Weight Loss Surgery SmartSite Sample Letters for ... - Adam.com

Weight Loss Surgery SmartSiteSample Letters for PhysiciansWeight Loss Surgery Options at Our HospitalDear Dr. ______:As you work with patients suffering from obesity, we wanted to highlight some of theclinical elements of the Weight Loss Program at Smith Hospital and introduce you to ournew Weight Loss SmartSite, now available on our hospital website.Our program is certified (or is seeking certification) by the American Society for Metabolicand Bariatric Surgery. Our multi-disciplinary team of specialists provide comprehensivesurgical, medical and wellness services to treat obesity in coordination with the patient’sreferring physician. In addition to bariatric surgery, our program focuses on comprehensivepre- and post-weight loss surgery services. These include educational, screening and weightloss support tools.Our new Weight Loss SmartSite (insert URL) provides patients with an easy to navigate,web-based program to assist in learning more about obesity and healthy weightmanagement, and assess readiness for surgical weight loss. Innovative, on-line assessmentsprovide free, customized reports based on an individual’s health status and weight goals.I’ve enclosed some cards with the Weight Loss SmartSite URL that you can make availableto your patients as needed. In addition to the website, we conduct free weekly informationseminars to help patients learn more about weight loss surgery.We offer several weight loss surgery options, including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass,laparoscopic gastric banding, and gastric sleeve surgery. Weight loss surgery takes place at(insert locations). All of these weight loss surgery centers have been designated "Centersof Excellence" by medical review boards and have a track record of excellent clinicaloutcomes and successful patient experiences, thanks to our team of experienced surgeons.The clinical benefits to weight loss surgery are substantial for morbidly obese patients,including elimination or reversal of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, andobstructive sleep apnea. However, weight loss surgery is not for everyone. Asrecommended by NIH, the generally accepted criteria for surgical treatment include a BMICopyright © 2012 Ebix, Inc. CONFIDENTIAL 1

of greater than 40 kg/m2 or a BMI of greater than 35 kg/m2 in combination with high-riskco-morbid conditions, such as sleep apnea, diabetes, or degenerative joint disease.Contraindications to bariatric surgery include illnesses that greatly reduce life expectancyand are unlikely to be improved with weight reduction, and certain mental health disorders.Surgery for obesity should be considered as a treatment after dieting, exercise,psychotherapy, and drug treatments have failed.Please give me or Dr. (insert name of bariatric surgeon with contact information) a call ifyou have any questions or would like additional information about our weight loss surgeryprogram.. Thank you.Sincerely,(Name and Title)Copyright © 2012 Ebix, Inc. CONFIDENTIAL 2