Bariatric and Weight Loss Services
We proudly offer the latest and most comprehensive surgical weight loss and medical weight loss procedures using state-of-the-art equipment. Our team will meet you wherever you are on your weight loss journey with compassion and understanding, and with a shared goal of helping guide you toward a full, active, and healthy life. We have a team of caring clinicians that works with patients throughout their journey, including physicians, dieticians, psychologists, program managers and coordinators.
Bariatric Coordinator Phone: (385) 551-4169
About
Excess weight can cause health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic joint pain/osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, PCOS, urinary incontinence, and infertility. You don’t have to keep struggling to achieve weight loss and wellness on your own. We are here to help you achieve a better quality of life, improved mobility, and overall mental well-being through the surgical weight loss and medical weight loss options offered within our program.
Our experienced physicians use the most up-to-date, minimally invasive techniques, so you’ll heal faster and have less scarring. We also offer medical weight loss options for those interested in non-surgical methods to help on their journey to improved health.
A physician referral is not required. Most insurance companies, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare, provide benefits for weight loss services. Please contact your insurance provider for specific information about your coverage.
Accreditations
A Blue Distinction Center in Bariatrics is a healthcare facility recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield for its expertise in delivering high-quality bariatric (weight-loss) surgery care. These designated centers have a proven track record of better outcomes, such as lower complication and readmission rates, and provide comprehensive surgical, post-operative, and patient education services.
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program bariatrics accreditation means a surgical center has met the rigorous, nationally recognized standards of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) for high-quality, safe patient care in metabolic and bariatric surgery. Facilities must prove they have the right physical and human resources, follow best practices, and track outcomes to ensure they are providing excellent care and improving over time.
Our Services
Choosing Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake means choosing quality, experience, and a commitment to excellence in bariatric care. Our accredited center and dedicated specialists are here to support you on your path to health and wellness, every step of the way. We offer two types of weight loss services: surgical weight loss and medical weight loss.
Surgical Weight Loss
Each of our surgical weight loss procedures is designed to support long-term weight loss and is personalized to meet the unique needs of each patient. Our surgical weight loss options include:
In a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, sometimes just called a sleeve gastrectomy or “sleeve,” your surgeon removes about 80 percent of your stomach. The remaining banana-shaped section is closed off with staples.
The new, smaller stomach holds less food and liquids, so you can’t eat or drink as much. As a result, you’ll lose weight and reduce your blood sugar. Removing a portion of your stomach also decreases levels of hunger hormones.
As with every other type of bariatric surgery, you’ll have to change your lifestyle to have long-term success with a vertical sleeve gastrectomy. This includes eating less and exercising.
Fortunately, your team at CommonSpirit Health will be there to guide you. With our support in developing new habits, you’ll reduce your risk of complications.
While gastric bypass has been available for more than 50 years, our surgeons use the most updated techniques and technology when they perform it.
When you have a gastric bypass, your surgeon will use staples to create a new, smaller stomach pouch. Because the pouch holds less food than a full stomach, you’ll feel satisfied sooner and consume less. Plus, you’ll absorb less, since food bypasses so much of your digestive tract. Your hormones and metabolism shift too, meaning you may see improvements in conditions like diabetes and acid reflux.
A successful gastric bypass surgery involves long-term lifestyle changes, such as eating smaller meals and exercising. Sticking to your treatment plan, with the help of your team, means you’ll avoid complications.
You might hear this procedure referred to by several other names, including:
- Biliopancreatic diversion
- Duodenal switch
- Malabsorptive surgery
- Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch
As some of the names suggest, biliopancreatic diversion is two procedures in one. First, your surgeon will remove about 80 percent of your stomach, leaving a tube-shaped stomach pouch. This is similar to a sleeve gastrectomy.
Then, your small intestine is divided in two. The top portion is separated from the stomach. The second, lower portion is then brought up and connected to the pouch. This way, the food you eat bypasses about three-fourths of your small intestine.
Not only does your stomach pouch hold less, your body will absorb fewer of the foods you do consume. You’ll lose weight, feel less hungry, and have better control of your blood sugar.
Revisions may be needed to fix an issue or complication from a prior surgery or to address weight loss failure or weight regain. These revisions could include changing from a lap band to a sleeve or gastric bypass, making a sleeve smaller (re-sleeve gastrectomy), converting from a sleeve to a gastric bypass or SADI, or simply repairing a hiatal hernia.
Medical Weight Loss
Weight loss medicines may be an option for people who have obesity or who are overweight and have weight-related health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. These medicines may help some people who haven't been able to lose weight with diet and exercise.
Prescription weight loss medicines include semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic), liraglutide (Saxenda), tirzepatide (Zepbound), phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia), and naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave). These medicines work by helping you eat less. Another medicine, called orlistat (Xenical), prevents some of the fat calories you eat from being absorbed by your body.
Different weight loss medicines produce different results in each person. Many people are able to lose 5% to 16% or more of their body weight, depending on how they respond to the medicine. Our doctors can help you understand your options and decide what might be right for you.
Weight loss medicines are used long-term along with healthy eating and being more active. Many people regain some or most of the weight they lost if they stop taking the medicines. If you stop taking the medicine, healthy eating and activity may help limit how much weight you gain back.
Weight loss medicines don't work for everyone. If you are having trouble reaching your goals, talk with your doctor about other things you can try, including surgical options.
Multi-disciplinary team
A successful bariatrics procedure begins long before you enter the operating room — and continues with daily shifts that last a lifetime. From the first time you contact our center, you’ll receive expert guidance on what to expect, how to take care of your health every day, and ways to make behavior changes stick.
Your support crew may include dietitians, nurses, trainers, and psychologists or other therapists. We’ll connect you to the best, most experienced clinicians in the community. You’ll also have the option of joining with support groups, in person or online. This way, you can get both practical advice and emotional reinforcement from others just like you, coping with the same challenges and victories.
Why choose our bariatric surgery program?
At Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake, our experienced surgeons use the most up-to-date, minimally invasive techniques. This means you’ll heal faster, with fewer scars. Additionally, Dr. Maya El Ghouayel is multilingual, able to converse with patients in their preferred language, including English, Spanish, French, Arabic or Portuguese.
For long-term success and weight loss, bariatric surgery patients need support. Here, you’ll find a top-notch lineup of caring clinicians to guide you as you move forward from surgery. As part of our program, you’ll find a medically-supervised weight loss program and nurse-led navigation to help with bariatric surgery requirements.
Our Bariatric and Weight Loss Center has earned top certifications and distinctions in the field, including those given by Blue Cross Blue Shield Distinction in Bariatrics, and the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. That’s important not because of the plaques on our wall, but because it means we lead in taking care of our most important priority — you, our patients.
Are you a candidate for bariatric surgery?
To undergo bariatric surgery, patients must typically meet the following guidelines:
- BMI of 40+ with or without health issues
- BMI of 35+ living with heart disease, diabetes or sleep apnea
- Zero success: Not able to meet weight goals through diet and exercise
FAQs
No, in most cases, you do not need a referral. You can contact our bariatric coordinator directly to see if you’re eligible for weight loss surgery.
Most insurance companies provide benefits for bariatric surgery. A self-pay option is also available. Please check with your insurance provider for specifics.
Before you book a date, you must undergo evaluations by experts in nutrition and psychological health. Some insurance companies also ask patients to undergo a period of trying to lose weight, with supervision, before approving you for weight loss surgery.
Please plan on spending approximately three hours at Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake for your first appointment. Our bariatric coordinator will meet with you and describe all the services and support we provide.
In addition, you will complete a nutritional evaluation by our registered dietician. Finally, you will complete a comprehensive psychological evaluation by our licensed psychologist, who specializes in bariatric surgery.
Small steps to improve your health — starting right now — can go a long way toward a successful weight loss surgery.
The nutrition and behavior change experts we work with at Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake will guide you on specifics. But in brief, eating a nutritious diet, getting regular physical activity, quitting smoking, and avoiding alcohol all help you prepare, recover, and return to a full, active life.
Good hydration is essential for health and healing. After weight loss surgery, it’s a challenge to drink enough, because of the changes in your stomach. And caffeine does more than wake you up — it also acts as a diuretic, removing fluid from your body.
In addition, caffeinated and carbonated beverages also can irritate your stomach and contribute to ulcers. So, it’s important to follow the guidance of your surgical team and avoid these drinks.
Yes, absolutely. In fact, many people find it easier to get pregnant after weight loss surgery. However, you’ll want to wait at least 12 to 18 months. That ensures that your baby will get enough nutrition to grow and develop properly. Your bariatrics team at Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake will work with you for family planning that makes sense for your lifestyle.
Bariatrics Providers
The following doctors regularly provider bariatric services at Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake. For a full list of providers offering this service, review our Find a Provider tool.
Patient Resources
