Dear Colleague,

Weight loss surgery, as one of the fastest growing disciplines in medical practice, offers the allure of strong demand, little competition, and good financial reward.

These conditions, combined with rapidly accelerating advances in surgical technologies and techniques, have raised concerns about patient safety as well as levels of scrutiny by regulatory agencies, insurers, and public health officials.

The American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery have responded by developing practice guidelines for weight loss surgery. The Massachusetts Public Health Department, through the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error Reduction, reconvened a statewide panel of experts to review the current literature and recommend best practice solutions in 2008. Each task group produced evidence-based reports that define best practices in obesity surgery.

From September 11-13, 2008, Harvard Medical School will host Patient Safety in Obesity Surgery, a comprehensive CME course that will cover each of the task group reports along with topics required to establish Centers of Excellence. Speakers will include Harvard Medical School faculty as well as guest faculty from government, industry, professional medical societies, and the media.

This state-of-the-art course is designed for ALL healthcare providers; surgeons; primary care physicians; endocrinologists; psychiatrists; psychologists; nutritionist; nurses, nurse practitioners, exercise physiologists; hospital administrators; industry representatives; policy makers; journalists. The public, patients, and people considering weight loss surgery are invited to attend.

Visit the course website or call our office at (617) 667-5100.

Register today!

Sincerely,

Daniel B. Jones, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Overview

Patient Safety in Obesity Surgery will address the various social and medical issues stemming from the national epidemic of overweight and obesity, specifically the growing concerns related to weight loss surgery. General sessions and breakout sessions with different focuses are designed to meet the education needs of a highly diverse mix of target audience, increasing the course's effectiveness in providing health care professionals with the most current information on patient safety and best practice options, and maximizing its impact on curbing this epidemic and improving the quality of life for patients.

Target Audience

Our target audience are those who have a stake or an interest in preventing and managing the conditions of overweight and obesity, including:

  • Healthcare providers:
    • Surgeons
    • Primary Care Physicians
    • Endocrinologists
    • Psychiatrists
    • Psychologists
    • Dietitians/Nutritionists
    • Nurses
    • Nurse Practitioners
  • Lawyers
  • Hospital administrators
  • Members of industries that support best practices for overweight and obese patients such as the medical device and equipment, pharmaceutical, nutrition, insurance, and food industries
  • Policy makers
  • Journalists

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

  • Recognize challenges facing patients undergoing obesity surgery.
  • Describe approaches to reducing medical error.
  • Discuss criteria common to Centers of Excellence.
  • Discuss advances in surgical management.
  • Discuss controversies in surgical treatment.
  • Describe patient selection strategies.
  • Identify physician training requirements.
  • Recognize the role of multidisciplinary approach to obese patients.
  • Identify and start to address legislative and financial barriers to care.

Patients/Families Parallel Tracks (Preliminary)

We recognize the broad and significant implication the overweight and obesity epidemic has on various industries and policies at the local, state, and national levels, and we try to provide a venue for all parties to gain knowledge of and insight into what the best solutions are and how to best contribute to these solutions. Parallel tracks at this course can include:

  • Patient safety in obesity surgery
  • Food and nutrition
  • Overweight and obesity in adolescence
  • Mental health of obese patients
  • Best practices for a bariatric program
  • Legal and legislative issues

Approved for AMA PRA CME Credit.