Bariatric surgery becoming more common

Feb. 11—With more than 30% of Americans classified as obese, bariatric surgery continues to rise in popularity.

Bariatric surgery is considered the general term for weight-loss procedures that modify a patient's digestive system, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Rafael Alvarez has been with Mosaic Life Care since September. His decision to pursue bariatrics has been heavily influenced by the level of post-surgery interaction doctors can have with patients, Alvarez said.

"It's a very important part to longitudinally (continue) to address patients' goals and really provide the support and any change they may need to really go back on track or even continuing to remain successful," he said.

Mosaic maintains consistent appointments with patients, starting with one- and three-month follow-ups, which then become annual check-ins to track progress.

Surgery isn't a foolproof solution that removes the need for diet and exercise, but it makes keeping the weight off easier for patients struggling to find long-term results through other means, Alvarez said.

"Even with surgery, there are very difficult behaviors to maintain in the long term," he said. "The most common cause for patients to, basically, lose some of the benefit in the long term is ... deviating from the diet and exercise lifestyle modifications that made them successful in the first place."

Many patients wait to have surgery until the end of the year so they can take advantage of insurance deductibles, Alvarez said.

More information about bariatric surgery through Mosaic is available at mymlc.com.

Alex Simone can be reached at alex.simone@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter at @NPNOWSimone.