The Role of the Obesity Medicine Physician in the Management of the Bariatric Patient

A multi-disciplinary team-based approach is the most evidence-based strategy to successfully manage the chronic complex disease of obesity. The obesity medicine physician has an important role in medically optimizing the bariatric patient before surgery as well as providing longitudinal surgery-specific and comorbidity-focused care postoperatively. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery traditionally have a high rate of attrition to follow-up, but under the streamlined care coordination of the obesity medicine physician, their post-operative risk of nutritional deficiencies, weight regain and other adverse outcomes can be minimized. In this way, the obesity medicine physician is integral to the successful management of the bariatric patient.