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Bariatric Services

Offer cost-effective, quality-proven, weight-loss surgery.

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A life-changing journey

Optum® Bariatric Resource Services provides employee support through the entire continuum of care.

Obesity is a serious health concern

Obesity is a growing concern and a serious health problem in the United States. It may be affecting your employees, which results in higher costs for you.

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41%

of working-age Americans age 40-5, classified as obese1

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21%

national medical spend because of obesity2

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42%

more medical costs for people who are obese3

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80%

percentage of people with diabetes who are overweight or obese4

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Obesity-related conditions include some of the leading causes of preventable death5

  • Type 2 diabetes 
  • Certain cancers
  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Sleep apnea
  • Hypertension

Consider carving out benefits for complex medical conditions like bariatric surgery with Optum Bariatric Resource Services (BRS).

Optum BRS will enable you to reduce medical expenses associated with bariatric surgery. It also provides support for your members, their family members, and caregivers, increasing potential for success.

 

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A multi-disciplinary approach

Optum Centers of Excellence (COE) and clinical nurse case management help lower total cost of care and support better outcomes. 
 

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Centers of Excellence (COE)

  • Clinically superior compared to most non-COEs performing bariatric surgeries
  • Evaluated annually to ensure highest quality and best value:
    • Annual volume of surgeries
    • Number and experience of surgeons
    • Complications and mortality rate
    • Certifications
    • Length of program existence 
    • Multidisciplinary team
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Clinical nurse case management

  • Pre- and post-surgical telephonic clinical case management by dedicated BRS nursing staff
  • Provide education on the benefits of choosing a COE facility 
  • Provide post-surgical follow-up to ensure behavior/lifestyle modification and reduce complications
  • Specialized bariatric experience

   

19%

lower mortality rate in BRS COEs compared to non-COE providers6

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30%

lower inpatient hospital remission rate in BRS COEs compared to non-COE providers7

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24%

lower re-operation rate in BRS COEs compared to non-COE providers8

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$4,239

lower average cost per surgical episode completed at a BRS COE9

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5%

surgical avoidance rate drives additional savings10

93%

member satisfaction with BRS clinical case managers' support; 86% of members indicated better health outcomes with the program11

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Bariatric Resource Services

View fact sheet (PDF 287kb)

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Bariatric surgery patient journey

View patient journey (PDF 279kb)

Discover how to partner with Optum today

Request more information
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  1. State of Childhood Obesity. Obesity Rates by Age Group. Accessed July 2018.
  2. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adult Obesity Facts. Accessed June 2018. 
  3. Finkelstein EA, Trogdon JG, Cohen JW, Dietz W. Annual Medical Spending Attributable to Obesity: Payer-and Service-Specific Estimates. Health Affairs. 2009;28(5):w822-831. Accessed July 2018. 
  4. State of Childhood Obesity. Obesity Rates by Age Group. Accessed July 2018.
  5. American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Accessed June 2018. 
  6. Tauer J. 2016 Center of Excellence qualification analysis results, analyzed 2017. 
  7. Tauer J. 2016 Center of Excellence qualification analysis results, analyzed 2017.
  8. Tauer J. 2016 Center of Excellence qualification analysis results, analyzed 2017.
  9. Haig K. 2015 Optum claims book of business analysis, analyzed 2015.
  10. Wenzel J. 2017 Optum case book of business analysis, analyzed 2018.
  11. 2017 Q4 Optum Consumer Net Promoter Score survey results.