Minimally Invasive Surgical Weight Loss Center at Sartori Memorial Hospital was the right choice for Lyman. The facility is now one of three centers in Iowa recognized as a bariatric surgery center of excellence. Dr. Matt Glas**** says the designation reflects staff commitment to patient care and success. Dr. Glas**** says, "we take such a careful look at the individual patient before contemplating surgery to make sure they are an acceptable risk." Doctors performed about four hundred surgeries since the center opened two years ago. No patient deaths have occurred. But doctors say success rates depend on the patient. Lyman says, "I've been roller skating, skiing, went to Adventureland and got to ride all the rides, doing activities with my kids." Lyman says her success continues because she follows up with exercise, something the doctors at this top notch facility ordered. Only eleven counties in Iowa offer bariatric surgery. Counties in Eastern Iowa include Black Hawk, Linn, Johnson, and Poweshiek counties. " I noticed that they neglected to include Scott county. Genesis is doing great work also. Dixie

I did some more checking & Mercy Capital in Des Moines & Grinell Regional were the other two. In addition Sioux Valley in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was recognized. Here is an explaination of what this means from Wellmark's website- Identifying Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence will: Help you find facilities that have applied and met certain program criteria for this procedure Assist providers in identifying the facilities for this procedure which have met Wellmark's criteria for Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence Help reduce practice pattern variation in these surgeries leading to improved outcomes for members Important Prerequisites to Bariatric Surgery If you are considering weight-loss surgery, meet with your physicians well in advance of the surgery to develop a treatment plan and discuss with whether the surgery is appropriate for you. If your physician determines the surgery is medically necessary, consider using one of the Centers of Excellence which Wellmark has identified that has applied and met certain program criteria for this procedure. Your physician will handle the approval process for you if it is to a network provider. Contact Wellmark's case managers who are experienced at working with members with severe or complex medical needs, such as bariatric surgery, and provide valuable information and assistance to members pre- and post-surgery. Become familiar with the wealth of weight-loss resources available to you. Checklists, tools, and information on such topics as weight-loss alternatives, preparing for surgery, nutrition, diet, and exercise can all be found on myhealth@wellmark, and with the Centers of Excellence: Sartori Memorial Hospital Sioux Valley Hospital Mercy Capitol Grinnell Regional Medical Center Centers of Excellence Equal Quality Through extensive data analysis and research of this growing trend, Wellmark identified the criteria and standards for becoming a Center of Excellence based on national benchmarks, as well as input from Iowa and South Dakota's bariatric surgeons and other Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. Facilities that meet the Center of Excellence criteria are focused on quality measures, provide a continuum of care that starts prior to surgery and extends throughout the member's lifetime, and are proactive in quality improvement of processes affecting the member's experience. Selection criteria for Centers of Excellence focused on: Quality of post surgical follow-up care Ability of clients to maintain their weight loss Morbidity/mortality rates Pre- and post-surgical education for patients and plans for follow-up care Appropriate equipment for management of care for morbidly obese members Ongoing quality management and improvement programs Physician and staff experience and credentials Each of the Centers will be reviewed for compliance with Center criteria on an ongoing basis. Important: Please note that although the Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence have met Wellmark's criteria and standards for identification as a Center of Excellence, this does not imply any guarantee of a positive outcome or endorsement by Wellmark. In addition, coverage for bariatric surgery services is subject to all of the terms of the member's benefits certificate or policy." Dixie

That's awesome! I'm now looking into going Dr. Glas**** in stead of Dr. Samuel in IC. So the 3 facilities in Iowa are Sartori, Des Moines and Grinnell? Iowa city isn't included? That makes me wonder. I know people have got to get frustrated with the UIHC wait and Debi never returns my calls or e-mails. It's frustrating! I'll let you know how the seminar goes and when I get my first appt with Dr. Glas**** Thanks for the info!!! Hugs, jen

I'm sure the surgeon at IC is great but from what I understand they don't have a support group (followup care seems to be pretty important to the insurance companies) nor do they do very many of the surgeries. That probably counted against them. Good luck! Dixie