A new method of gathering information about weight loss surgery patients is having an effect on how surgeries are formed.
The new Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative database is one of the largest in America. A recent review of data on weight loss surgery trends from the past three years revealed that bariatric surgery deaths have dropped to less than one-tenth of one percent in 2009.
In addition, according to the registry data, gastric sleeve surgery is becoming more common in Michigan, and was used in 12 percent of all bariatric procedures.
Dr. John Birkmeyer, University of Michigan’s chief of bariatric surgery, said the registry results show that more bariatric patients are choosing the gastric sleeve procedure because it appears to provide safe weight loss at a fast rate.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan provides $1.5 million a year to fund the registry. But, the positive findings have already illustrated health care savings exceeding that amount.
