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Webinar Eases Journey to Weight Loss Surgery
TEMPE, AZ – (Nov. 22, 2011) – For the 60 million Americans who are obese, the decision to lose weight can be as serious as life and death. According to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK), obese individuals — those with a body mass index greater than 30 percent — have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of death from all causes, compared with normal-weight individuals. While the health risks associated with obesity can be severe, the journey to reversing obesity and changing one’s life is not always an easy one.
Candidates for weight loss surgery are required to complete a comprehensive checklist of tasks before consulting with a weight loss surgeon. Candidates must verify medical insurance coverage, obtain a referral from a primary care physician, provide medical records and attend an educational seminar led by a bariatric surgeon, just to name a few.
The Bridges Center for Surgical Weight Management is making the journey more attainable by offering online webinars that fulfill the educational seminar requirement for weight loss surgery candidates. The Bridges Center is the only American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence (COE) in Arizona that offers a 24/7 webinar for the convenience of prospective patients.
“At the Bridges Center, we understand that it may be difficult for some individuals in need of weight loss surgery to attend a seminar in the Valley. That’s why we have created an on-demand webinar that brings the seminar to them,” said Hilario Juarez, M.D. FACS, board-certified bariatric surgeon and co-medical director of the Bridges Center for Surgical Weight Management at St. Luke’s Medical Center. “Once a prospective patient attends the Bridges Center’s webinar or in-person seminar, he or she can arrange a one-on-one consultation with a bariatric surgeon and start the journey toward better health.”
Since the Bridges Center webinar was first made available online in late July 2011, 85 potential weight loss surgery patients have participated. Several patients residing outside the metro Phoenix area noted that they wouldn’t have been able to attend a seminar in the Valley otherwise.
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