Wrap Up Discussions - 2024 Pediatric Bariatric Surgery Update Course

MBSAQIP criteria for freestanding pediatric centers require 100 lifetime cases, 75 of which can be completed during fellowship training, and 20 cases per year to maintain accreditation as MBS director or verified MBS surgeon

If partnering with an adult bariatric program, pediatric surgeons do not need to meet the verified surgeon criteria because adult surgeons serve as the verified surgeons, allowing the pediatric surgeon to practice without independent credentialing

Annual case volume requirement was reduced to 15 cases per year for pediatric centers

A pediatric surgeon can partner with an adult surgeon for 1-3 years until reaching 100 cases and 15 annual cases in their program, then practice independently

Medicaid reimbursement for facility fees averages approximately 50% for bariatric surgery, which is better than many private payers in some regions

The robotic surgical system has an excellent simulator that allows surgeons to train for many hours before operating on patients

The gut microbiome changes after bariatric surgery in adolescents, with increases in Firmicutes and other beneficial species associated with better health

It is nearly impossible to separate whether microbiome changes cause weight loss or result from weight loss and surgery, even in adult data

Twenty years ago there was a huge disparity between adolescents receiving bariatric surgery and those who needed it

An adult bariatric surgeon completed 4 bariatric cases by 11 AM using robotic surgery with two operating rooms flipping, demonstrating efficiency potential

Even with 500 pediatric bariatric cases performed, the field is not moving the needle on the overall problem of adolescent obesity

The pharmaceutical industry has significant interest in proving GLP-1 medications are the best method for treating obesity

The vast majority of medical schools do not adequately teach about the disease of obesity in pathophysiology curricula