Last week CMS/Medicare announced approval for sleeve gastrectomy for the treatment of obesity. This is exciting news, as prior to this they would only cover gastric band, gastric bypass, and duodenal switch. It is especially exciting because the sleeve is the operation that would most benefit many Medicare recipients!
The essence of the ruling is that sleeve is covered for Medicare patients with:
– a BMI over 35
– at least one recognized weight-related comorbidity
– past failure of non-surgical weight loss attempts
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Trace W. Curry MD