Palms of Pasadena Hospital’s weight loss program has been designated as an Aetna Institute of Quality for Bariatric Surgery
November 2008

Palms of Pasadena Hospital’s weight loss program has been designated as an Aetna Institute of Quality for Bariatric Surgery. Aetna designates hospitals and facilities based upon an evaluation of the clinical performance and overall value of the facility. Palms of Pasadena Hospital submits information to Aetna on an annual basis. The designation is for a two-year period.

In addition, Palms of Pasadena Hospital was recently named an American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an organization dedicated to pursuing surgical excellence in the delivery of bariatric surgical care. The award is peer reviewed by the most competent doctors in the industry and the hospital receives the designation in collaboration with bariatric surgeon, Ernest Rehnke, M.D.

The weight loss program at Palms was also the first program on the West Coast of Florida to perform bariatric surgery utilizing the Realize™ Adjustable Gastric Band, a device that is surgically implanted around the stomach to help people with morbid obesity lose weight and improve or resolve obesity-related health conditions including type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and high cholesterol.

Unique to the Realize™ band, an interactive tool provides support to help patients successfully achieve long-term weight loss. Through the REALIZE mySUCCESS™ program, patients and physicians at Palms of Pasadena Hospital can set goals and continuously watch the patient’s progress together, especially for the first three years, as the patient adjusts to his/her new lifestyle so healthcare providers can step in precisely when needed to keep patients on track.

The Bariatric Program at Palms of Pasadena Hospital performs approximately 200 surgeries annually. Its program is designed to help patients lose weight and keep it off. The program’s goal is to go beyond surgery by providing a life-changing program that includes nutritional guidance, support groups and coordination of counseling services.The program is affiliated with experienced, board-certified surgeons who specialize in the surgical treatment of morbidly obese patients. We offer the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass both open and laparoscopic as well as the less invasive adjustable Lap Band. For more information visit www.ObesityNoMoreFL.com.