May 2024 Edition
1. Presidential Messages
Marina Kurian, MD FASMBS and Stephanie Sogg, PhD deliver the monthly Presidential Video Message. Hear about the current state of the Society and upcoming events.
ASMBS Presidential Message
ASMBS Integrated Health Presidential Message
2. Education & Events
ASMBS 2024 Integrated Health Expo and Lunch
Join the ASMBS Integrated Health Executive Council along with IH committee chairs, co-chairs, and exhibitors for lunch on Monday, June 10 at 12:00 PM PT at the ASMBS 40th Annual Meeting.
Arrive early for pre-conference sessions and to network with other bariatric professionals!
Display Your Publications In The ASMBS Marketplace In San Diego!
We invite you to make your book and other publications available for purchase during the ASMBS Annual Meeting on June 9-13, 2024 in San Diego, California.
BE-SAFE!
Bariatric Endoscopy – Skill Acquisition Focused Evaluation
Lab Exam Registration is Open.
Register for the upcoming BE-SAFE! hands-on skills verification exam!
ASMBS 2024 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA
Monday, June 10, 2024
1:30- 3:00 PM PST and 3:30- 5:00 PM PST
FESTSCHRIFT FOR DR. WALTER PORIES
Please mark your calendars and make arrangements to join us for this important event on June 8, 2024 in San Diego!
This non-profit full-day and evening event is being organized in part by the East Carolina University Health Foundation and held one day prior to the ASMBS 2024 Annual Meeting on Saturday, June 8, 2024, at the San Diego Convention Center in order to maximize the number of people who can attend, ASMBS leadership has endorsed this event.
Please register as soon as possible, as space is limited. The education event will be concluded with a keynote address by Professor Pories himself.
ASMBS IH Support Group Facilitator Training Program
This training program is provided to increase support group facilitator knowledge and shares practical strategies on basic knowledge, foundational skills, and advanced topics for facilitating effective support groups.
Available free of charge to all ASMBS Members!
ASMBS START Webinar
The Open House Webinars will be an opportunity for the Fellows in the ASMBS START Program to present several interesting cases or challenging problems related to robotic bariatric surgery procedures and techniques, followed by a free-form interactive discussion with the moderators and other START program core faculty members.
Open House Webinar 1: Monday, May 6, 2024
Open House Webinar 2: Tuesday, May 28, 2024
This event will be streamed live on the ASMBS YouTube Channel at 7:00 PM ET.
New York State Chapter IH Webinar
Weight Recurrence; No Shame, No Blame – It’s Not The Patient’s Fault
Thursday, May 26, 2024
Time: 5:30 PM EST/4:30 PM CST
The Bariatric Happy Hour!
Long-term mortality after gastric bypass surgery, NEJM (2007); 357:753
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Time: 8:00 PM EST/7:00 PM CST
The FELLOW Project
Fertility and Pregnancy Around Bariatric Surgery
Friday, June 7, 2024
7:00 AM EST & 3:00 PM EST
Addressing Disparities in Obesity Treatment: A Toolkit for Providers
Friday, June 21, 2024
12:00 PM EST/11:00 AM CST
3. Committee Updates
ASMBS Artificial Intelligence & Digital Task Force Published in SOARD
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Bariatric Surgery: Comparative Analysis of ChatGPT-4, Bing, and Bard in Generating Clinician-Level Bariatric Surgery Recommendations
CBN Item Writers Needed!
As a Certified Bariatric Nurse (CBN), you have experienced the pride that comes with being acknowledged for your expertise in the Metabolic and Bariatric field.
The CBN Exam Development Subcommittee is offering the opportunity to become an Item Writer! We are continuously updating our item bank and seek writers from across the nation who provide direct bariatric care in various settings, such as offices, hospitals, or those who serve as bariatric coordinators or MBSCRs.
Experienced CBN item writers and new CBNs are both encouraged to participate! Once selected, item writers will undergo training sessions and receive mentoring from experienced writers and committee members.
Please indicate your interest by emailing Morgan Matlock at cbn@asmbs.org. Additional information and an application will be sent to you prior to the launch of our next item writing task force.
4. Membership News
Last Day To Submit Ballots Is Monday, May 6th! Vote Today!
Attention voting Integrated Health Members! Voting ends Monday, May 6 at 11:59 PM ET. Review eligible candidates and submit your vote for the 2024-2025 IH Executive Council.
5. Advocacy & Access to Care
Orlando Health
The following updates were made to the guidelines effective 4/1/2024:
- Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is recommended for individuals with a body mass index (BMI) ≥35 kg/m2, regardless of presence, absence, or severity of co-morbidities.
- MBS should be considered for individuals with metabolic disease and BMI of 30-34.9 kg/m2.
- BMI thresholds should be adjusted in the Asian population such that a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 suggests clinical obesity, and individuals with BMI ≥27.5 kg/m2 should be offered MBS.
- The Single Anastomosis Duodenal Switch procedure has been included to the list of approved procedures.
UHC Community Plan (for Nebraska only)
UHC Community Plan (for Nebraska only) updated the bariatric surgery policy. Effective June 1, the revised criteria expands coverage to include:
- Lower BMI for Asians (reduced by 2.5)
- Added insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, NAFLD, & idiopathic intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri) to list of comorbidities
- Added coverage for planned two-stage procedure (criteria below)
Centene
Centene (18 million covered lives) updated the bariatric surgery policy with the following changes:
- Removed requirement for monthly nutritional counseling until the date of surgery
- Added bone & joint diseases, chronic kidney disease, infertility, & polycystic ovarian syndrome to the list of obesity-related comorbidities
- Removed high risk for type 2 DM (insulin resistance, prediabetes, and/or metabolic syndrome) from the list of obesity-related comorbidities.
- Added unstable angina & recent myocardial infarction (within past 60 days) to the list of high-risk cardiac candidates
Aetna
Aetna (22.5 million covered lives) updated the obesity surgery policy and added the following note:
Concurrent hiatus hernia repair in bariatric surgery is considered incidental and not separately reimbursable.
Washington State Health Care Authority
Bariatric surgery will be discussed at the Health Technology Clinical Committee (HTCC) meeting on May 17, 2024 – you may sign up to attend on the day of the meeting, however, the deadline was 4/19 for presenters.