Weight Loss Surgery

About the Weight Loss Surgery Program 

Surgeons in the Mass General Weight Center are members of a multidisciplinary team of obesity experts who are leading the way in providing individualized consultation and innovative obesity treatment, including state-of-the-art medical and surgical programs.

What Is Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatric surgery, also called weight loss surgery, refers to several types of surgical operations that treat obesity and metabolic diseases related to obesity (diabetes, fatty liver disease, etc.). Bariatric surgery is often recommended when non-surgical weight loss methods have proven unsuccessful in treating the obesity, and when obesity poses a risk to the patient's health.

Bariatric surgery procedures work by modifying the stomach (making it smaller) in order to reduce calorie intake and change how the body absorbs food so that it becomes fuller faster. This modification helps the body to achieve and sustain a healthy weight. Surgery is accompanied by long-term lifestyle changes to ensure that it remains successful.

Many bariatric procedures can be performed using minimally invasive surgical techniques such as laparoscopic and robotic. These advancements allow patients to have a better overall experience with less pain, fewer complications, and a faster recovery.

National Leaders in Weight Loss Surgery

Mass General surgeons perform a high volume of weight loss surgeries and achieve excellent outcomes. Each is a board-certified, Harvard Medical School-affiliated surgeon who specializes in treating patients with complex medical disorders related to obesity, weight disorders, and metabolic disease. According to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 11% of our patients undergoing weight loss surgery had an illness before their surgery categorized as major or extreme, compared with a statewide figure of 2%, which requires advanced training and a highly focused clinical practice.

Mass General is a designated Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Blue Distinction Centers are health care facilities recognized for their expertise in delivering specialty care.

Becoming a Patient at the Mass General Weight Center

Care begins with learning more about what our center offers through our new patient orientation, where you will meet with a team of obesity specialists to evaluate your overall health and candidacy for bariatric surgery. Generally, patients must meet the following requirements to be eligible for weight loss surgery:

• Have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher
• Have a BMI between 30 and 35 in conjunction with a weight-related comorbidity, such as heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure
• Have a stable psychological status

In addition to our surgeons, your multidisciplinary team may include obesity medicine specialists, psychologists, and registered dieticians.

Our Weight Loss Surgical Procedures 

Mass General is an accredited member of the American College of Bariatric Surgery Center Network. We offer the following surgical options for appropriate patients seeking weight loss. 

Conditions Treated by Weight Loss Surgery

In addition to sustained loss of excess weight, bariatric surgery may also improve other weight-related conditions, including but not limited to: 

• High cholesterol 
• High blood pressure 
• High blood sugar 
• Type two diabetes 
• Heart disease 
• Kidney disease 

What to Expect for Weight Loss Surgery

Your surgical evaluation begins with a one-on-one new patient orientation led by one of our obesity experts who will explain obesity, the center, and the medical and surgical treatments that best fit your needs. You will then receive a call to schedule an initial evaluation led by a multidisciplinary team including a psychologist, dietician and in some cases, an internist specializing in obesity medicine.

Before Bariatric Surgery

Preparing for weight loss surgery is important, and our program is designed to provide you with the information you will need to succeed in losing weight and in avoiding postoperative complications.

Your insurance company and/or your Weight Center team may require you to attend a three- to six-month pre-surgery program that helps you prepare for surgery both physically and psychologically. Program education is centered on achieving pre-surgery weight loss to reduce surgical risks and prepare for a healthy lifestyle after surgery. This program fulfills the preoperative requirements of several insurance companies and may be recommended or required before surgery can be scheduled.

Studies show that rapid weight loss before bariatric surgery significantly decreases the size of the liver which reduces the risk of complications after surgery. Once surgery is scheduled, patients work with a dietitian to develop an individualized meal replacement plan specifically designed to induce weight loss.

Closer to surgery, you will meet with your team to review your health as well as attend two group nutrition education classes. During these classes, you will be provided with instructions on your postoperative diet and how to prepare for surgery.

After Bariatric Surgery

Our program is designed to prepare you for gastric weight loss surgery and to monitor, guide, and support you postoperatively. The six-month postoperative program is divided into two, three-month phases.

Weight Loss Surgery Cost

All medical and surgical visits are billed to the patient's insurance company. Some components of the program may not be covered by insurance. To learn more about insurance coverage, call 617-726-4400. Weight Center staff are available to answer your questions.

A Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Care

Before and after your surgery, we work with your entire treatment team to design an individualized treatment plan that promotes long-term weight loss. Experts are available for counseling on nutrition, exercise, and behavior modification along with medical management of related diseases.

We also offer pediatric evaluation and treatments for obesity in conjunction with Mass General for Children.

Patient Story

Kim's Successful Weight Loss Surgery

Read Kim's weight loss surgery story

Weight Loss Surgery Frequently Asked Questions 

High Marks in Surgical Quality

The Mass General Department of Surgery and Codman Center for Clinical Effectiveness have been consistently recognized for meritorious outcomes in surgical patient care from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). Hospitals achieve this distinction based on composite quality score in the outcomes in mortality and complications such as cardiac, respiratory, unplanned intubation, ventilator greater than 48 hours, renal failure, surgical site infections and urinary tract infections for all surgery cases. 

This recognition reflects the outstanding performance of the hospital’s surgical teams in providing patient care at many levels. This distinction goes to only approximately 10 percent of the 680 participating hospitals entering data into NSQIP. 

Our Surgical Results

At Mass General, we believe it's important to provide safe and effective care. The Department of Surgery tracks many performance measures and compares them to national data. 

View our surgical outcomes compared to national data