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Bariatric Surgery Services

Losing weight can be difficult. If you are struggling with obesity and related health problems, and you have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight, bariatric surgery may be right for you.

Our UCI Health weight-loss team offers you the most successful and least invasive weight-loss surgery options. After weight-loss surgery at UCI Medical Center, our patients safely shed excess pounds and experience a dramatic improvement in weight-related health problems.

Our highly skilled team — which has earned recognition from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association for delivering the highest quality and safest bariatric care — also specializes in managing complications from previous weight-loss surgery. 

When you come through our UCI Health doors, we work with you to develop a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call us at 888-454-8131.

Our board-certified UCI Health bariatric surgeons offer a variety of procedures to help patients achieve their weight-loss goals.

Our team specializes in the following procedures:

During and after weight loss, our team works with you to ensure your health and comfort, including body contouring to remove excess skin.

If you have had a weight-loss procedure performed elsewhere, we also specialize in revisions of prior weight-loss surgery. Patients sometimes may need a second surgery because of poor weight loss, regained weight or complications from the original surgery.

Learn more about the weight-loss surgery options we offer ›

Our UCI Health weight-loss surgeons specialize in the most advanced, minimally invasive weight-loss procedures in Orange County, including the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and vertical sleeve gastrectomy.

  • Our bariatric surgery program is accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This designation demonstrates that our multidisciplinary team has the skill, experience and latest technology to deliver the highest level of personalized bariatric care. The rigorous review process ensures that our patients experience safe, effective outcomes.
  • The UCI Health bariatric surgery program is a designated Center of Excellence with Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and we are a designated Health Net Bariatric Performance Center. 
  • UCI Health has been chosen as a Boeing Center of Excellence because of our expertise and our ability to offer active and retired employees and their dependents the best in bariatric surgery. 
  • We are designated as a Blue Distinction® Center for Bariatric Surgery by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. These centers are selected for having dedicated teams that provide the complete range of weight-loss surgical care services, including patient education, inpatient care, post-operative care and follow-up care and body-contouring services in a safe, successful and cost-effective manner.
  • Studies have shown that laparoscopic patients had less post-operative pain, a lower risk of infection, spent fewer days in the hospital, recovered faster and made more rapid improvements in their overall health and quality of life.
  • After significant weight loss, many patients may seek surgery to remove excess skin. Our team includes experts in body-contouring procedures, including abdominoplasty, thigh lift, upper body lift and breast reshaping.
  • We provide full-service, personalized care throughout your journey to health and body transformation. Before surgery, every patient has three visits with the bariatric surgery team. This is done to ensure the surgery is appropriate, safe and successful.
  • We closely follow our patients after surgery. Our follow-up care schedule includes visits at one week, one month and quarterly for the first year, then twice a year after that. At every visit, our patients are seen by the surgeon, a dietitian and a social worker.

The UCI Health multidisciplinary bariatric surgery team includes nationally regarded gastrointestinal surgeons and an international authority on body contouring after massive weight loss, as well as experienced anesthesiologists, nurses, psychologists and patient coordinators.

We also work closely with the UCI Health Weight Management Program, which offers physician-supervised weight control programs at UCI Medical Center in Orange and Gottschalk Medical Plaza in Irvine. The program is run by a professional staff that includes registered dietitians and certified exercise specialists who specialize in treating and educating significantly overweight or obese patients.

The weight management program emphasizes reducing risk factors for disease, behavioral change, nutrition and physical activity for long-term health management. For more information, call 888-454-8131.

Our weight-loss team includes:

Bariatric surgery

 

Weight management services

Anesthesiology

The UCI Health Bariatric Surgery Program conducts clinical trials to better understand obesity and weight gain and improve your treatment. 

UCI Health physician Kishore Gadde, MD, and the bariatric surgery study team are currently enrolling patients who had bariatric surgery and regained weight in an NIH-funded clinical trial. Learn more about this clinical trial.

For more information about clinical trials at UCI Health, you can:

Check your BMI

If your BMI is 30 or higher, you may be a candidate for bariatric surgery. If your BMI is under 30, but are still struggling with your weight, our Weight Management Program can help you achieve your goals.

Check your BMI here › 

Schedule a consultation

If your BMI is 30 or higher, schedule a consultation with the Bariatric Surgery Services team. Call us at 888-454-8131 to get started.

Attend an information session

Our free information sessions are offered on the third Tuesday of every month. During this session, you will learn about bariatric surgery options, and the pros and cons of each. Information sessions are also an opportunity to meet other bariatric surgery patients and ask questions about life before, during and after bariatric surgery. No registration is required. To attend, find a class date that works for you ›

Check your insurance coverage

Insurance coverage is a major consideration for many patients considering bariatric surgery. Use our guide to talk with your insurance and learn how you are covered for bariatric surgery and what conditions you may need to meet to qualify. 

Questions to ask your insurance ›

Our distinctions

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Make an Appointment

888-454-8131