American Society of Bariatric Physicians Responds to Decision for Obesity Treatment

DENVER, Dec. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) commends the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for their decision to cover the costs for obesity screening and intensive behavioral therapy in patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. This decision indicates that the CMS agrees that behavioral counseling for obesity is a reasonable and necessary therapy for the prevention and treatment of obesity and its associated diseases.

Included in the coverage are screening for obesity using BMI, dietary assessment, and intensive behavioral counseling and therapy to promote sustained weight loss via diet and exercise interventions. CMS will cover weekly face-to-face intensive behavioral therapy visits for the first month, followed by visits every other week for an additional five months. Additional face-to-face monthly sessions will be covered for up to six months afterward, if the beneficiary meets a 6.6 pound (3 kg) weight loss during the first six months. If this is not met, coverage is withdrawn.

Although encouraged by these guidelines, the ASBP points to the recommendations of the 2007 Expert Committee on the Prevention, Assessment, and Treatment of Childhood Obesity as well as the Obesity Treatment Pyramid, which advocate that the critical step between primary care initial treatment and surgery is management by a comprehensive multi-disciplinary team of obesity experts. Unfortunately, according to the current CMS guidelines, the intensive behavioral counseling must take place in a primary care setting in order to be covered. The ASBP is concerned that restricting coverage to primary care settings will prohibit patients from receiving more intensive, multicomponent counseling from physicians who have been specially trained in obesity management. The ASBP strongly recommends that the definition of primary care physicians be revised to include bariatric physicians and obesity medicine specialists, as these are the providers who have received specialized training in obesity treatment and management.

The ASBP considers this policy to be a step in the right direction for improving the treatment of obesity, providing Americans with some coverage for non-surgical obesity treatment that was long overdue. The decision that the CMS made based on the abundance of research on obesity's detrimental effects on the health of Americans and the fiscal health of our nation is commendable and will certainly benefit the US health care system.

About the ASBP

Founded in 1950, the ASBP is the oldest medical association dedicated to the non-surgical treatment of obesity and associated diseases. The ASBP is a collaborative organization that provides its members practical information and business tools to implement a successful medical bariatric practice. For more information about the ASBP, visit www.asbp.org.

SOURCE ASBP