Bariatric surgery
Helping you succeed in your weight-loss journey.
Live your best (and healthiest) life
Geisinger’s specialists can help you through your weight-loss journey so you can live your fullest life.
Bariatric surgery requires an ongoing commitment to lifestyle changes, both before and after surgery. At Geisinger, you are the center of your program — and you’re backed by an entire team. Our approach means you get a personalized program supported by obesity medicine physicians, dietitians and specially trained nurses. Consider us your weight-loss partners for life.
What is bariatric surgery?
Bariatric surgery refers to a group of procedures designed to help you lose weight and improve your overall health. It works in a few different ways, depending on the type of procedure you have. Bariatric surgery can help you by:
- Limiting how much food you can eat
- Changing your digestion
- Altering digestive hormones
Surgery is just one of the tools we offer as part of your treatment plan — we’ll also help you lose weight over the course of your lifetime through nutritional guidance and lifestyle education. If bariatric surgery is a part of your treatment plan, your care team will review your options to determine the procedure that will best meet your needs and goals.
Bariatric surgery requirements
Weight loss surgery may be right for you if:
- You’re 80 to 100 pounds overweight
- Your body mass index (BMI) is 35 or higher
- You have at least one obesity-related health condition, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, a need for knee or hip replacement and many others
What types of bariatric surgeries are available to me?
Our bariatric surgical team specializes in endoscopic, minimally invasive and robotic-assisted bariatric surgery, which involves small incisions using precision instruments and a camera to guide the surgery. These approaches mean you’ll have less scarring, reduced pain, fewer complications and a quicker recovery.
We offer the following bariatric surgeries:
In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a surgeon creates a stomach pouch that causes the food to go straight from the pouch to the small intestine.
| Geisinger Community Medical Center |
Geisinger Medical Center |
|
| Number of surgeries performed 2021-2023 |
403 | 907 |
| Surgical site infection | 0.6% | 0.66% |
| Bleeding | 1.5% | 1.54% |
| Leak | 1.2% | 0.22% |
| Related readmissions | 1.48% | 4.08% |
| Length of stay | 1.33 days | 1.5 days |
This procedure turns the stomach into a narrow tube with removal of much of the stomach.
| Geisinger Community Medical Center |
Geisinger Medical Center |
|
| Number of surgeries performed 2021-2023 |
94 | 201 |
| Surgical site infection | 0% | 1.49% |
| Bleeding | 0% | 1.49% |
| Leak | 0% | 1.0% |
| Related readmissions | 1.06% | 2.49% |
| Length of stay | 1.32 days | 1.5 days |
Bariatric surgery at Geisinger
Our bariatric care team consults research and top specialists to develop the safest, most effective ways to perform procedures. Geisinger’s bariatric program is nationally accredited through the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. This designation means we meet strict standards for high quality bariatric care.
Our team approach makes all the difference when you’re trying to lose weight, and we provide personalized education and support to help you progress toward your weight loss goals. We offer support groups, nutritional counseling and bariatric physicians to help you succeed in your weight loss journey.
Bariatric surgery is part of our ProvenRecovery® and ProvenCare® programs. These programs are designed to help patients recover faster and return home sooner after surgery — all without the use of opioids.
