title: Trends in insurance coverage for bariatric surgery and the impact of evidence-based reviews.
abstract: The recent increase in demand for bariatric surgery has placed mounting economic pressure on insurance companies and other third-party payers (TPPs). As a result, some of the TPPs have responded by excluding or limiting their coverage of all or certain types of bariatric surgical procedures, and cite as their reason, a lack of evidence that supports the safety and efficacy of such procedures. Over the years, so-called "evidence-based reviews" have been used to back these claims. Some of these reviews have significant flaws and limitations that are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Stanford University 300 Pasteur Drive, H 3591, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. bsafadi@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Bassem Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Safadi
mesh_terms: D049088:Bariatrics; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D015391:Gastroplasty / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000639:trends*; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D014481:United States