ASMBS is Here for You in These Challenging Times
We are closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19, with the health and safety of our members, patients, and industry partners our top priority. We will provide regular updates through our ongoing webinar series. Please check back for more information as it becomes available.
Safer Through Surgery
ASMBS calls for safe resumption of bariatric and metabolic surgery before COVID-19 pandemic is declared over. In a new position statement entitled, "Safer Through Surgery," published online in the journal SOARD, ASMBS strongly rejects classifying metabolic and bariatric surgery as "elective" and prefers the use of the term "Medically Necessary Time-Sensitive Surgery" or "Medically Necessary Non-Emergent Surgery" to better characterize the effectiveness of the intervention and the progressive nature of the many diseases it treats including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Read More.
Insurance Deductible Extension Request
Updated December 2021
In an effort to support our patients’ access to life-saving surgery, and in support of our members, we have created a letter that can be sent to insurers to request an extension of the deductible to the early part of 2022. We are asking that they hold the patient harmless financially for the circumstances that made it impossible for them to receive the benefit through no fault of their own and no fault of the medical team caring for the patient.
COVID-19 Webinar Series
Keeping Your Patients Engaged During the COVID-19 Crisis & Care for the Caregivers to Avoid Professional Burnout
June 9th, 2020
Moderator: Lisa West-Smith, PhD LISW-S, IH President
Presenters: Rachel Goldman, PhD and Nate Sann, MSN CRNP FNP-BC
Panelists: Shanu Kothari, MD FASMBS and Nina Crowley, PhD RD LD
COVID-19 Town Hall Q&A: Restarting Surgery – Issues to Consider in Prioritizing Cases
May 26th, 2020
Moderator: Matt Hutter, MD MPH FASMBS
Presenters: Ali Aminian, MD FASMBS, Vivek Prachand, MD, Anthony Petrick, MD FASMBS, and Christopher Daigle, MD FRCSC FACS FASMBS
Executive Council Panelists: Shanu Kothari, MD FASMBS, President Elect, Teresa LaMasters, MD FACS FASMBS, Secretary/Treasurer, Eric DeMaria, MD FASMBS, Immediate Past President, and Nina Crowley, PhD RD LD, IH Secretary
COVID-19 Updates: Restarting Surgery – Issues to Consider in Prioritizing Cases
May 19th, 2020
Moderator: Matt Hutter, MD MPH FASMBS
Presenters: Ali Aminian, MD FASMBS, Vivek Prachand, MD, Anthony Petrick, MD FASMBS, and Christopher Daigle, MD FRCSC FACS FASMBS
Executive Council Panelists: Shanu Kothari, MD FASMBS, President Elect, Teresa LaMasters, MD FACS FASMBS, Secretary/Treasurer, Eric DeMaria, MD FASMBS, Immediate Past President, and Nina Crowley, PhD RD LD, IH Secretary
COVID-19 Updates: Independent/Community Practices: Surviving COVID-19
May 5th, 2020
Moderator: Matt Hutter, MD MPH FASMBS
Presenters: Shawn Garber, MD FACS, Marina Kurian, MD FASMBS, Rami Lutfi, MD FACS FASMBS, Margaret Inman, MD FASMBS FACS
Executive Council Panelists: Shanu Kothari, MD FASMBS, President Elect, Teresa LaMasters, MD FACS FASMBS, Secretary/Treasurer, Eric DeMaria, MD FASMBS, Immediate Past President
Restarting Surgery: Issues to Consider
Recorded April 28th, 2020
Moderator: Matt Hutter, MD MPH FASMBS
Presenters: Peng “Charles” Zhang, MD PhD FACS, Clifford Ko, MD MS MSHS FACS, Eric DeMaria, MD FASMBS
Executive Council Panelists: Shanu Kothari, MD FASMBS, President Elect, Teresa LaMasters, MD FACS FASMBS, Secretary/Treasurer, Nate Sann, MSN CRNP FNP-BC
COVID-19 Updates: Embracing Telehealth
Recorded April 21st, 2020
Moderator: Matt Hutter, MD MPH FASMBS
Presenters: Betsy Dovec, MD FACS FASMBS, Jana Wolff, RDN LDN, Paul Davidson, PhD, and Rich Peterson MD MPH FACS FASMBS
Executive Council Panelists: Shanu Kothari, MD FASMBS, President Elect, Teresa LaMasters, MD FACS FASMBS, Secretary/Treasurer, Eric DeMaria, MD FASMBS, Immediate Past President, and Lisa West-Smith, PhD LISW-S, Integrated Health President
COVID-19: Updates from ASMBS
Recorded April 7th, 2020
Moderator: Matt Hutter, MD MPH FASMBS
Presenters: Joe Northup, Chair, MD FASMBS, Paul Kemmeter, MD, and John Scott, MD FACS FASMBS
Executive Council Panelists: Shanu Kothari, MD FASMBS, President Elect, Teresa LaMasters, MD FACS FASMBS, Secretary/Treasurer, Eric DeMaria, MD FASMBS, Immediate Past President, and Lisa West-Smith, PhD LISW-S, Integrated Health President
Why ASMBS Membership Matters
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating some of the greatest challenges that many of us have faced or will ever face. Surgeons and healthcare providers have always shown leadership in times of crises. We have trained for years to develop and hone our knowledge and skill to improve the lives of those in our hospitals, our operating rooms, our offices, and our communities. There is no greater time than now to extend this expertise and compassion to help out however we can.
We invite you to join us. Become a member of ASMBS. ASMBS is actively fighting to increase access to care for millions of people with obesity. Your contribution as a member of ASMBS will allow us to continue our work towards removing barriers for patients to receive life-saving treatment. Apply now to join your colleagues in making a difference. Submit Your Application Today. Please contact at membership@asmbs.org if you have any questions.
Efforts from our Industry Partners
As COVID-19 has altered the landscape for medicine, bariatric surgeons and medical companies are helping to fit this pandemic while learning how to best fit into this new environment. Accordingly, many ASMBS Corporate Council Member companies have taken action to help bariatric surgeons and patients.
Baritrax360
Covid-19 has eliminated most all live bariatric seminars, classes, consults, and training sessions. Baritrax360 has adapted features to their automated patient engagement system that allow bariatric practices to easily replace their live-in person seminars, classes, and training sessions with recorded video presentations. Patients can get timed messages of motivation, links to watch these events online, take a quiz, and download necessary documents and forms via the Baritrax360 patient portal…. thus, keeping them moving forward in these challenging times.
Bariatric Fusion
As we face the challenges of this global pandemic, Bariatric Fusion’s top priority continues to be the health and wellness of our customers, employees, and community throughout the world. We are all facing uncertainty and change on many levels and I wanted to personally let you know, Bariatric Fusion is here for you.
Our leadership team, sales directors, product specialist, and customer support team are here to answer questions and make sure you are able to receive the supplements that you need before and after weight loss surgery. Currently, there are no expected delays or inventory stock-outs. We are taking the necessary steps and precautions to maintain all safety standards.
Bariatric Times
Due to the delay or cancellation of live meetings, Bariatric Times is happy to provide complimentary continuing education modules for nurses and dietitians. Qualified healthcare professionals can read and obtain certification of accreditation upon successful completion of the post-test. We are proud to be able to provide these to HCPs for free thanks to support from industry, and we are continuing to publish new modules in the coming months. Access the full library of activities here.
Celebrate Vitamins
During these times of uncertainty, Celebrate Vitamins is dedicated to helping and supporting our community and industry.
In an effort to help patients within the bariatric community that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have expanded our Celebrate Assist program. The program now offers an option that will provide patients that have been laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a 3-month supply of a multivitamin and iron option. Patients can apply on our website, here. Celebrate is dedicated to developing community during these difficult times. With an increased presence on social media channels, we are providing educational content beyond vitamins, to help patients stay healthy all around. Through interviews with leaders in the community and outside of bariatrics, we want to encourages patients to Celebrate Life every day. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Ethicon
As a leader in global health, Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon remain committed to supporting our healthcare customers at the front line of patient care during the Covid-19 pandemic while ensuring the safety and well-being of our community and employees.
We are incredibly grateful for the work you are doing during this difficult period and we are taking measures to ensure that patients and healthcare professionals have access to the medicines, devices and consumer products they depend on across the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.
Currently Bariatric practitioners are specifically looking for best practices in digital patient outreach and telemedicine and we are the pioneers of providing this timely educational resources and marketing content for your practice. Visit our website for a list of comprehensive educational webinars and click here for free patient educational, referring physician brochures and digital media for your practice. To stay up to date on our company’s efforts to address current critical needs please read more about our COVID-19 Response Efforts.
Medtronic
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the personal and professional lives of our customers and the patients they serve, making what was already a challenging care pathway even more so. Medtronic is helping ensure that patients get access to the care that they need during these unique and challenging times by sponsoring webinars and creating content that can help educate patients on the importance of treating their obesity – now more than ever – and how to stay safe as they navigate our new normal. For access to some of this content, please click here.
New Tri Health
The coronavirus pandemic has led to the cancellation of non-essential medical appointments. Exploring alternatives to the traditional in-person, bariatric preoperative education is imperative. NewTri Health is a standardized, digital, preoperative platform which allows patients to begin or continue their preoperative process remotely. There are more than 25 video classes available online or through a mobile app for patients to access wherever they are. The classes are designed to meet the pre-op insurance requirements of bariatric surgery and cover topics ranging from the surgery itself to diet, exercise and mindset. For more information about NewTri Health and to learn how you can begin referring your patients today, click here.
Olympus America Inc.
For more than 100 years, Olympus has focused on making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling by helping detect, prevent and treat disease, furthering scientific research and ensuring public safety. In the face of COVID-19, we are proud of, and grateful to, the customers we serve. We honor their efforts to safeguard the health of the public worldwide and strive to help in any way possible. Due to the dynamic development of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare networks face a shortage of medical supplies, medical professionals and manufacturing and service personnel able to maintain medical devices. Olympus is prepared to handle external requests that support healthcare institutions. Contributions to healthcare include:
- Olympus is offering free use of bronchoscopes from its pool of scopes set aside for lending in order to assist pulmonologists treating COVID-19 patients in critical care.
- Olympus is offering healthcare organizations use of its cloud-based, clinical collaboration platform MedPresence® at no charge for three months from the time of activation.
- As the current COVID-19 crisis restricts in-person educational programs, Olympus University is offering a variety of Instructor-Led Continuing Education Presentations online. Course topics include infection control and clinical topics across various specialties. In addition, online modules for continuing education credit are available for anytime learning. To learn more about Olympus’s response and additional resources provided, please visit our website.
The Parthenon Company
COVID-19 has created significant uncertainty in all aspects of life for us. Our top priority is the health and wellness of our customers and staff. We take all the necessary steps to protect our staff with personal protection and distancing. This has allowed us to provide consistent and continued service to our customers as this pandemic unfolds. In addition to this, we have tried to help our valued customers stay healthy by providing a complimentary Purell hand sanitizer with their orders as long as our stock allows.
Reshape Life Sciences
ReShape Lifesciences™ understands how COVID-19 has affected your patients, community and professions. Therefore, we have and are conducting free webinars with leading surgeons and HCP to help practices stay connected and informed about how to best ramp back up during these challenging times. If you are interested in viewing these webinars and a series of aftercare training videos, please click here.
Sequence Health
The mission at Sequence Health is to provide superior patient engagement solutions to healthcare organizations that significantly increase their lead capture, lead conversion to patient, and ultimately dramatically increase top line revenues while streamlining internal office operations. Products and services offered include bariatric online seminars for patients, bariatric patient tracking platforms, website development, digital marketing, MBSCR services, 24/7 medical call center with nursing RNs, and insurance verification and authorization.
W.L. Gore & Associates
As a materials science company, we believe we can apply our technical expertise and production capabilities to help meet short- and long-term needs of the medical community and others who are providing essential services at this critical time. Drawing upon capabilities across our divisions, some of the solutions we are exploring include garments for front-line health care workers, filtration components for face masks and respirators, and other tools to address specific problems facing hospitals and those caring for critically ill patients. We are committed to doing our part, working with partners across a spectrum of specialties, to provide meaningful solutions. To learn more about Gore’s response, click here.